Carnegie 27.4.6: How to Win Friends and Influence People – PRINCIPLE 6 Praise the slightest improvement and praise every improvement. Be “hearty in your approbation and lavish in your praise.” – How to Spur People On to Success

Pages 261 – 266.

Tell people you appreciate them.  Help them understand how their work helps achieve a greater goal.  We’re nearing the end of the book, and that leads to denser writing and the selection of three quotes.  The first applies to the primary lesson – but the second two are higher level and reflect how to make the most out of reading the book.  They hearken back to the preamble where Carnegie paced the reader with ‘9 Suggestions on how to get more out of this book.‘

He also makes a very bold statement that we only achieve a portion of what we are capable of doing – he is appealing to nobler motives and also throwing down a challenge.

Best Quote(s)

“He pointed out exactly why it was superior and how important the young man’s contribution was to the company.” Pg 264

“Let me repeat: The principles taught in this book will work only when they come from the heart.” Pg 265

“Compared with what we ought to be, we are only half awake.” Pg 266

Page by Page

261

“I noticed that the moment a dog showed the slightest improvement, Pete patted and praised him and gave him meat and made a great to-do about it.”

262

“He was so thrilled that he wandered aimlessly around the streets with tears rolling down his cheeks.”

Carnegie describes, “B. F. Skinner’s teachings. This great contemporary psychologist has shown by experiments with animals and with humans that when criticism is minimized and praise emphasized, the good things people do will be reinforced and the poorer things will atrophy for lack of attention.”

264

“He pointed out exactly why it was superior and how important the young man’s contribution was to the company.”

265

“Everybody likes to be praised, but when praise is specific, it comes across as sincere—not something the other person may be saying just to make one feel good.”

“Let me repeat: The principles taught in this book will work only when they come from the heart.”

266

“Compared with what we ought to be, we are only half awake.”

PRINCIPLE 6 Praise the slightest improvement and praise every improvement. Be “hearty in your approbation and lavish in your praise.”