Great managers give praise:
Praise is probably the most under-used management tool.
Great managers are forever trying to catch their people doing something right, and congratulating them on it.
And when praise comes from outside, they are swift not merely to publicise the fact, 'but to make clear who has earned it.
Managers who regularly give praise are in a much stronger position to criticise or reprimand poor performance.
If you simply comment when you are dissatisfied with performance, it is all too common for your words to be taken as a straightforward expression of personal dislike.