A few years ago, I was invited to southern California to speak at a leadership conference for high school students. My week was filled with amazing opportunities to share with the students. I had a great time teaching them leadership principles to live by. The day of my departure, a large group of teenagers approached me with a stack of folded papers. Each paper contained a thank you letter from the students, expressing their gratitude for all of my words of encouragement. I was so humbled by their thoughtfulness and in awe of the fact that they had taken the time to personally write me letters describing how the week had impacted their life. Their act of encouragement sent me on my journey back home feeling like a champion! I kept those letters in my briefcase for months. I would pull them out from time to time when I needed a good dose of encouragement. These letters would lift me up and bring me back to the place I needed to be inside. Each one of those teenagers impacted my life by writing simple letters that made a huge difference.

Encouragement picks people up when they are feeling low. It can take someone from a frown to a smile in a few words. It puts a pep in their step, and causes them to move a little quicker. When someone is battling discouragement, they will never be able to achieve their full potential. Discouragement removes courage from the heart and causes people to shrink back in defeat. When people feel defeated, it makes them want to give up and throw in the towel. Charles Schwab said, “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.”

The truth is evident that happy people simply produce greater results. Leaders have to be encouragers if they want to impact those around them. Encouragement is an irresistible form of influence. Let it become your best friend.