There is an adage in parenting, "Praise the Positive". This concept, which is so important in parenting, is equally applicable in the work place."
"Praise the Positive" simply means that we should notice when a child gets something right and let them know we are pleased. It sounds simple. But it's really hard to do. With so many parents working so hard just to make ends meet our time and attention is limited. So we tend to limit our focus to what is wrong and addressing that. When things are going well we tend to let out a sigh of relief and relax. To "Praise the Positive" you have to be on the alert for when your child does something well - as well as when they get it wrong. And this takes time and energy. Tough commodities to come by these days. And that is unfortunate, for praising the positive will get much better results than noticing the negative. Not only do you reinforce behavior you want, you get to be the Good Guy instead of the Punishing Parent.
The same concept works in the office. Managers only tend to notice when things go wrong - for the same reasons parents do. They are overstressed and pressed for time. So they only focus on problems. Too bad. A word of praise will not only lift an employee's mood, but motivate them to work harder and greatly boost office morale. Employees may even begin to vie for the positive attention of the boss. And it costs the company nothing. And, just as in parenting, praising the positive allows the boss to be a good guy instead of a bad guy.