4 Last Minute Gift Ideas for Your Nonprofit or School Leadership
If you have not yet made your final purchases for your team this year, you need to read this (and open the Amazon app while you read).
“Something I want. Something I need. Something to wear. Something to read.” Where did we get that quippy little saying, anyway? When we had our daughter 10 years ago, parental advice and similar quips were abundant.
Cry It Out Method: “Let her cry it out. Even if she is forming full paragraphs with references about why you should let her in, ignore her at all costs.”
Daniel Tiger: “Check in with Mom Tiger every day. Do it like she does it.”
Stoke the Flames: “Don’t give up date nights. You need to keep dating each other.”
Balanced Diet: “You should be eating as many green vegetables as you feed her...like, at minimum.” (That one actually came from my physician)
AND
For Christmas presents, keep it simple and intentional. Give the baby/kid 4 gifts.
Something she wants
Something she needs
Something to wear
Something to read
It rhymes. It is easy to remember. It confronts massive Christmas and spoiling. And it celebrates with a gift the things we value. (Thanks Jill H. for teaching our family this little gift giving guide!)
So, here are 4 gifts that every CEO, Executive Director, Board Director, or other leader should give the people in their lives that value leadership.
1. Something I Want: Understanding Michael Porter: The Essential Guide to Competition and Strategy
Who you should buy it for: Executive Leadership, Directors, Board members, Nextgen leadership
Why you should buy it: Yes, I know I am leading off with a book that was written in 2011. And double yes, I know it wasn’t actually written by Porter. And yet, here it is first. Folks, this book is a must-own, must-read, and must-share for every Executive Leader, Director, Board Trustee, and emerging leader. This level of strategic thinking is on my want list because I just can't get enough of the implications for this kind of strategic mindset. I want to be more strategic like this. I want to help your firm differentiate itself from others. I want you to want those same things. If you’ve learned directly from Dr. Porter, consider yourself quite blessed. For the rest of us, his works must stand in the place of lectures and collaborative research. But they aren’t for everyone; perhaps, they are a bit heady. Enter Joan Magretta and “Understanding Michael Porter: The Essential Guide…” This book is accessible, meaningful, thought-provoking, and fairly comprehensive (just with less detail) of Porter’s MPV seasons: Five Forces, Competitive Advantage, Value Chain, Differentiation, etc. This book was “gifted” to me by Dr. Liddle, and now I pass it along to you (and your team). If your school or nonprofit are in strategy mode, branding mode, vision mode, or “what’s next?” mode, buy 10 copies of this book and wrap them.
Note: Ok - the color of the book jacket is “you’ve been naughty not nice” coal colored. But with a red bow and some silver ribbon… *I’m just saying. Don’t put a stack of these under the tree and hope it will eventually feel festive without accoutrements.
2. Something I Need: Making Numbers Count
Who you should buy it for: Development Staff, Finance and Business Office, Communications and Marketing, Associate Heads and/or VP leadership
Why you should buy it: This book is not a want. It is a need, especially for anyone on your team that communicates numbers: development, enrollment, marcoms, Executive Team, Board of Directors, R/D, data, etc. When your organization communicates the impact of last year’s fundraising totals, it is likely using figures and data points that your audience won’t fully understand without some context. Sure, they’re nodding and smiling when you announce you reached a $4.7 million dollar campaign milestone, but they are likely making zero sense of that number. Want to know why? Because we are people, and we better understand proxies than numbers. Don’t believe me? Read the book. This work by Heath (yes, THAT one) and Starr will tenfold improve your next impact report, case for support, giving appeal, admissions collateral, etc. The people who lead those teams will thank you for this gift and ask for more like it. (unfortunately this one is still mostly unicorn)
3. Something to Wear: Act Like a Leader. Think Like a Leader
Who you should buy it for: Nextgen Leadership, New Staff, Plateaued Staff
Why you should buy it: Put on your leader clothes. Wear them. They may not fit in all the right spots, but wear them. Act like a leader. Think like a leader. Anyone that follows JSS on LinkedIn will start to notice John’s affinity for Hermina Ibarra’s work on leadership, women in the workplace, sponsorship, etc. But only a very small number know that John’s favorite Christmas movie is “Noelle” with Anna Kendrick, Shirley MacLaine and Bill Hader. (Bet you didn’t see an Ibarra and Kendrick connection, did you?) In one of the more “I’m not crying you’re crying” moments of the movie, Noelle finally fits into her Claus clothes while putting out gifts at a local refuge. The moment recalls the line from earlier in the movie, “It will fit you when you fit it.” From Herminiaibarra.com,
“Ibarra turns the usual ‘think first and then act’ philosophy on its head by arguing that doing three things [redefine your job, extend your network, play around with your self-concept] will help you learn through action and will increase what she calls your outsight—the valuable external perspective you gain from direct experiences and experimentation. As opposed to insight, outsight will then help change the way you think as a leader: about what kind of work is important; how you should invest your time; why relationships matter in informing and supporting your leadership; and, ultimately, who you want to become.”
4. Something to Read: The Elements of Choice
Who you should buy it for: Decision Makers, Vision Casters, Admin Types
Why you should but it: Ok. You got me. They were all “something to read.” But the list is not complete without The Elements of Choice. Some books are “why?” Some books are “how?” This book is “Why how?” Why is the way (find/replace “how?”) we make decisions important? Why is “how” so important? What a great position to take! This book is for you if you are a decision maker of any kind. Are you a Board Trustee that makes decisions as a group (as in, you are 1/9 of a decision)? Are you a board officer that is responsible for governance and board polity? Are you an operations chief that must make no fewer than 300 decisions every day before everyone else gets to take that thing called “lunch”? Are you the CEO that isn’t satisfied by only results without navigating the process for ‘getting’ results? This is your book. And if you are collaborating with others on decision making where you are the architect of the decision making process, then get a home copy and a work copy (and maybe a truck copy).
Warning: This book is the longest of the 4. And you don’t get any chapters off to just ponder. It is work. But a collective reading of how decisions are structured (and ultimately made) will move your decision making and your team forward.
There is a future post on the JSS blog about being a choice architect (cf. Thaler and Sunstein, 2008, 2021) for your nonprofit, school, or business. We would love to engage in that conversation after you have had a chance to encounter Johnson’s ideas. As always, please write us if you have any ideas or feedback about decision making and this book.
Wrapping Up:
If you are a chief leader, board leader, or sector leader at your place of work, you should really consider investing in books for your staff (both this Christmas and as a regular rhythm). Of course, books serve as powerful tools for continuous learning and skill development. You can lead that regular growth by providing your team with relevant literature, exposing them to national/international leaders who can empower them to expand their knowledge base, and by fostering a learning culture of continuous improvement within your organization. There is also a side benefit too. Adult reading enhances critical thinking, problem-solving, and creativity–skills that are invaluable in today's dynamic and rapidly changing business environment (Porter would almost shout “differentiation!”). All the while, you are exposing them to the diverse perspectives in literature that will promote empathy and cultural understanding among different team members–contributing to a more inclusive workplace. Giving gifts of books is too good to pass up. We are glad to help you choose which ones may be the best fit (or a bundle of all four).
But don’t just give-and-go. No, no. If you choose to give one or more of these books to your team for Christmas, go ahead and put on your calendar–now–the days in January and February you’ll be checking in with them to learn their thoughts about what they read.
“Hey Sarah. Did you finish the book about making numbers count? How do you think we should talk about the upcoming expansion to donors in light of this book?”
“Hey John. That book I gave you talked a lot about reworking your job to make space for strategic “whole school” contributions. Have you thought about how you would do that if we could carve out a few hours each week from your regular work?”
“Hey Sarah. As a finance committee, we have made 4 budget decisions in a row without examining our process for deciding. Are we wise to keep rolling or should we evaluate the way we decide on things like this?”
“Hey John. I’m glad you finished the book about Porter. We are scheduled to start our strategic plan this year, and I’d like to know your interest in leading our process.”
This kind of thing is being in the rise. Watch for rising among your team while they are reading this high-quality material. Be agile and lean in when you see tremendous growth and learning happen.
BONUS: What is JSS reading right now?
The Right Kind of Wrong by Amy Edmonson.
Last year, I presented in Atlanta on Edmonson’s early work with Psychological Safety and her story of academic honesty in research (when the results aren’t what you expected). This book was just released in October, and I can’t wait to finish it and start letting it all sink in.
Next Up: Don’t sleep on Dec 26-Dec 31.
