acknowledging others

"Remind people who they are instead of just complimenting them on what they’ve done. Praise and acknowledgment is nice, but that’s a bit like telling your dog that his tail wags really well. The idea is to focus on the person behind the accomplishment or problem. It’s the fundamental distinction of who versus what. When you help the person get more in touch with who they are, they’ll produce better whats. If you focus primarily on the whats, you’ll soon be expecting the tail to wag the dog.”

—Thomas J. Leonard