Discouragement within a person, a family, or a company drops a corrosive haze over goals and objectives. Discouragement obscures objectives, stifles all willingness to work - enthusiasm rapidly evaporates and hostility builds.

It is important to realize that self-confidence can be weakened or eradicated to the point where it stops positive action, inhibits the respect for others and the building of positive relationships. There are those who would have you believe that confidence is a quality developed in childhood, or earned by hard work - that it is done once and becomes your for life. That is not the case; self-confidence is like sweet-smelling breath that must be brushed and flossed into reality each and every day for the rest of our lives. As individuals there are many things we must do for ourselves to rebuild yesterdays glowing shards of self-confidence into today's flames. And also it is vital to realize that we can either build or batter down the confidence of other people who live and work in our surroundings.

Experience has proven the importance of both acknowledgment and praise. Acknowledgment helps us to realize that we are not being overlooked; praise helps us to feel like winners; together they are builders, and motivators of confidence and spirit.

There are those who would have you believe they don't need praise nor will they admit to being hurt when overlooked or criticized. Haven't noticed that some people take criticism easily and others claim not to need praise. Years ago, someone told me that pain and criticism effects everyone but that "some people learn to become better actors."

People, when appropriately praised, are more willing to take on challenges and risks. Acknowledgment of the action or production, and praise for personal accomplishment work together to eliminate negative thoughts and feelings and prevents job or life burnout.

Many of today's teachers, leaders and even parents view their people in a fixed and objective way rather than as individuals. There is a tendency to think that improvement can be activated only by enforcing a fixed point of view and then pointing out deficiencies and errors. Some teach that the only way to "manage" people is by spotting the negatives and inflicting severe criticism or disciplines at the moment. Please remember that "the put their noses in it" theory is intended to train animals and it doesn't work on them. How much wiser and kinder to set people up to succeed rather than set people up to fail.

There an old song I like to hum: "You gotta accentuate the positive!" I have always had a gut feeling for the need of appropriate recognition. and now that the psychologists have done their research we are reinforced with studies that support what we each know intuitively - that to a majority of workers, appreciation and acknowledgment rank in importance even higher than salary or fitness centers.

And when asked their reasons for leaving a job, the typical answer is that their efforts and ideas go unappreciated -- neither acknowledgment nor praise are part of their work environment.

But it's important to note that acknowledgment and praise are not the same and each should be used with precise understanding of their differences. Acknowledgment merely sees, hears, notices that something has been done. It is essentially an "I" statement. For example, " I notice that meetings are starting and ending on time." Or, at home, " Is that vanilla I smell - my favorite dessert - yes?"

Praise is noisier, it moves close into another space and uses the word you. You really did a fine job on that presentation. You are a credit to this division. You really came through for me. etc. etc.

If praise is used when acknowledgment is better, your direct reports and your youngsters can easily be transformed into praise junkies - unable or unwilling to be motivated to the simplest of tasks without praise.

At Apple now, we all need to understand and use both acknowledgment and praise to balance the intense atmosphere and high expectations of work we are now putting on everyone and each other.

At Apple we must develop sustained energy and a fearlessness that can support our ever increasing responsibilities. A renewed energy will comes in part from advanced learning at workshops, seminars and from experience, too. But I think that all of us need to develop a new respect for acknowledging each other's accomplishments and ideas.

It isn't a bad idea to schedule the giving of praise into our daily calendars. Saying we're too busy for this is not okay at this phase of our development. It's another way -- but an important way -- to keep up individual productivity and to rebuild the marvelous Apple spirit.

ReachOut will soon extend its primary goal and augment recognition throughout Apple -to focus attention on some of the outstanding work and ideas being generated by Apple people worldwide. Recognition can highlight effort and accomplishment in a way that gives the reader an opportunity to imitate a successful idea. If we all learn from each others successes, we'll have so many things going right that mistakes need hardly be noticed. I hope that when people see an acknowledgment of a co-worker in a ReachOut they'll echo the praise with a personal call or AppleLink. Nobody can tell me that they don't have enough time in any day to make a special effort to reward a fellow worker by saying something positive.

Many people forget that recognition should flow in two directions. I have noticed throughout the years that people who chronically complain of never being noticed or complimented are often the very same people who are stingy with their praise.

And even those connecting lines on the corporate plan can move in two directions. Your managers and executives need and want praise. Yes, I enjoy it, too. No, I don't mind your AppleLinks that tell me that you approve of what I do.

I once heard someone say, 'Compliments will get you almost anything from me' and it had the ring of truth to it. We all must humbly recognize how much we are affected by praise. Positive comments will get everyone a lot more on-the -job satisfaction and the net result is bottom line profits for the company, too.

I hope you will join me by increasing the volume of great sounds of praise - and added to that let's hear the rhythm of applause and back-slapping.

Have you ever noticed that most people seem to express complaints and negative comments in more dramatic and expressive ways than they give praise.

Praise is typically delivered by mothers, fathers, managers and teachers in laid back, rather formal and restrained, non-effusive ways. Except in theatres or at the opera, we are a people seem embarrassed by standing-ovations or effusive praise - as though it would spoil someone, or reveal a weakness of the praise-giver.

"Gotta stay tough and hard to impress," seems to be the going but incorrect rule of leadership.

Let's believe a balance is best achieved by distributing informal acknowledgment or praise on a daily basis. It needs to become as much a part of life as brushing ones teeth. it's not as effective to wait for the special ceremonies or holidays to pass out pins, candy, or expressive words of appreciation. By learning how and when to give acknowledgment and praise, there's nothing to lose and everything to win.

The subject of praise needs to be reviewed regularly and updated as regularly as your diet or your fitness program; it is, in essence, the basis of a relationship/leadership fitness program.