To give a gift, or not?

Hi,

I am a member of the Canadian Forces. I have recently interview for and accepted a Flag Lieutenant position for one of the Admirals in the Navy (Same thing as a Flag Aide in the United States). For those not familiar with the idea of a Flag Aide, it is, for the most part, the equivalent of an Executive Assistant. I am going to be taking the position in June and want to give him a gift to say thank you for choosing me as his assistant.

As, a young Lieutenant, this is a great opportunity where I will learn a lot about how the upper echelon of the armed forces works; the strategic side of a very large corporation. As you are aware a position like this has the potential to help along an individual’s career as well as helping to quickly build one's network.  It is also a position in which, I feel, I will be able to excel, in part because of manager tools and the lessons I have learned. I find it particularly amusing, as I re-listen to the podcasts, that both of you (Mark, and Steve) were aides for the same Colonel, one right after each other. And how you talk about the learning experience that you had in that position.

As I am so excited for the position, I wanted to say thanks to the Admiral by getting him a small gift; something that is not typical for me. I thought that it would be appropriate to give him a copy of Peter Drucker’s the Effective Executive. I feel that it is a small token and would also allow for an unspoken starting point for him to understand a little about me and what sort of efficiency I’m striving for.

I would sign the book with the following phrase, and would like your opinion about the wording: “Sir, Thank you for this great opportunity to be your Flag Lieutenant. I look forward to learning as much in this postion as I have learned from this book. Sincerely…”

I don’t know if this counts as a thank you… just listened to the how to write a Thank You podcast, and in it you mentioned inscriptions in books as something different. Are there rules for inscriptions in books?

As well, I want to make sure that the gift is appropriate. One of the reasons I would like to give this gift, is to make sure that he has it. I would like to believe that he does and already implements many of the ideas from the book. Having not started, I'm not sure, but if he hasn’t… imagine how much power the book could do. Mainly I imagine how as his assistant I will be able to help him implement these tools. Then I wonder if my motives are right. I wonder about the message that I might be sending; would it come across as a Lieutenant trying to tell an Admiral how to do his job?

As this job is very important, I am wanting to start off on a good foot. But I feel that I'm over thinking it, and that I don't have the perspective I need to make an informed decision about if I should give the gift or not.  If you could share your thoughts on this process, I would be very appreciative..

John