December 8, 20—  

Sarah J. Parker
Office Manager
CareerLab
10475 Park Meadows Drive, STE 600
Lone Tree, CO 80124

Dear Sarah,

I can't thank you enough for your recent contributions to our company.  This has been a difficult year for me personally, because of my mother's death in January, and because of the office move.  You have carried the ball and run the office better than I ever could have hoped.  Here are just a few examples of your contributions.

• You partnered with me to manage a very difficult, complex move, and everything on our end went beautifully.  The day of the move, you were working harder than anyone else in the suite, including the consultants, vendors, and professional movers.  
• During slow times, you find important things to do to keep productively busy.  I'm often pleasantly surprised to see that you've done something without my having asked.  
• You do numbers.   
• You are able to balance a lot of detailed projects simultaneously and bring all to successful conclusion, all the while keeping a relaxed, friendly temperament, and never seeming rushed or difficult to work with.  
• You take interruptions in stride—and I interrupt you a lot.  So does everyone else.

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  Sarah J. Parker, Page Two
• You turn things around quickly—sometimes instantly—so I don't have to keep asking for results repeatedly.  
• You serve as a sounding board and give me a second perspective and lots of good ideas when I'm confronted with multiple choices, or with a problem.  
• You're a nice person, and fun to be around—everyone thinks so.  
• You look out for me and catch my mistakes without my having to ask you to do so; you do the same for the clients and the other consultants.  
• You keep problems and details out of my hair so I can concentrate on my pet projects, like reading cartoons in The New Yorker.  
• When it's important, you show up early and stay late without being asked.  
• Last of all, and most important, you bring me lunch from Boston Market.

This is the largest year end bonus ever awarded to an office manager at CareerLab, and you deserve it, Sarah, because you have made the largest contribution. You make every day at CareerLab a great day for me, for our clients, and for the other consultants and vendors.  

If I were rating your performance, I would score it A++.  You're doing a terrific job, and I really appreciate your contribution.

With Christmas thanks,

William S. Frank