Words of praise

In the just the past 24 hours I recevied several compliments and it makes me realize how important words of praise are--and how rarely they come in the business world.

"I really like that," said Jeff with a smile as I coached a proposal team for their oral presentation. This modest compliment, offered from time to time during a 5 hour coaching session, made the presenters feel good and increased my confidence that my work was making a difference. I believe that my talent makes a big difference to the people I work with, however, it is still nice to hear that feedback.

A business friend invited me to meet a tech company CEO at a networking event and introduced me by saying: "Susan coached us with our orals. She was great, encouraging everyone so they did far more than they ever thought they could do."

Late in the evening I was talking with a client about working with a client of his. We worked together on a oral presentation two years ago, and he said: "That team was working through a lot of problems. You transformed that team in just a week. It was amazing!"

Thinking back, hearing the voices and seeing the smiles on their faces as they said these things, reminds me again how important a compliment, a kind word, or a generous and unexpected kudo is. My goal for today is to look for oppportunities to be generous with my praise to other people. Won't you join me?