Nelson Mandela's Insight to Guide Us In 2014

When reading about Nelson Mandela last December, one quote stood out, at a particularly challenging moment for me in business. I thought I would share this because when I repeated this quote at a small gathering, it seemed to resonate with everyone in the room. This is from Bill Keller's December 6 New York Times obituary:

Tthe question was put to Mr. Mandela in an interview for this obituary in 2007 "after such barbarous torment, how do you keep hatred in check?"  Mandela's answer was almost dismissive: "Hating clouds the mind. It gets in the way of strategy. Leaders cannot afford to hate."

May we take these words in 2014 and strategize our way to success. 

HERE’S OUR ALL-STAR LINEUP FOR THE TOP 10 MOST THOUGHTFUL GIFTS OF 2013

THESE GIFTS ALL SAID THANK YOU TO THE PEOPLE WHO WERE IMPORTANT TO THE GIVERS. THEY ALSO CONTINUED TO PAY DIVIDENDS FOR THESE CLIENTS. IN NO PARTICULAR ORDER:

1. FOR STUDENTS NOT GOING AWAY FOR THANKSGIVING HOLIDAY:  One college gave them blankets so that they would have a warm and cozy feeling from the school.  And when they use their blanket, it will hopefully continue to give those students a warm and cozy feeling – even in their alumni years.
2.  THANK YOU TO CLIENTS: A French Bank gave Michelin Restaurant Guides to their clients in each of the US cities that Michelin covers. “Parfait” as a gift to use continually all year long.
3. THANK YOU FOR A DONATION: One college gave out a small bag of jelly beans to thank anyone who gave to their fund raising drive. Who doesn’t love jellybeans? They re-ordered 3 times.
4.  THANK YOU FOR A YEAR’S BUSINESS GIFT BASKETS: Both an elevator company and an investment house gave generous gift baskets that their clients’ offices could share.  ”Nothing like spreading it around” to reinforce the clients’ good will.
5.  NICE OUTERWEAR – An HVAC company gave their staff particularly nice polo shirts and woven button-down shirts that they could wear to represent their company in the best light possible. 
6.  SUPPORTING A GREEN INITIATIVE: An international bank put their money behind their values and gave all their staff mugs and other drinkware, eliminating wasteful (and expensive) disposable cups    Employee feedback was very appreciative.
7.   HIGH CLASS MEMORABILIA: An international investment bank brought in high profile speakers , took their guests’ pictures with them and put those pictures into  unimprinted silver picture frames. The value of that gift? Priceless.
8.  GIFTS TO CHILDREN IN AFRICA: This is just nice: A nursing school gave out medically themed school supplies to children in Africa to support a medical awareness program.
9.   THANK YOUS TO TIME SHARE PEOPLE: A resort gave corkscrews to time share guests so that they could further enjoy their time at the resort  and then  take them home to keep the good times flowing .
10.  CELEBRATING MEMBERSHIP IN A BUSINESS ORGANIZATION- The leader of this organization gave lovely crystal awards to members who had achieved the most improvement and/or seniority in this organization. The awards are an ongoing source of pride while reinforcing commitment to their membership.