How Do Leaders Celebrate Employee Milestones? 10 Unique Ideas From Leadership

In my line of work, a generic “employee of the month” plaque doesn’t cut it. The battles we fight are deeply personal, and so our celebrations must be as well. One of the most powerful ways to involve yourself in recognizing your team is by connecting their achievement directly to the human life they helped rebuild. Instead of just giving a bonus or a speech, personally reach out to former clients whose cases the celebrated employee was instrumental on. Ask those clients if they would be willing to share a few words, either in a letter or a short video, about how your firm’s work impacted their lives.

Now, imagine when you play that video at a team meeting. I doubt there will be a dry eye in the room. Something like that can transform a work anniversary into a profound reminder of your team’s shared mission. It will show that employee, and everyone else, that their diligence doesn’t just win cases—it restores hope and secures legacies.

Our company is only a year old, so we make every milestone count. We track every team member who helps close their first deal and turn it into a full after-hours celebration; not just a quick acknowledgment. Senior leadership is always present, which shows how much we value individual contributions. It’s had a big impact on morale; people push harder to hit their first deal because they know it’s going to be a memorable moment, not just a line on the sales report.

Building a culture that recognizes and celebrates every achievement, big or small, is essential. A recent global survey found that 82% of employees feel more engaged when leaders acknowledge their work, and we, at InCorp Vietnam, truly value this. One unique way we celebrate employee milestones is by organizing personalized appreciation events. For instance, I once coordinated a surprise lunch where each senior leader shared a meaningful anecdote about the employee being celebrated. This personal touch made the event memorable and showed genuine appreciation. As a result, the employee felt valued and motivated, leading to a boost in morale and productivity within the team. This approach not only fosters a positive company culture but also strengthens the bond between leadership and employees.

When an employee designs a solution that has the potential to shape how an organization operates, they deserve more than a shout-out. As leaders, our commitment to showcasing their work must go deeper. To achieve this vision of visibility, I have hosted a twice-yearly summit where team members demo their solutions to key company stakeholders, and the executives test them in real time. In advance of a summit, we thoroughly evaluate the frameworks, processes, and systems for areas of improvement. Lastly, employees are motivated to bring data that shows direct impact on our strategic goals and positive, unexpected outcomes that further enrich the business. Then, they get the opportunity to build the implementation team and choose who they would like to cross-functionally collaborate with.

We designed milestone celebrations where senior leaders gifted employees “legacy projects.” Recognized employees received resources to pursue passion initiatives within the company. Leaders mentored them directly, investing both time and trust. Achievements were honored not with plaques but with opportunities for impact. Employees saw recognition as empowerment to shape the future.

One memorable legacy project was given to an employee passionate about sustainability. Our COO mentored her as she built a recycling initiative across departments. That program became a cornerstone of our culture, impacting both morale and operations. The recognition rippled outward, benefitting hundreds. Senior leadership’s involvement made the milestone unforgettable, proving celebrations can create lasting transformation.

One way I’ve been able to engage executives in celebrating employee milestones is through a “Leadership Spotlight” series. With this initiative, I give a different executive the opportunity to recognize several employees who have achieved a major milestone, such as a work anniversary, a successful project, or a personal accomplishment, by delivering a video message specific to each employee that’s shared with the entire company. A direct engagement from the top made the acknowledgment meaningful and appreciated.

This not only lifted the spirits of employees but also built trust between teams and senior leaders. So much so that post-launch of this program, our recognition and visibility linked employee engagement scores in our annual survey went up by 20%. My encouragement to other CEOs is to not just make some generic PR announcement but spend time doing very personal visible things from leadership that show that the employees are really seen and appreciated. It’s a small sacrifice with an immense return in loyalty and positive culture.

One unique way we’ve involved senior leadership in celebrating milestones is by having them personally connect the achievement to Tecknotrove’s larger mission during a team-wide forum. Instead of just sending an email or giving a token gift, our leadership takes time to share why that milestone matters to the organization’s journey.

For example, when one of our engineering teams successfully delivered a complex defence simulator ahead of schedule, we didn’t just applaud their effort internally. We invited senior leaders, including myself, to a celebration where we spoke about how their work directly contributed to strengthening India’s self-reliance in training technologies. Linking their achievement to Tecknotrove’s vision made the recognition deeply meaningful.

The result was powerful — not only did the team feel proud of their contribution, but it also inspired other departments to see their own projects as part of a bigger purpose. It shifted the culture from “task completion” to “mission ownership,” which has had a lasting positive effect on motivation across the company.

One unique way we’ve involved senior leadership in celebrating employee achievements is by sponsoring professional associations and encouraging staff to submit their projects to industry competitions and awards. Senior leaders actively support these submissions, and when employees are recognized by an external association’s board, it not only elevates their expertise to an international level but also makes them feel valued and respected within the company. This has had a very positive impact on both morale and professional growth.

At my company, we try to make the levels between employees and leaders less notable. What I mean by that is that we try to make it so that it feels as though everyone is working together, rather than “lower-level” employees working for their leaders who feel as though they are in a separate plane. So, senior leadership here is just naturally more involved in a hands-on way, and part of that includes participating in any kind of group celebratory events we have.