The Power of Acknowledgment is a valuable resource for people looking for a way to make a difference in the world. Author Judith Umlas shows readers how acknowledging someone and letting them know they are important can change their life.
Interestingly enough, Umlas suggests that we begin by practicing acknowledgment on strangers. She explains,”Why strangers? Because doing a good job of acknowledging someone can be harder than it sounds. It makes sense to try it out on people who aren’t as close to you as family, friends, co-workers - people who will be pleasantly surprised and not likely to waste time worrying about your motives.“
The Power of Acknowledgment is based on seven principles, including number one, “The world is full of people who deserve to be acknowledged” and number four, “Recognizing good work leads to high energy, great feelings, high-quality performance and terrific results. Not acknowledging good work causes lethargy, resentment, sorrow and withdrawal." The key to a compliment’s power is acknowledging quality work and not simply affirming others to get them to like you.
Umlas shows that acknowledgment, or lack of acknowledgment, affects us in all of our relationships - friendships, marriage and work. She shares stories of people whose lines have been affected by someone’s acknowledgment of even their smallest achievement.
I learned a lot from this short book. Its pages are packed with great information and it’s clear that Umlas has done her homework on the subject. It made me re-think how I interact with others, both strangers and those close to me.
Article comments
1 - Jill
Cool Savings - If you use coupon code CWAHM at http://www.iil.com/bookstore you will receive a 40% discount off the retail price. Good until August 31.
2 - Judith Umlas
Jill, your very positive review of The Power of Acknowledgment just came to my attention, almost two years after you created it! Thank you for your uplifting thoughts. Much has happened with this "little book with a big message" since this time. For example, tomorrow I am training 31 executives at the New York Police Department in the usage of the 7 principles of acknowledgment. It is very very exciting to see how open to this message people are and I am thrilled with the results. Please feel free to attend one of my webinars at no cost by going to www.iil.com/webinars. And thank you again for helping to spread the word about the power of acknowledgment, which will repair the world one person at a time.