I love to play with words. And, I love phrases that have a double meaning. ‘What’s your gift?’ is one example. I suspect most people will read this as ‘I have a gift or a super power…’ That might be so.

And, I want to point to the other way to answer this question. When you meet people what’s the gift you leave behind?

Gift Opportunities

Today I met a couple of new people over coffee after we attended a seminar together. In listening to the challenges they are facing in their current projects I realized that I could help them in a simple way. One person was looking to make change happen. And, through my list of Book Rapper resources one of the best books on managing change is Switch by Chip and Dan Heath. Given I have a book summary of this book I offered to send this through ‘as a gift’ to help them out.

The other person was wrestling with the idea of leadership and inspiring people to take up the challenge. For me, the best resource around this is Warren Bennis’ On Becoming a Leader. Again, I have a Book Rapper issue derived from this book and I can send this along as another gift.

[Tweet “What’s the gift you give to the people you meet? #giving”]

What’s Your Gift?

What is your gift? Here are some suggestions for gifts you can share in a meeting:

• You give the gift of attention by listening 100% to the person in front of you.
• You provide insight and value through your questions or comments.
• You pay for the coffee without expecting anything in return.
• You share your network and connect them with your colleagues.
• You provide a resource, a checklist, an instruction manual, an article or white paper that truly helps the other person. (Selling is good and this conversation is about gifts.)
• You show them how in a simple step by step way.

[Tweet “What is your gift? And, what are you willing to give away? #gifts #giving”]

The Double Gift

There’s a double whammy here… In my case, I give the gift of Book Rapper, which is an expression of some of my internal gifts and talents.

And, that’s the ideal gift… give away the thing that you are greatest at. How can you do this in a simple way?

QUESTION: What’s your gift? And, what gift are you willing to give away every time you meet someone?