Schwab says that he was paid this salary largely because of his ability to deal with people.I asked him how he did it.Here is hissecret set down in his own words—words that ought to be cast in eternal bronze and hung in every home and school，every shop and office in the land—words that will all but transform your life and mine if we will only live them：
“I consider my ability to arouse enthusiasm among my people，”said Schwab，“the greatest asset I possess，and the way to develop the best that is in a person is by appreciation and encouragement.
“There is nothing else that so kills the ambitions of a person as criticisms from superiors.I never criticize anyone.I believe in giving a person incentive to work.So I am anxious to praise but loath to find fault.If I like anything，I am hearty in my approbation and lavish in my praise.”
That is what Schwab did.But what do average people do？The exact opposite.If they don’t like a thing，they bawl out their subordinates；if they do like it，they say nothing.As the old couplet says：“Once I did bad and that I heard ever/Twice I did good，but that I heard never.”
“In my wide association in life，meeting with many and great people in various parts of the world，”Schwab declared，“I have yet to find the person，however great or exalted his station，who did not do better work and put forth greater effort under a spirit of approval than he would ever do under a spirit of criticism.”
That he said，frankly，was one of the outstanding reasons for the phenomenal success of Andrew Carnegie.Carnegie praised his associates publicly as well as privately.Carnegie wanted to praise his assistants even on his tombstone.He wrote an epitaph for himself which read：“Here lies one who knew how to get around him men who were cleverer than himself.”
Sincere appreciation was one of the secrets of the first John D.
Rockefeller’s success in handling men.For example，when one ofhis partners，Edward T.Bedford，lost a million dollars for the firm by a bad buy in South America，John D.might have criticized；but he knew Bedford had done his best—and the incident was closed.So Rockefeller found something to praise；he congratulated Bedford because he had been able to save 60percent of the money he had invested.“That’s splendid，”said Rockefeller.“We don’t always do as well as that upstairs.”
I have among my clippings a story that I know never happened，but it illustrates a truth，so I’ll repeat it：
According to this silly story，a farm woman，at the end of a heavy day’s work，set before her menfolks a heaping pile of hay.And when they indignantly demanded whether she had gone crazy，she replied：“Why，how did I know you’d notice？I’ve been cooking for you men for the last twenty years and in all that time I ain’t heard no word to let me know you wasn’t just eating hay.”
When a study was made a few years ago on runaway wives，what do you think was discovered to be the main reason wives ran away？It was “lack of appreciation.”
And I’d bet that a similar study made of runaway husbands would come out the same way.We often take our spouses so much for granted that we never let them know we appreciate them.
A member of one of our classes told of a request made by his wife.She and a group of other women in her church were involved in a self-improvement program.She asked her husband to help her by listing six things he believed she could do to help her become a better wife.He reported to the class：“I was surprised by such a request.Frankly，it would have been easy for me to list six things I would like to change about her—my heavens，she could have listed a thousand things she would like to change about me—but I didn’t.I said to her，‘Let me think about it and give you an answer in the morning.’
“The next morning I got up very early and called the florist and had them send six red roses to my wife with a note saying：‘I can’t think of six things I would like to change about you.I love you the way you are.’
“When I arrived at home that evening，who do you think greeted me at the door：That’s right.My wife！She was almost in tears.Needless to say，I was extremely glad I had not criticized her as she had requested.
“The following Sunday at church，after she had reported the results of her assignment，several women with whom she had been studying came up to me and said，‘That was the most considerate thing I have ever heard.’It was then I realized the power of appreciation.”
Florenz Ziegfeld，the most spectacular producer who ever dazzled Broadway，gained his reputation by his subtle ability to “glorify the American girl.”Time after time，he took drab little creatures that no one ever looked at twice and transformed them on the stage into glamorous visions of mystery and seduction.Knowing the value of appreciation and confidence，he made women feel beautiful by the sheer power of his gallantry and consideration.He was practical：he raised the salary of chorus girls from thirty dollars a week to as high as one hundred and seventy-five.And he was also chivalrous；on opening night at the Follies，he sent telegrams to the stars in the cast，and he deluged every chorus girl in the show with American Beauty roses.
I once succumbed to the fad of fasting and went for six days and nights without eating.It wasn’t difficult.I was less hungry at the end of the sixth day than I was at the end of the second.Yet I know，as you know，people who would think they had committed a crime if they let their families or employees go for six days without food；but they will let them go for six days，and sixweeks，and sometimes sixty years without giving them the hearty appreciation that they crave almost as much as they crave food.
We nourish the bodies of our children and friends and employees，but how seldom do we nourish their self-esteem？We provide them with roast beef and potatoes to build energy，but we neglect to give them kind words of appreciation that would sing in their memories for years like the music of the morning stars.
