A Different Kind of Gift Guide

Practical Leadership Insights, Shared from Our Team to Yours

While gifts are fun and the season brings endless reasons to swipe your card, we want to offer something different.

This guide breaks down gift ideas into the three categories that are at the center of our mission: the soul, the heart, and the mind.

Something for the SOUL

• Kim: Small acts of kindness are like particles of light that illuminate lives and teams. Sometime in the next two weeks, hand write a note of gratitude to members of your team; deliver it personally.  

• Erin: Small reminders of the values we share create strength and community – whether in a team, the broader organization, or even in our families. Take a moment at the start of a meeting or upcoming gathering to share yourself or invite someone else to reflect on the values you share and what that means for the work you do together. 

• Jonathan: Find at least one way that your pattern of daily living and working falls short of your beliefs and values. In the coming days and weeks when that pattern presents itself choose instead to live up to your beliefs and values, even when it is hard or opposition stands in the way. Then find a way to support someone else in doing the same.

• David: Small actions can lead to bad outcomes. Have a conversation and give feedback to someone that you see might be headed in the wrong direction.  

• Dave: Notice one small moment this week when you’re tempted to take the easier path — the kind of moment you might normally overlook. Pause, and choose the path that aligns with your values instead. Then stay alert for someone else choosing growth over comfort and encourage them. Courage grows when it’s shared.

• Abby: Support a small business. Even the smallest purchase makes a difference for them (and you get to enjoy their product, too!).  

• Julia: Make it a point to say “Good Morning” and “Thank you” to your team members. 

  
  

Something for the HEART

• Kim: People thrive on personal connections. Keep your eyes open for someone who looks like they are struggling, or not fitting in, or someone you don’t know. Talk to them; invite them to lunch.  

• Erin: “How do they know that I care?” It is easy to assume that those we care about just know that we do. Don’t assume that they know, make sure of it in every interaction. And don’t just tell them. Show them. 

• Jonathan: Find someone carrying a heavy load of responsibilities—at home, at work, or in the communities you belong to. Offer them your time, attention, and energy to help make their burden lighter, then find a way to encourage someone else to do the same.

• David: Be intentional about building the ability to compliment people. Kind words do so much to lift, encourage, and even change hearts.  

• Dave: Ask someone what they’re genuinely hoping for in the coming year. Stay with them long enough to understand it deeply — ask questions, listen fully, and help them see the possibility inside their hope. Share your belief in them. People stand taller when someone else can see their future with them.

• Abby: Take time each day to ask your friends and family about their day. What is an “apple” and “onion” from the day, a good thing and a bad thing that happened. You’ll find that it is fun to learn from each other and rejoice with each other during this brief activity.  

• Julia: Give others the opportunity to make decisions and let them follow through. Our family has a tradition of dropping off treats for neighbors during the holidays. Part of this process involves our kids choosing treats to make, shopping for ingredients, making the treats, and then joyously running house to house delivering holiday cheer on a plate. They feel a lot of satisfaction in the entire process.

  
  

Something for the MIND

• Kim: Teams that make use of everyone’s ideas are far more effective; watch for someone in a meeting whose idea is dismissed or given cursory notice; speak up and ask to hear more from them 

• Erin: What’s an idea or solution to a problem you had recently that felt scary or impossible? Who could you share it with to explore it further? Ask: “What must be true to make this work?"

• Jonathan: Identify at least one problem you’ve noticed that seems like the proverbial elephant in the room—the issue everyone knows is there, but nobody is willing to recognize. Take the initiative to surface the issue, giving voice to it and inviting those affected to share their perspective. 

• David: Ask ten people at  your company about something that doesn’t work well. It might be something they noticed when they first started at the company, but they have since just dealt with it. Find a pattern. Then talk to more people, looking for more understanding and potential solutions. Then, take action- fix the problem! 

• Dave: Pick one improvement you've been considering and run a 48-hour experiment. Don't architect it—just test it. Learn, adjust, share your findings. Innovation doesn't come from perfect plans; it comes from tight cycles of action and learning.

• Abby: Practice probing questions. Ask questions that elicit an emotional reaction, ones that go deeper than “Where did you go on vacation?” and instead invite something like, “Was there an experience on your vacation that changed you?”

• Julia: Build human connection. How well do you know your coworkers, neighbors, or those in your community? Choose one person a week to get to know better. When you understand someone and open a line of communication, great things can happen.

  
  

  We truly hope you and yours have a safe, healthy, and full-of-love holiday season.   

  Happy Holidays!  

  The LTI team: Kim, Erin, Jonathan, David, Dave, Abby, and Julia