The, Rules of Work, 4th Edition

RULE 38

Compliment people sincerely

The key to this Rule is ‘sincerely’. You mustn’t use compliments glibly, falsely, shallowly, dishonestly or disingenuously. Compliments must be real, honest, open, guileless and meaningful.

Being the sort of person who gives compliments is quite tricky. You don’t want to be seen as a slimeball or spooky – and people who do give compliments can often end up seen like this – but you do want to come over as genuinely warm and friendly.

So how to do this? And why? Well, if you do it affably, it makes people think incredibly well about you – it is good office karma. The best way to do it is by being unsophisticated about it. All you have to do is say: ‘I really like the way you’ve had your hair cut’, and then ask ...