Abu Dharr reported,

Sahl bin Saad reported that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said to him, "What do you think of Juayl?"I replied, "He is a poor man, like others of his sort."He asked, "And what do you think of so-and-so?"I said, "He is a chief among the chiefs of the people."He said, "Juayl is better than the earth filled with men like so-and-so," or "than thousands like him," or something of that nature.I said, "Messenger of Allah, if so-and-so is like that, why do you treat him the way you do?"He replied, "He is the head of his people, so I show him favor in order to win them over."

عن أبي ذر

أن رسول الله ﷺ قال له: كيف ترى جعيلا؟ قال: فقلت: مسكينا كشكله من الناس. قال: فكيف ترى فلانا؟ قلت: سيدا من سادات الناس. قال: فجعيل خير من ملء الأرض أو آلاف أو نحو ذلك من فلان. قال: قلت: يا رسول الله، ففلان هكذا، وأنت تصنع به ما تصنع؟ فقال: إنه رأس قومه، فأنا أتألفهم فيه.