The Praise Habit

Set a daily reminder to recognize one person specifically. It takes 30 seconds and reshapes team culture over weeks. A calendar habit beats a good intention in your head; the team starts noticing who notices, and that quiet pattern becomes a leadership signal over time.

Praise the behavior and its effect, never the trait. 'You worked four drafts and the final made the client open with it' shapes behavior. Carol Dweck's Stanford research found that trait praise can make people protect the label instead of stretching.