Your boss has been so good to you -- she deserves an unusual executive gift.
Bosses' Day is just around the corner, but your creativity is tapped from the Wilcox campaign. Or maybe you just drew your VP's name for the holiday gift swap. Another one of the same old tired desk toys, the millionth coffee mug or a been-there-done-that necktie just won't do -- you need an idea for a truly cool executive gift,
Reading Material
"What Color Is Your Parachute" might not be an appropriate book for an executive gift, but there are probably a wealth of industry-related tomes you could buy for your favorite exec. If you're in marketing, maybe the latest Seth Godin book, or something by Stan Weinstein if you're a stockbroker. An alternative idea is to skip the industry tie-in entirely and opt for something directly from the "New York Times" bestseller list, maybe something to help inspire your executive to take a break and read for a bit.
Bag It
A bag is a very personal thing, but you can ensure your gift gets used by avoiding a briefcase or handbag and sticking with the basics: lunch sacks, eyeglass cases, work bags and the like. A male executive, for example, is sure to be impressed by artifactbags.com's Old-School Lunch Bag made of waxed canvas and leather with hand-hammered copper rivets. An exec who is a woman may be delighted by an artfully designed laptop tote or sleeve purchased from the MOMA store.
Get Personal
Personalized desk gifts might seem terribly overdone, but their popularity is evidence of, well, their popularity. Make your personalized executive gift stand out by thinking outside the box. What about a sculpture made of your executive's own business cards? Personalizationmall.com offers just that -- business card sculptures available as a man or woman. Send them 20 business cards and their artists will construct a miniature executive, busily working behind his or her desk. If you don't think that's quite right for the executive in question, consider a personalized leather folio or high-quality pen and pencil set.
Get Zen
Every executive needs a way to recharge his batteries during a hectic day, even if only for a second. A Zen rock garden can be one way to refocus and restore balance and harmony. Widely available, Zen rock gardens contain a small square or rectangular dish or tray filled with sand and a few scattered rocks. You use small tools like a tiny rake to form patterns in the sand while practicing meditation.
Another Zen gift idea to help bring your executive some peace is a table=top fountain. The gentle sounds of water bubbling through the fountain could certainly help any exec refocus.
Go With Plan B
If all else fails, Game Show Presenter has a unique idea for the exec in your life -- skip the person and pick up a gift for her pet instead. A cat toy or dog toy would be appreciated by any pet owner, whether or not she's an executive. And you just might get noticed for your unusual idea.
Tags: executive gift, your executive, business cards, their popularity
