Top 5 Holiday Gift Ideas for Executives

By David Capece, Managing Partner

With the holidays upon us, it’s time to find the perfect gift for your client, cube mate, or the big dog in the corner office. Here are 5 simple ideas to jumpstart your holiday shopping.

1. The Generous Gift. The reality is that most executives already have more than they could ever ask for. Will a fancy pen make a difference to a millionaire leader who has a Ferrari? Instead of a throwaway gift, how about a charitable donation? The same $50 that is spent on an overpriced pen could be used towards a Kiva gift certificate to help underprivileged entrepreneurs or $35 could pay for roof shingles at a Habitat for Humanity build. If there’s a lesson to be learned from the financial crisis of 2008, we should avoid waste. Spend the money where it will make more impact. We suggest making a donation to the executive’s preferred charity (see our list of top 50 digital influencers in social cause) .

2. A Gift of Spirits. While charity is great, you can never go wrong with wine or champagne. We’d suggest getting a wine that is meaningful such as your favorite wine, or a wine from a country that you’ve recently visited. As a big fan of Argentina, I have recently fallen in love with the Salentein Malbec 2006 Reserve which was recommended by Men’s Health as the best red wine under $20 .

3. The Intelligent Gift. The ambitious executive is constantly in search of self-improvement, knowledge, and career advancement. You can go simple with a thought-provoking book that inspires leadership, ideas, innovation. The New Influencer and Trust Agents are among our reviewed books for digital entrepreneurs. You could also help save the print world with the subscription to a magazine which will have your gift recipient thinking of you all year long. Our eco-friendly readers can buy a digital subscription or an eBook.

4. The Personal Gift. While we are all caught up in the busy holiday season, sometimes we forget the simpler things. Does your busy executive just want to spend quality time with the people that matter most? If you’re among their favorites, take them to lunch or dinner and show you care. If they are on the periphery, give them tickets to a broadway show. For the daredevil executive, try the rollerderby, or send them your 10 favorite extreme skating videos on YouTube. You’d be surprised…through personalization, you might be able to give a great gift without breaking the bank.

5. The Inspirational Gift. With New Year’s around the corner, this is a great time to impress an executive with an inspirational gift. My favorite example is hand-made turtle pottery from Hawaii. It is a beautiful piece of pottery (see #6 in the bottom slide show of turtles), but more importantly it is symbolic as “The turtle Amakua is a protector and a wish fulfillers. If the turtle enters your home, she brings with her the deep wisdom of the sea and the gifts of relaxation and longevity. Using your Amakua spirit jar in the spirit of the ancient Hawaiians, write down your wishes, place them in this jar, and the spiritual power of turtle and the sea make your dreams a reality.”

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