Gifts That Make a Difference

Christmas is next week, and depending upon your personality, you’re either finished with your Christmas shopping, or you’ve still got six days before you hit the stores.

Regardless of which camp you call your own, there’s one question that everyone is asking lately:

What do I get [that person] for Christmas?

That person might be a co-worker, or a postal carrier, or even a friend, but whoever they are, we all want to be certain that we’re getting them a good present.

That’s because gifts matter—they’re expressions of our relationship, a sign that we value the other person enough to give them something of value.

As I’ve gotten older, gift giving has gotten easier—especially because a lot of my friends don’t need anything. When needs are off the table, that allows you to just give something fun or helpful, which allows your creativity to shine. I like to give my friends experiences: dinner, golf, or just time together.

Regardless of what you give, I’ve found that the best gifts are those that make a difference with the people you care about.

It’s why I take my grandchildren on trips; it’s why my companies invest in our team. This is the perfect time of year to help the people we care most about to get the most out of our gift.

That’s why I’m excited that my publisher, HarperCollins, has joined with me to create a unique gift opportunity around the release of my next book, The Leader’s Greatest Return. We’ve put together a program that will help make a difference in the lives of young leaders. We’re doing this in partnership with my friend Chris Hodges and Highlands College.

When you pre-order your copy of The Leader’s Greatest Return, HarperCollins will give a copy to a student at Highlands.

Your purchase will mean living out the major premise of my new book even before you’ve read it because you’ll become a leader helping to develop other leaders.

(But you should still read the book. There’s good stuff in there.)

Our young people need gifts of substance and value. They need to know that we care about them and want to invest in them. That’s why I’m so excited to share this program with you, and I hope you’ll consider pre-ordering your copy of the book today.

Whatever you choose to do with your gifts this Christmas, make sure the message behind them doesn’t get lost.

Make sure the people you give to know that you want to make a difference in their lives so they can make a difference in the world.