Greetings.  This holiday season it was hard to avoid the amazing growth of "gift cards" as a perfect giving option.  Gift cards for practically every product, service or retail establishment known to humankind…all tastefully displayed in drug stores, grocery stores, departments stores and the individual stores bearing their names and logos.  They've become almost ubiquitous–my favorite word from high school English class (and a word I have been hoping to use in a blog post)–and a highly desirable present because they allow recipients to buy something they really want instead of what we guess they might want.  Not that there's anything wrong with guessing.  But, then again, we might choose something that is quickly "re-gifted."

We leads me to a very simple and powerful idea about how to engage employees and bring out their real genius.  An idea so simple and logical that it drives most companies, leaders and human resource directors absolutely crazy–"because it's just too hard to control or administer."

The notion that we let employees decide what incentives they'd like to receive.  Or what training would inspire and enable them to add greater value.  That we give them a "gift card" rather than the standard prescribed set of rewards we provide to everyone.  That we let them choose how to spend it in any way that will help them to become more skillful, engaged, innovative, entrepreneurial and brilliant aligned with our strategic objectives.  That we encourage them to explore a range of possible gifts (within the resources we have available) to see what lights their fire, floats their boat or energizes them to make a more meaningful difference in our success.  And helps them to build the career they aspire to have.

The simple wisdom of a gift is its potential to unlock a giant world of individuality and possibilities.  

For them and for us.

We win in business and in life when understand what really motivates those we care about.  And when we give a gift that allows them to unlock their own genius.

Cheers!