You've just finished an important comprehensive project you have dedicated your last several weeks at work to. The boss comes over and takes a gander at your work. Later that day the boss calls you into his/her office. Your hands are sweating and there are butterflies in your stomach, and you're not sure what to expect. Is this a good thing? Or is this a bad thing? Now it could be either, but most likely this is a bad thing, because the reality is that in American society, complaints and ridicule are more common than complements. Ever heard the phrase no news is good news? People tend to focus much more on the negatives and things that need improvement than the things that are going well, and the people that are doing a great job. I know many people who are easily ridiculed 20 times more than they are told they are doing something right. This really hurts employee morale and spirit.
I recently read a book called "How To Win Friends And Influence People" by Dale Carnegie that helped bring this situation to life. If you haven't read it, I would highly recommend it. You can find it for free online. It made me look back at the last few places I worked and led me to realize just how important the focus of management is. In one place I worked, I had a really great boss who never yelled at me and always told me I was doing a great job. When I think of that position I am filled with positive emotion and I smile every time. If you're a manager, recruiter, or worker don't become over-focused on the bad. Tell that other person they are doing a good job or complement their work and this will lead to other great things.