Few things build a person up like affirmation. According to Webster's New World Dictionary, Third College Edition (Simon and Schuster, 1991), the word affirm comes from ad firmare, which means to make firm. So when you affirm people, you make firm within them the things you see about them. Do that often enough, and the belief that solidifies within them will become stronger than the doubts they have about themselves.

The 360 Degree Leader: Developing Your Influence from Anywhere in the Organization (ed. Thomas Nelson Inc, 2011) - ISBN: 9781400203628