If you can't say something nice ...

How is it possible that January 2023 is almost in the rearview mirror? I hope your first month of the new year has been a terrific one!

How are your New Year's goals and resolutions sticking? Are you feeling overwhelmed with work this month with unfinished work from 2022 with new work piled on top? 

Tomorrow, January 24, is "National Compliment Day." When is the last time you gave a sincere compliment? When is the last time you received one?

A genuine compliment can make a real impact. It's an opportunity to acknowledge someone's hard work, great idea, important contribution, or simply something you appreciate about another person. (Side benefit: the compliment giver feels better, too!)

Compliments help others feel seen and valued, but we don't give them enough. We get busy and forget to acknowledge someone's important insight at a meeting earlier in the day. We don't think to tell someone how much we appreciated them going the extra mile on a last-minute project and what a difference their work meant to the outcome. 

When we give someone a genuine and honest compliment, we empower them, help build their confidence, and contribute to a positive organizational culture. And it takes so little - literally a minute or two to pause and tell someone what you think they did well, what you appreciate, and what you value in them and their work. 

I encourage you to make it a point to give at least one genuine compliment on January 24, and maybe even make it a daily practice. It's a practice that will not only benefit the person receiving the compliment, but your whole team and organization. People want to stay and contribute to a place where they feel appreciated, and an easy place to start is sharing words of appreciation and positive feedback.

Want to learn a bit more about "The Power of Positive Feedback"? Check out this article.

Or nervous you don't know how to give a sincere compliment? (It's okay. Some of us are out of practice!) Here's a handy resource.

I'll start: I appreciate YOU for taking time to invest in your own well-being and growing yourself. And I know that by doing that, you are being a role model for others as well. Thank you!