I have reached a point in my life where I am becoming increasingly aware of life’s new beginnings (weddings of my friends’ children and births of grandchildren) as well as its inevitabilities (the funerals of friends, associates and clients).

And although this introduction sounds a bit sad, my thoughts are focused on some inspiring ideas that have application to anyone who leads groups of people.

Recently, a client requested an incredibly short schedule to create a custom, personalized award for a long-tenured, top-producing and highly-esteemed performer in their organization.  The award is earned by only the top ½ percent of 15,000+ participants – and in addition to objective production measurements, subjective character traits are heavily weighted in the selection of members to this elite group.  The rush request came from the highest levels of the organization.

An entirely new level of poignancy and urgency was added to the request when we learned that the recipient was terminally ill with only days to live – and that organizational leaders were re-arranging their schedules to fly to the recipient’s home to make the award presentation in front of his family members.

It is an honor to be part of an activity so reflective of qualities like excellence, character, commitment and caring.

It reminded me once again of the power in recognizing another human being for who they are, what they have done and how they contributed to the group. When we “shine a spotlight” on an individual in front of the people who care most about him or her – family, friends and fellow performers in their field – we are telling the world that this person mattered.

So it makes sense to find a way to ensure that the moment and those sentiments are not forgotten. Creating something tangible – a “memory anchor” – that is customized and personalized for the person, the excellence of their work and the group in which they belonged is the way to do that.

These are the “heirlooms” (unlike cash or gift cards or points for merchandise or even trips) that family members will cherish forever.  And each time they view that unique symbol, they will be reminded of a singular moment when an individual was honored for being a very special person here on earth.