Years ago at a networking event, a man used a four-letter word I wasn’t expecting.

We were discussing how his firm helped companies with customer satisfaction surveys, and he said something like “We help the companies do an even better job than they’re currently doing.”

Did you spot the word?

I realized the positive power of this word when I was helping a credit union create better employee reviews, those dreaded annual reviews we sit through, praying our boss actually likes us enough to keep us in our job.

We discussed how they could use language to help their employees really feel the praise that is intended.

For instance, a boss might say something like, “You had a great year. You did A, B, and C – but something you could do better would be …”

Sigh. He’s not happy with me.

Maybe he’d say it this way: “You had a great year. You did A, B, and C – and something you could do better would be …” Yes, he used “and” and not “but,” but …

Probably neither version of those words would make anyone really happy; while they were meant as praise, they fell a little flat.

Then someone asked, “What if we said, ‘You did A, B, and C – and something you could do even better would be …’ ”

There it was! A truly magical four-letter word that changed the tenor of the comment from so-so to really good.

Yes, the word is EVEN. With just four letters, it packs a strong, positive emotional punch. Suddenly the employee goes from “she hates me” to “I think she likes me!” without really knowing why.

And isn’t that a great outcome?

Why does it work? Well, it allows the employee to believe they are already doing a good job, and with that one little word being used, they could go from good to great .

And isn’t that what we all hope our boss thinks?

Are there situations where you could use this word in a conversation and see how it helps?

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