The Top 8 Gifts You Can Get An Executive This Christmas

​A new study conducted by Expert360's research team has revealed that the nearly half of the top gifts to get your boss this Christmas are things that will help integrate your workforce with the booming on-demand economy. Equally, a number of top gifts were tools that could help improve staff productivity and, in turn, increase your boss' ability to spend time with their families and loved ones. This was particularly the case in relation to the resourcing and staffing segments of their business. Our methodology consisted of a complex scraping algorithm used to tap into Santa's big data infrastructure and real-time analytics of the desires of the thousands of executives across the globe. The full list is as follows:  

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1. A Freelance Strategy Consultant

A new year is a perfect time to reflect and review a business' strategy for 2018. Most executives surveyed were in need of a freelance strategy consultant (or team of them) to help them with their strategic review and indicated that an elite freelancer to help their team was the most desired gift for Christmas 2017. The executives surveyed evidently had a strong understanding of the inherent flexibility of a freelance strategy consultant and desired the ability to upscale and downsize their strategy team on demand.     Luckily for you, by getting an elite consultant as a freelancer you can save up to 65% compared to the traditional model, so there's no need to break the bank on the boss' present this year. "If someone gifted me some super smart guns-for-hire, I would be over the moon," said Bridget Loudon, Expert360's CEO. "Imagine a freelance strategy consultant turning up at your office on Monday morning after the new year.” "If my staff had any idea of what would really help me out, I’d definitely want a team of people working for me on my next project," said Emily Yue, Expert360's Co-Founder. Duly noted by the team here at Expert360, Emily.  

2. Books

Our research showed that the timeless classic of a book proved to be, for the 65th year in a row, in the top 5 Christmas gifts for executives. Whether you are gifting books on business and strategy, or a gripping fictitious thriller, we are certain that your boss will appreciate you giving them more reading to do. On the other hand, they might actually prefer you giving them less to do by hiring a gun freelance strategy consultant.  

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3. A Guide To Conducting The Perfect Four Week Strategy Review

Yes, we were as surprised by this one as you probably are, but the numbers don't lie. Conveniently, you can grab a copy of Andrew Hone's (an ex-Partner at LEK and ex-Principal at Bain) guide to conducting an elite strategic review for free. Get it, print it, bind it and wrap it nicely for your boss. It'll cost you all of $10!    

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4. Wireless Headphones

It should come as no surprise that getting some peace and quiet is at the top of many executives' agendas. Give your boss something to help them get some silence away from the office these holidays. Noise cancelling headphones should do the trick. However, it's important to note that a certain phone company removed the classic headphone jack recently and anything wireless is going to cost you. If you don't want to break the bank, some other gifts on this list might be better ideas.

5. Access to a network of the world's best freelance talent

Fortunately, for those of you that are less inclined to spend a few thousand dollars on a new strategy consultant for your boss, you can simply point them in the direction of a tool that will allow them to hire a top freelancer for themselves.  

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Your boss will never forget you showing them a tool that will allow them to access the world's best talent at the click of a button.  Our research showed that 36% of executives valued access to a network of the world's best talent as the number one gift they could receive this Christmas, making it the fifth most desired gift of the year. But alas, where will you find a highly vetted freelance marketplace specialising in top freelance talent to which you can sign up for free?  

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6. Fitness Tracker

Typically, the new year is the time to get fit and our research results reflected this with 15% of executives indicating that they wanted a fitness tracking device as their number one gift. Your average fitness tracker may be good for a run but look for something that may go beyond that. Whatever you do, don't go for one that forces you to use a chest strap! Your boss will be more motivated to stay fit during their festivities and burn off all the excess silly season calories. However, you may risk insinuating that your boss is out of shape, so perhaps you should stick to providing your boss with access to a network of the world's best freelance talent?

7. The Ability To Find & Hire Freelance Staff Within 24 Hours

 Similar to gift number 5, this gift is perfect for those looking to get an outstanding present for their boss without having to break the bank (or spend any money at all for that matter).  

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By signing your boss up to access the world's best talent within 24 hours (through an online freelance talent marketplace) you're sure to strike a chord with them.  

8. More Time With The Family

For many executives, Christmas is the perfect time to relax and spend some much needed time with the family. Realistically, the only way that you will be able to help your boss get this gift is by getting them gifts 1, 5 or 7 on this list. By giving them access to any of these things, you'll help your boss save precious time and in turn spend more time with their loved ones. What do you think of this article? Please let us know your thoughts in the comments below. **Note: This article is written in jest. There was no illegal scraping of Santa's databases. If you would like to see a real study by Expert360's team about the way that large corporations in Australia are using the freelance economy, click here.