There are no awards on the walls of my office. I have a box full, but they will remain in the box. Instead of a wall of awards I elected to hang a large California landscape print above my desk when I moved to a new office (within the same company) in June. To be honest, the painting gives me more pleasure than those awards I was always straightening in a compulsive "Monk" (TV show) sort of way. A customer centric business is not about me, nor what I've done in the past, it is about doing my best for my clients right now. 
Today, a referred prospective buyer elected to cancel an appointment to view a house damaged by fire. The house was on hold while asbestos abatement was completed. Although the property can be entered today, I informed the buyer why the property was on hold and when it would be safe (based on air tests) to enter the dwelling. For safety reasons she elected to postpone seeing the home until next week. She made an informed decision based on the information I provided. The customer's needs must always be placed above those of the service provider.
Last week I was walking on air when I "saved" first time home buyers $10,000 they were prepared to offer. I won't receive a plaque for negotiating and networking but I could certainly hear and feel the joy in their voices when I told them the news. That's a fulfilling reward that will not end up in a box.
When we lead from a customer-centric position we empower our clients with information not available on the Internet, and let them decide if, how and when they want to use it. It is a powerful way to build trust and with trust comes long-term relationships and referrals. And that's a reward worth more than any plaque or production award.
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