Several years ago, I bought colorful pens with motivational sayings and gave each team member one, along with a few other fun items. A few days later, one of them called me and said, “How does this thing work!?”

She told me how she and her husband had spent part of their dinner dissecting the pen, trying to figure out how to click it down. They even took it apart, convinced it must be broken!

As she shared the story, I couldn’t help but smile. She was open enough to admit she couldn’t figure it out and curious enough to spend time trying. I showed her how the pen actually worked: the clip itself was the button. You pressed the clip down (the same part most of us break while fidgeting) to make the tip extend. She laughed, and I asked her not to tell anyone else just yet.

At our next team meeting, I brought it up. We talked about how one person had assumed the pen was broken. Another person simply came to ask how it worked. Both responses were great examples of curiosity, problem-solving, and communication.

Those pens became a reminder for us to approach challenges with fresh eyes. A reminder to ask questions before assuming something’s “broken” or before feeling silly for not knowing something.

Sadly, those exact pens were discontinued (maybe for the same reason the team had trouble with them!). I put together an Amazon list of pens and notebooks which I’ve purchased in the past for team members. Maybe there will be one you feel would make a thoughtful gift for your team. Check it out. 👉 Team Gifting