What’s the perfect Christmas gift for your manager?
Every year I struggle with what to get my manager for Christmas. My company pays bonuses in early January, so giving her something small may be nice, but no doubt she could buy it for herself. Additionally, it’s kind of weird buying something for your boss, isn’t it? I mean, you know your boss makes more money than you and can probably buy whatever he/she wants for themselves, so is it worth the stress and agony over what to get? And what about for my team? Do I want them to buy me something, anything, and would I accept it if I did. Certainly I’d be grateful, but in the back of my head I’d wonder if they got it thinking they were buttering me up or because they felt like being kind.
I typically encourage folks NOT to buy their boss anything for Christmas, or to go in as a team for something nice but not too expensive. This year, I think I came up with the perfect gift for my manager, and that teams of any size can get for their managers.
A personally inscribed Thank You card from me to my manager is the perfect Christmas gift. If I take the time to write a handwritten thanks for the encouragement, support, and guidance she’s given me in 2007, and that I value the impact she has on my life, that would be a perfect gift.
What do you think? If you’re a manager, would you cherish a handwritten thank you note from your direct reports? If you report to someone, would you be willing to write this note to your manager and do you think it would be well received?
Photo credit to Daniel Slaughter
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POSTED IN: year-end
5 opinions for What’s the perfect Christmas gift for your manager?
Leo
Dec 15, 2007 at 7:07 am
Hi Phil,
I enjoyed your talk at the HDI Philadelphia Award ceremony and this post also resonates well. I think we’ve been led to believe that material gifts are more appreciated when in fact a small hand written note will do and mean so much more. That said, I think company culture can have an affect on what a person ends up getting his or her boss.
Phil Gerbyshak
Dec 15, 2007 at 6:32 pm
Leo - Glad you enjoyed my talk in Philly. That sure was fun!
You’re right - it’s a culture thing. Sometimes the culture dictates lavishness, but really, why not change the culture and do what feels right? Might surprise yourself, and your team.
Thanks for stopping by!
Elizabeth
Dec 17, 2007 at 8:37 am
I wrote about this, too, and, was accused of being a suck-up ;)
However, I work in a small office, and, my boss is a very nice man, and, he’s good to us, so, I usually get something small for him.
As a manager, I would love to have a hand written note, that’s a great idea.
Anita Bruzzese
Dec 17, 2007 at 6:03 pm
I addressed this issue as well in my blog, as it’s kind of difficult to do this without being seen as a total suck-up. I think the key is to not just focus on holiday time to send such a note. Throughout the year, it’s nice to write a note to a manager who is often under stresses that employees don’t fully begin to understand. As one manager told me: “Sometimes as the ’shepherd’ of the flock, we get tired of trying to keep the flock moving in the same damn direction all the time. Sometimes we’d like to know that our efforts are appreciated.” He went on to say that management is often a very lonely job, and just knowing that someone else is paying attention is the greatest gift anyone can give.
Anita Bruzzese
http://www.45things.com
Phil Gerbyshak
Dec 17, 2007 at 8:01 pm
Elizabeth - Yeah, you can be a suck-up if you do this wrong. Still, it’s worth thinking about.
Anita - Good thinking: don’t wait for the holidays; do it all year long!
Any management, even slacker management, can definitely be lonely, so it is wonderful to know someone cares enough to stop what they’re doing and share their attention.
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