Third-party praise (telling a third party about someone's excellence rather than telling the person directly) is more powerful than direct praise because: (1) it makes the person look good in front of someone else, (2) there's no 'but' attached (high-standard people often qualify praise with caveats), and (3) it signals higher sincerity—you wouldn't tell a third party if you didn't really believe it—and it eventually comes back to the person in a way that feels like genuine recognition.