Agree - I always go for compliments about a choice someone made rather than some quality I perceive them to have. This suggests admiration for something they intended to do or worked on.
"I love that sweater" [that you chose] is a lot friendlier IMO than "you look great in that sweater"
I also try to indicate with my tone and bearing that a response is not expected, a good compliment is a gift (IMO) and gifts are freely given without expectation of payback.
I also like to stick to commentary I feel i actually know anything about, i wear earrings, so often comment about them. I dont wear makeup, so i rarely go there. I think fancy shoes are fun, etc.
I wonder what McKinsey's profit on this gig was - if >= $573M, then this is just the cost of doing business, no problem, do it again and make some more $$.
"I love that sweater" [that you chose] is a lot friendlier IMO than "you look great in that sweater"
I also try to indicate with my tone and bearing that a response is not expected, a good compliment is a gift (IMO) and gifts are freely given without expectation of payback.
I also like to stick to commentary I feel i actually know anything about, i wear earrings, so often comment about them. I dont wear makeup, so i rarely go there. I think fancy shoes are fun, etc.