Give a Dog a Good Name

When you label someone negatively, you freeze them. “Careless,” “lazy,” “difficult”—those words don’t correct behavior; they harden identity.

A stronger move is to give a reputation the person can live up to. Appeal to their better qualities: reliability, fairness, precision. Speak as if those qualities are already part of who they are, and you’re calling them forward.

This works because most people don’t want to disappoint an honorable image. They resist being called bad, but they often strive to be called good.

Keep it credible. Notice a real strength, then name it and connect it to the behavior you want: “You’re usually thorough—let’s make this match that standard.”

Give a dog a good name, and you recruit pride on your side. Instead of pushing uphill, you make the person want to climb.