My Top 12 Holiday Biz Gifts for 2022

There are lots of great holiday lists. I thought it would be fun to make my favorite biz gifts list for this holiday season. Here it is.

1. Sharpen the saw: I am going to start with what HBR would call persistent, redundant communication ... READ READ READ! Harvard Business Review, either digital or digital/print, is the best investment anyone can make in their career. I have been a subscriber since I left university .. even when I could not afford it as I knew that reading was the best way to learn. At Calix every manager is automatically subscribed. The best business books come from HBR articles. On that point, if you have not read The First 90 Days (I have re-read it every time I started a new role), the books in the mindful leadership series (Primal Leadership is a bit like eating cardboard but a seminal piece), or for those recently promoted, Becoming a Leader, I would put them under the tree. In my mind, these are foundational works that every business leader should read before getting into pop culture stuff like Why? I keep up with all the pop-stuff with Blinkist, which are summaries, and if I like the book I read the entire book either on my Kindle or listen on Audible (Every Calix team member is offered Blinkist and Audible subscriptions .. as we believe this is a smart investment in those who CHOOSE to be great through learning).

2. Fitness for performance: I believe exercise and fitness are core to performance at work. Oura ring is a fitness ring that measures like a smartwatch. I bought it because I only wear my Apple watch when I am in the gym - I prefer a mechanical watch during the day. I was on the fence as to whether or not I would look at the data .. turns out I do (Also syncs with Apple Health). Keeping with the fitness theme, I am a huge fan of Garmin radar with the new video recording feature (A great way to improve as a human being as there is nothing more pathetic than hearing yourself on the video wasting energy yelling at a car that buzzed you) and under-desk treadmills. Last, I am blown away by the new Apple Watch Ultra - finally feels like a proper Garmin.

3. Innovation on a classic problem: Horl knife sharpener. I love innovation - and this is a very innovative approach to a classic challenge, making it easy and safe to sharpen a knife while not ruining them. Dull knives are terrible, and as craftspeople become harder to find (like knife sharpening) this seems to be a need that they fill perfectly. Why is it on this list? Because I admire innovation.

4. The road warriors must have: Tumi Alpha computer bag and carry-on. Treat yourself, it is a long-life investment (They have sales all the time and the outlet is great). I recently did the math on my ballistic nylon expandable computer bag .. I have had it for 17 years, and other than replacing the strap (2X) it looks new. Multiple times a year I empty it and my 4-wheel International carry-on and hose them off .. voila, good as new. With that carry-on, I can go for a week (easy) as 99% of the time I never check a bag. I recently added the small cross-body pouch to my tourist kit as it is the perfect size for wallet/phone when going out for dinner or walking around a town versus stuffing things in your pockets.

5. A great thank-you: Brightland olive oil. Who doesn't use olive oil? Brightland has built a great business providing a range of olive oils that would serve any kitchen. It makes a great gift. On that point, do you say thank you? It never surprises me how few people write thank-yous to customers or peers. In today's over-noisy world, a handwritten card cuts through all the noise. I have been using Papyrus cards for 30 years.

6. Protect those wrists: Logitech MX Ergo trackball. I do not use a mouse .. I use a trackball. This is an upgrade with an ergonomic tilt. That and my Microsoft Sculpt keyboard, Yeticaster and Brio webcam make for a great office setup.

7. The sound of music in the background: Sonos Move. A friend introduced me to Sonos while living in the UK and I have been a fan ever since. Sonos has nailed the portable speaker with the Move. A charging base, incredibly rich sound, and of course - the incredible Sonos experience. Shirley Horn's Winter Wonderland remixed by Christian Prommer, the highlight on Verve/Remixed Christmas, or my all-time favorite holiday album, Barenaked for the Holidays (BNL and Sarah McLaughlan), sounds fantastic on the Move.

8. The home-office command station: Three 32" monitors with a great monitor arm attached to a standing desk for the home office. Pick your brand. Why? Because you can never have enough screens. Mine are Dell with the sturdy MSA20. A great standing desk is a must - with X-Desk Air being my top pick (Although their Vintage collection looks incredible) .... an investment for the long-term. I have not found a solution for all of the post-it notes scattered around my desk and no, I do not adhere to the "clean-desk, clean-mind" mantra ... David Allen would disapprove.

9. Healthy back, healthy life. Anything Herman Miller. I remember buying my first Aeron chair in 1996 when we moved into our first house. Price can no longer be an excuse as the secondary market is flooded with Aerons as offices clear out ... because knowledge workers are not coming back. I currently use the Aeron stool so that I do not have to move my standing desk up and down (I just push it aside when I want to stand). The iconic Eames is on my "one day I will have a perfect home office" list as the place to collect thoughts while reading the Wall Street Journal, Business Week, Fortune, Inc, Men's Journal or T3 via Apple News+ (HUGE FAN .... as I was a magazine subscriber through Texture which forms the foundation of this service)

10. Speaking of Apple ... iPad Pro with an Apple Pen. I can already hear the cacophony from my Microsoft bigot buddies on this one, so I will throw them a bone .. "with Microsoft OneNote". Apple is the first company to nail the electronic writing experience (Even though Bill Gates announced how MS was investing hundreds of millions into digital ink two decades ago .. Xerox PARC and the mouse perhaps?). I use it with OneNote every day. I also have all streaming platforms on it, plus the Kindle and News+ apps. I read on the iPad more than I read on my trusty Kindle PaperWhite.

11. Wandering around the house: Jabra Engage 65/75 mono. When I am in the home office, I enjoy being able to walk around. The Engage connects to my desktop (Teams, Zoom) and my cellphone - has incredible range and is very comfortable (I like the mono headset). The interface on the stand is a bonus as it makes device management simple. Now if I could find better ways to ban people cold-calling high (which I never, ever, ever, ever, ever did as a salesperson - I was always sponsored to the C-suite).

12. Morning Coffee. I love a cappuccino or flat white in the morning. I got hooked on the advantages of a superautomatic two decades ago (I purchased my first one with Air Miles). My brand of choice is Jura, as their new systems have perfected milk frothing (Sorry, no, I am not doing it by hand), and milk cleaning. The cleaning process is very simple and hygenic - you do not know how important this is until you own one of these. They have a range of systems - a size for everyone. Of course, this opens up the discussion on beans which can become quite passionate. I have settled on Zavida .. with their Hawaiian Kona bean being my favorite as it is rich and smooth. Most important, their beans are not oily (which gunks up the grinder) and I can get them at Costco.

Happy holidays.