Draft a recognition message for {{person}} for {{accomplishment}}.
Inputs:
- The accomplishment, with specifics: {{paste — what they did, the context, the impact}}
- Recipient's communication style: {{warm + visible, or private + understated}}
- Audience for the message: {{team Slack, all-hands, 1:1, written kudos}}
- Anything they would actively hate hearing about themselves: {{paste}}
Output 3 versions. For each:
## Version 1 — short and specific
2–3 sentences. Names the specific work, the specific impact, the specific quality (judgment, persistence, taste, etc.) that made it happen. No adjectives that could apply to anyone.
## Version 2 — story-led
A short anecdote (3–5 sentences) that shows the work, then 1 sentence on what it meant. Better for written recognition or all-hands moments.
## Version 3 — the team-context version
Frames the recognition within the broader work — connects what they did to what the team is trying to build. Better when the recognition needs to also reinforce strategy.
## For each version
- The format it fits best (Slack message / written / spoken)
- The line in it that's load-bearing
- The risk (does it embarrass the recipient? cause peer-comparison friction? sound formulaic?)
## What I'd NOT say
- "Crushed it" / "absolutely killed it" / "knocked it out of the park"
- "Couldn't have done this without [person]" if it isn't literally true
- "[Person] really stepped up" (implicitly says they were below expectations before)
- "[Person] is a rockstar" — recipient-cringe maximizer
Hard rule: if the recognition could apply to anyone on the team doing similar work, it isn't recognition — it's a generic thank-you. Sharpen until the specificity is undeniable.recognitionteam-culturewriting