The holiday season is here, and you’re likely searching for the perfect gifts for everyone on your list. Choosing thoughtful and useful gifts for loved ones can be a challenge, but you can usually accomplish it with some careful thought. However, selecting gifts for your executive or colleagues can be a bit of a slippery slope for admins.
You don’t want to get them something too personal. But you want to demonstrate that you know the person and took the time to select something he/she will enjoy. Throughout my years as an admin, I’ve learned to walk this fine line of gift-giving in the office, and I’ve come up with a go-to gift that always seems to be appreciated: books.
Whenever I want to give someone in my office a gift – whether it’s my executive, manager, or colleague – I comb through my list of favorite professional books and select one I think he or she will find interesting and informative.
If you’re stumped about what to get someone in your office these year, these five books are great options for your executive, manager, or colleague:
StrengthsFinder 2.0 – Tom Rath’s book is great for opening a conversation around your strengths, your executive’s strengths, and how to make a job you may already enjoy one you thrive in for years to come. (Click here to purchase this book on Amazon.com.)
Crucial Conversations – This one by Kerry Patterson should be required reading for every person at the office and beyond. If you’ve ever found yourself in the middle of a difficult situation or you dread those delicate conversations, you need this book. It also makes a great gift for the leader or colleague in your midst. (Click here to purchase this book on Amazon.com.)
Influencer: The New Science of Leading Change – The one constant in every company – no matter what your role may be – is change. This book by Joseph Grenny looks at the science behind leading change and gives a new perspective that could help the change management process in your organization for years to come. (Click here to purchase this book on Amazon.com.)
Change Anything: The New Science of Personal Success – This book brings the science of managing change to the personal level. It can be difficult to make small changes in our personal lives, not to mention the big ones. This book gives you new tools to make the process more manageable and productive at the same time. (Click here to purchase this book on Amazon.com.)
Lean In: Women, Work, and the Will to Lead – If you think this book is only for your female executives or colleagues, think again. Sheryl Sandberg takes an in-depth look at why women’s progress in achieving leadership roles has stalled, explains the causes, and offers compelling solutions that will both inspire and empower women to achieve their full potential. If your executive manages female leaders in your organization, this book will benefit his or her understanding and approach, too. (Click here to purchase this book on Amazon.com.)
While these books all make great gifts for your executive, manager, or colleagues, I also encourage you to add them to your own holiday wish lists. If you haven’t read these titles, they will enlighten you and help you be a more innovative, efficient, and insightful admin. Happy reading!
© 2013 Julie Perrine International, LLC
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Julie Perrine, CAP-OM, is the founder and CEO of All Things Admin, providing training, mentoring and resources for administrative professionals worldwide. Julie applies her administrative expertise and passion for lifelong learning to serving as an enthusiastic mentor, speaker and author who educates admins around the world on how to be more effective every day. Learn more about Julie’s books — The Innovative Admin: Unleash the Power of Innovation in Your Administrative Career and The Organized Admin: Leverage Your Unique Organizing Style to Create Systems, Reduce Overwhelm, and Increase Productivity. And request your free copy of our special report “From Reactive to Proactive: Creating Your Strategic Administrative Career Plan” at www.AllThingsAdmin.com.
