The Value of a Name

Well Thanksgiving has come and gone.  This weekend was a much needed break and gave me time to chance up on some homework.  One of the assignments I was working on this weekend was reading the book How to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie.  It was an interesting book and had some great points.  One of my favorite was highlighting the value of a name.  Carnegie said that most people are more interested in his or her own name than anybody else’s name (pg 73).  The more I thought about this idea the more I realized, how nice it is if someone remembers your name after the first greeting.  It makes you feel special when someone uses your name. Taking the effort to remember a name can go a long ways to make another person feel good about them.  As a result of this little lesson I learned this week, I have made a resolve to remember people’s names better and use their names when I talk to them.  Currently I am really good at avoiding using someone’s name if I can’t remember their name.  Dale Carnegie shared how he remembers people’s names; after he hears someone’s name he repeats to himself several times and finds ways to relate that name to something in the conversation.  Doing this will help people respect me more and be a better leader.