Everyone needs a little encouragement now and then. By honing up on your encouragement skills, you can become a better leader in your home, at your work, and in your business.

It isnt that difficult to improve to the point where you are considered a great encourager. I would like to suggest four things you can do to make the lives of people around you better and in the process make yours better as well!

Here are four tips:

1.When you encourage someone - make it personal. Tell them personally how you much you believe in them. Dont be the kind of person who might tell others how much you think of someone but never bothers to mention it to the one who really needs to hear it.

2. When you encouragement some - be specific. Tell the person you are encouraging exactly what it is that you appreciate about them. Is it their timeliness? Their work-habits? Their quality of work? Do they chip in and help out when they wouldnt have to (team-players)? Being specific will give them clear examples of what is pleasing to you, expected from you, etc. This specificity will encourage future positive actions as well.

3. When you encourage someone - dont hide it. Be appropriate but be public when at all possible! By letting others know how you appreciate someone, it will also give them an idea of what you are looking for, if, for example, you are their boss.

4. When you encourage someone - understand the importance of purpose. What goal do you have in mind when you are encouraging someone? Maybe this sounds calculating (it isnt meant to), but its important to think through your actions. Is the purpose of your encouragement related to a specific, hoped-for outcome? If not, why not? All Im asking you to consider is thinking about the purpose of your actions.

If you can learn to practice the four tips above, soon you will become a great encourager and thats a great thing to be known for!

Copyright 2006 by Scott Hove