Show Interest in Others

When managers and leaders in an organization notice the needs and the contribution of the people they lead, it inspires co-workers to notice one another. The result is a workforce that feels cared for and therefore connected. Caring about others means noticing who they are. What is someone’s life like when he or she leaves the office. What do they care about ? When you care about those around you, you will naturally be curious to know who they are and ask questions to find out. Ask about their home life, their families, their hobbies – without being intrusive, of course. But if people sense that you truly want to know them, they will usually be more than willing to share.

In How to win friends and Influence people, Dale Carnegie advises, “ Become genuinely interested in other people… be a good listener. Encourage people to talk about themselves.. Talk in terms of other person’s interests … make the other person feel important.. and do it sincerely. “ Seven decades later, his book is still a household staple, and people flock to Dale Carnegie courses. That’s because human being understand that the most important thing we can do is to care and connect with others.

Express Compliments

One of the most important ways we can show people we care is by telling them. Mother Teresa said. “ Kind words can be short and easy to speak, but their echoes are truly endless.” Mark Twain put it another way, saying, “ I can live for two months on one good compliment. “ We all need compliments. We all need to know that we are noticed and appreciated and our efforts are recognized. When you take a moment to notice someone’s greatness and tell him or her about it, you give a gift that will always be remembered.

A group of my friends and myself attended the Born to Win seminar in Zig Ziglar series in Las Vegas in 1996. In the program, we have learned to recognize others’ positive attributes and write personal notes to one another, beginning with the word, “ I like you because …… “ it could be something simple like “ I like you because you smiled at me. “ Or “ I like you because you asked about my family. “ At the end of the program all of us feel really good about ourselves. Three of is went for dinner together and at a restaurant. At the end of the dinner, we have decided to write a short note to the waiter who was serving us. We wrote, “ I like you because you have provided us an excellent service. “ “ I like you because you greeted us warmly. “ and “ I like you because you have served us delicious food. “ We left the note on the table and we walked out of the restaurant.

About 20 feet from the main door of the restaurant, we heard a voice calling us from behind, “ Wait, wait, I like to speak with you. “ We looked back and found the waiter walking towards us. He said, “ I have worked here for the past 12 years, and no one has ever appreciated my service. “ He cried. “ I have been trying to do a good job. I will never forget tonight the warm note from you. “ And I will always keep your notes with me. Thank you. “

The waiter feel appreciated for his good service and we have made someone happy that night.

Words of Encouragement

A word of encouragement will inspire a person to excel. This world will be a better place if we:-

· Call someone to say, “ Hi, “ and to see how he or she is doing;

· Encourage friends or co-workers to do their best;

· Stop to talk with people in your neighborhood or work place;

· Help someone with an assignment or project;

· Say “ Good job “ to someone after the or she has really worked hard;

· Cheer for a friend or colleague at a sports game, concert, plays or other performance;

· Talk with co-workers about their goals;

· Help someone work through a conflict.

There are two kinds of people in this world, those who pill you up and those who pill you down. When you notice the good things about others – and tell them – you become a pull-up person. Noticing and sincerely complimenting others has a tremendous influence on their productivity, their health – even their longevity. Make it a habit to say something positive to people on a daily basis.