Recently I was touched by the story of a friend who, after 26 years of dedicated and exemplary service to an organization, was not recognized by senior management upon her retirement. While her peers and constituents celebrated her with gifts and praise, her boss said virtually nothing to recognize her work and commitment. In fact, she may not have even said goodbye if my friend had not taken the initiative of going to her office to leave a key. That same week I spoke with an outplacement client who had been laid off after 12 years due to downsizing. While I am helping him set a new direction complete with resume and a networking strategy, that task is more difficult because his self confidence has taken a hit. It seems that there was no official "thank you for your years of service" send off for this person either. The good wishes that were expressed by his peers during a final staff luncheon did not make up for the lack of acknowledgement from management for his work of many years. In both of these cases, it would have taken only a few minutes and no expense for the organization's leadership to make a positive lasting impression, rather than a negative one that resulted in ill will and a sense of failure. Giving a verbal and written thank you and an acknowledgement of a person's specific contributions to an organization as they leave, may seem obvious to many of us. But, I can assure you that this simple yet profound gesture is too often overlooked to the detriment of both the employee and the organization. "Gratitude is the memory of the heart." ~Jean Baptiste Massieu