Let's face it; giving gifts at work is hard. We all have colleagues that are great friends and for whom we would want to exchange gifts with no matter what the office tradition dictated. Equally, we all have colleagues for whom giving a gift is awkward and difficult. There are a few guidelines and suggestions for selecting gifts that are appropriate for coworkers, clients, bosses and employees. However for me the answer is simple, books. I believe that the best gift for most people is a book. Not any book of course, but the right book.
The first rule of holiday gift giving is that it is not the time to make a point. This rule holds for any gift for anyone. If you want to make a point or say something circuitously that you feel needs to be said, save that for another venue. Giving a gift should be an act of kindness with only one goal the receiver's enjoyment. To this end you need to find out a little about your recipient. Do they have a sense of humor, do they have a hobby, do they like good food or fine wine, or do they admire someone from history or the arts. One great gift from an employee to her boss was a field guide to Trees of the Northeast. She had heard her employer talking about the trees outside of their window for months as she tried to identify them and she was also a hiker. This gift took into consideration something she knew her boss was interested in. No agenda, no posturing just a gift offered during the holidays.
The second rule is really for workplace gifts in particular - Nothing Too Personal. The definition of personal is more fluid than you might think but a good guideline is if the book is about a topic you wouldn't talk about at work you should probably not give it at work. Non-fiction is usually less personal than fiction and religion would be a big no-no unless the person you are giving it to has made their religion a public topic. The holidays are a time where religion can be a difficult topic. You should never assume that everyone in your workplace shares the same faith as you and this time of year it is most important. However if you work with someone whose faith is an important part of their identity a spiritual book can be completely appropriate.
The rest of the rules of gift giving at work are individual. To help you navigate them I've created a list of books that would make good gifts for certain people. For your professional as well as personal development it is a good idea to establish a relationship with a bookseller who can help you find just the right book. Good booksellers will keep you in mind when they see books that suit your reading list or your interests. They can also alert you when good books for your workplace are available. As a Bookseller I suggest books all the time and find that most people can find just the right book for nearly everyone on their list. I'll suggest here a few titles along with ideas about the kind of person who might enjoy them.
Let's start with memoirs. A peek into someone else's life is fascinating for most of us. These books are easy to give as they can reflect a shared interest without seeming instructional. They are all well written and compelling so most readers will enjoy them.
Leave Me Alone, I'm Reading: Finding and Losing Myself in Books, by Maureen Corrigan is a memoir of the well known book critic for the radio show Fresh Air on WAMC. Her story is interesting and well told from a simple blue collar childhood through an Ivy League education, to marriage raising a family. Best of all she talks about the role books played every step of the way. This book is perfect for anyone who seems to always have a book at their side. If you have a colleague who prefers to read during lunch and during travel this will be a sure hit.
Marley and Me: Life and Love with the World's Worst Dog, by John Grogan. This touching and often hilarious story is about a man and his dog. His dog is charming and loving and touches everyone he comes in contact with but he is also the worst behaved dog I have ever heard of. The damage and frustration that follows in Marley's wake will be understood by anyone who has raised a puppy. I recommend this for the colleague that really loves of dogs. Anyone who has a framed picture of their dog on their desk is the perfect candidate for this book.
Reason for Hope: A Spiritual Journey, by Jane Goodall. This book is not only about how Jane Goodall became a world, voice for environmental causes but how, in spite of all that she sees going wrong in the world she still holds hope for the future. This book is on the spiritual side (it has spiritual in the title after all) but it is non-denominational. I would recommend this to anyone who is environmentally inclined and generally optimistic.
Next are your basic "coffee table" or picture books. These make great gifts even for people who are not book lovers.
Earth from Above: 366 Days, by Yann Arthus-Bertrand. This small but thick volume has some of the most incredible pictures in it. Each page is a different image from somewhere in the world taken from the air. Land formations, cities, natural, and man made phenomena are documented and explained. A book like this is a slam dunk for someone whom you have no idea what to get.
Wide Angle: National Geographic Greatest Places by Ferdinand Protzman has a similar appeal as Earth from Above: 366 Days. While Earth from Above is new and full of pictures taken recently, Wide angle mines the National Geographic archive to present all corners of the planet. This book would definitely appeal to people who are attracted to travel, but it would be a welcome addition to anyone's coffee table or waiting room.
Hungry Planet: What the World Eats by Faith D'Aluisio and Peter Menzel. D'Aluisio and Menzel became famous for their book Material World and have earned that fame again with this new book. In Hungry Planet they visit countries all over the planet and ask families to buy a weeks worth of groceries and then to be photographed with the food. The results are eye opening. How much it costs to feed a family in Australia compared to Ecuador, Cuba or Kuwait. Over 20 countries are covered and interviews and photographs from the countries make this an ideal gift for people who are interested in international issues. The photographs make it easy browsing for non-readers but there is enough information to keep any type of reader interested.
Finally there are business books. Business books, while they seem like an easy option, can be a little risky. I don't recommend industry specific books unless the recipient has specifically mentioned a title the chances of them already being owned is high and there is a risk of seeming instructional instead of generous. These titles are all good; yet general enough to suit whomever you are buying a gift for.
Blink: The Power of Thinking Without Thinking, by Malcolm Gladwell is a popular title which is full of powerful insights about ourselves and our abilities to make intuitive decisions. Interestingly this book also shows how that very intuition where the power of thinking without thinking is also the place where we are most vulnerable to suggestion and prejudice. I would recommend this as a good gift for leaders in any organization especially if they are not big book buyers. This book has been a bestseller so someone who buys books regularly may already have it.
Big Moo: Stop Trying to Be Perfect and Start Being Remarkable, by The Group of 33. This book is inspired by Seth Godin's Purple Cow however here he is joined by big thinkers in the area of leadership and business. They are only identified as The Group of 33 to prevent readers from trying to guess who wrote which part. This is definitely for big idea people in your organization. It is energizing, exciting and full of ways to move your organization forward.
Google Story, by David Vise is a fast paced captivating story of the worlds premier search engine. Created by two Stanford drop outs, Google has set out to organize the web and make it accessible to the world for free. To date they have done just that. This book is an account of the founders, how they got there and what challenges face them as their success continues to grow. The popularity of this title and the more or less general story of business success make this appropriate for almost anyone in your organization at any level. This is a new and hot title so even regular book buyers may still not have it.
As I stated earlier books are always a good idea for gifts. They give you a chance to make a connection with the people in your life and to share a bit of yourself along the way. Developing a relationship with your bookseller can be helpful all year long, but it is especially helpful during the holidays.
