Last Minute Gifts Guaranteed to Be Appreciated
There are many last-minute gifts leaders can offer to those in their circles of influence that are guaranteed to be appreciated.
Some of us will delay buying gifts until the last minute for an important occasion we knew was coming. Sometimes we are so late that we have to choose from the few options left. Other times, we are unable to find a particular gift that was available in abundance weeks before. When that happens, we are down to finding a last-minute gift. We now have to make a spur-of-the-moment purchase of a gift we hope will be appreciated.
Fortunately for leaders, the power of the last-minute gifts we have available is authentic, builds trust, and communicates that we care. Some require us to be comfortable being uncomfortable or vulnerable at the moment.
Here are ten gifts a leader can offer last minute yet guaranteed to be appreciated by the receivers.
Last Minute Gifts That Are Appreciated
- Affirmation. An impromptu affirmation for one of your team members will be highly appreciated and empowering. Triple points if the person you are affirming is your critique.
- Surprise Affirmation Note. Do you want to take your affirmation up a notch? Deliver it on a handwritten post-it note. This communicates spontaneity, and authenticity and is personal.
- Thank You. Take a hot minute to say thanks for something specific. This is always appreciated. The more specific you are, the better.
- Recognition. Give public recognition to someone. Alternate: Some people are embarrassed by public recognition. In this case, provide the recognition in a more personal setting.
- Free Time. Everyone loves to get some unplanned free time. Offer it to your team sometime. It could be as simple as canceling a meeting scheduled at a less than preferred time of the day – like Friday afternoon. For impact, don’t just cancel as if you had something more important come up. Let them know you are gifting them the time.
- Time. The gift of time is priceless. Offer your time by spending it at a spontaneous lunch with your team.
- Inspiration. Drop in on a team meeting to offer an Impromptu inspirational moment. This is sure to energize the team.
- Stories. Allow yourself to be vulnerable by sharing a personal story during an unplanned conversation. It allows others to see into you and builds trust.
- Forgiveness. Forgive someone who has wronged you. The person will appreciate that. Disclaimer: This is a gift that will most probably benefit you the most.
- Serve. Servant leaders serve. Find time to serve your people. This could be volunteering to help with an activity. It could be going out of your way to personally do something nice for your team. I was viewed as a hero for putting on an apron and chef’s hat and serving my team lunch at one of our team’s Christmas lunches.
Assess yourself
How effective are you at last-minute leadership gifting? Count how many of the above gifts you have done recently.
- 8 – 10: Take a bow. You are exceptional.
- 6 – 7: Smile. You are getting there.
- 5 or less: Good to have a baseline. Now, let’s work together. Begin putting my blog posts to practice.
Empowered Leader Reflection
Become effective at impromptu gifting. How well did you do in the past year?
It would be great if you join the conversation by adding a comment.
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