Holiday Gift Buying Made Simple By Tapping One’s Intrinsic Motivators
By Nancy Parsons
Holiday gift buying and providing employees with sincere tokens of appreciation can be challenging. The truth is, not everyone enjoys or wants the same things. Sometimes we buy what we like for someone else, and it falls flat. Sometime those gifts end up re-gifted or donated. If your goal is to show sincere appreciation and that you value the person, it makes sense to give a gift that the receiver really enjoys. Of course, there is always a base level of appreciation for your efforts – but you can go well beyond that and select a gift that sizzles with excitement and joy.
How do you select the ideal gift? It is pretty simple. You match the gift with a person’s intrinsic motivators, also called one’s drivers and reward needs. We measure ten drivers, or intrinsic motivators, delineating specifics about one’s personal needs or wants. The 10 Drivers and Reward facets measured, or deeply embedded life interests, include enjoying and finding great satisfaction with:
- Business + Finance – money, compensation or investments, economic issues
- Artistic Endeavors – creative expression or interests
- Companionship + Affiliation – close friendships in and outside of work
- Fame + Feedback – need for recognition, feedback, praise, and visibility
- Humanitarian Efforts – desire for “hands on helping” to directly help the less fortunate
- Power + Competition – status seeking, competitive, seeking upward mobility
- Amusement & Hedonism –needs for fun, personal indulgence, entertaining, sense of humor
- Moral Platform – life revolves around unwavering values and beliefs
- Scientific Reasoning – fascination with technology, scientific analysis and discovery
- Safety + Security – need for long term financial, employment and personal security
Most people have more than one intrinsic motivator or driver (listed above) – so this gives you more options to search for a very satisfying gift.
Here are some ideas based on the Drivers & Reward needs above:
| Primary Driver | Gift Giving Ideas |
|---|---|
| Business & Finance | • Cash / Gift Cards • Subscription to WSJ or Financial Times • Coin Collection & Counting Machine • Contribute to their savings, 401K or give them stock |
| Artistic Endeavors | • Tickets to Art Gallery, Museum, Symphony, or Theatre • Art Classes (painting, music, sculpting, cooking classes, etc.) • Gift Card to Hobby Lobby, Michaels or similar • Training for Graphics Art Designs |
| Companionship & Affiliation | • Support their network or friend group activities like: playing cards, bunko, bingo and other groups • Provide lunch gift certificates for their work associates • Time off to hang out with friends/family |
| Fame & Feedback | • Professional photo session to updo their social media and LinkedIn presence (if applicable) • Opportunity to be interviewed on Podcast of their areas of interest • Feature their accomplishments on relevant social media sites |
| Humanitarian Efforts | • Day(s) off to work at their favorite charity organization or donation to this group • Offer to go work beside them to volunteer time at their preferred charity • Buy tickets to attend fundraising gala or events of the charity of their choice |
| Power & Competition | • Buy competitive games for them to play with friends • Gift cards to attend competitive area sporting events • Pay entrance fees into their own competitive sports or games/events they participate |
| Amusement & Hedonism | • Tickets to Amusement or Theme Parks or Comedy Clubs • Vacation Perks • Dining gift cards for group nights or lunches out • Gift a chef dinner at their home with friends |
| Moral Platform | • Support their participation in community work and social volunteerism outside of work • Pay (gift) networking fees to groups that support their values for them • Family photo session or collage (Moral Platform often family based) |
| Scientific Reasoning | • Computer or mobile device gadgets, apps & upgrades • Science museum tickets, Zoo Friend passes, planetarium and aquarium passes • The latest in robotic, AI or radio controlled toys • Tools and gadgets to fix things • Scuba or snorkeling adventure • The toughest puzzles anywhere (so they claim!) (for more… go to article titled: “Holiday Gift Ideas and Ways to Reward the Scientifically Driven Person” here) |
| Safety & Security | • Home alarm systems, extra cameras, etc. • Personal Safety and Self Defense training courses • Conceal and carry permit training (as appropriate & legal) • Retirement planning workshops |
Of course, the best way to know what a person enjoys most is for them to take the CDR Drivers and Rewards Assessment. Short of that, you can ask them series of questions to get close to what motivate and drives them. Questions like:
- What was your top three gifts of all times?
- What was the worse gift you ever received?
- What do you enjoy doing on your off time?
- Do you have any hobbies?
- Do you like museums? If so, what kind.
And the like. The key is to zero in what your gift recipient will value and enjoy most.
Nancy Parsons is one of today’s foremost experts in combining the science of assessments with the art of developing people. As CEO & President of CDR Companies, LLC, she sheds new light on personality strengths, inherent risks and motivation and change performance, careers and lives. Nancy and her team developed CDR-U Coach, the first of its kind, Stevie Award winning digital avatar coaching platform so that personalized assessment and coaching feedback and development can now be provided to all levels of employees. She has presented for a variety of conferences, associations, companies and events. A short sampling includes: WGLC Women’s Global Leadership Conference, WBECS, ISPI, SHRM, ATD, Women In Energy, Women on Boards 50/50, MGMA, ACEC, OKCU, ISU, IE.edu and more. She has appeared on a variety of notable podcasts, radio and television interviews and hosts a monthly CDR Live on LinkedIn. She instructs executive coaches’ training and facilitates C-Suite executive team development sessions.