Recognition Worth Saving

I found a 13-year-old email yesterday that stopped me in my tracks.

It was from my manager on my 5-year anniversary at that company. She’d sent it to our entire team:

“Please join me in congratulating Cynthia on her 5 year anniversary! Here are a few of the things I appreciate about her:

• The tremendous improvements she and her team have made to our employee experience
• Her ability to build strong visions/strategies and execute them
• Her ability to identify talent and build strong teams
• Her direct, straightforward communication style while also being supportive and genuine
• Her personal commitment to community service and our values
• Her passion for everything she does—inside and outside of work”

I saved that email. And looking at it now, 13 years later, I realize why: every single thing she named is still core to my leadership brand today.

The vision building. The team development. The direct communication paired with genuine care. The passion for the work.

That email didn’t just recognize me—it helped me see myself more clearly as a leader. It became a touchstone over the years, especially in moments of doubt.

The email is 13 years old. I still have it.

Here’s what makes recognition like this powerful:

• It was specific. Not “great job” or “team player”—she named actual strengths and contributions.
• It was public. She sent it to the team, which amplified the impact and modeled the behavior she wanted to see.
• It connected my strengths to real outcomes. She showed how what I brought mattered to the work we were doing together.

Most leaders underestimate the lasting impact of thoughtful recognition. They think a quick “nice work” in a 1:1 is enough. But recognition done well—specific, public, connected to impact—shapes how people see themselves and their potential.

As you think about your own team:

• Are you being specific about what you appreciate, or generic?
• Are you recognizing strengths publicly, or only in private?
• Are you doing this consistently across your entire team, or just for a select few?

The leaders on your team are watching how you recognize people. They’re learning what you value, what gets celebrated, and whether their contributions matter. They’ll remember the recognition you give them … or they’ll remember its absence.

When’s the last time you gave recognition worth saving for 13 years?