At a weekend camp, one of my leaders publicly reprimanded a youth for an unacceptable behaviour. The same scenario could very well have played out in the office. In such situations, remember to praise publicly and reprimand privately.
If project team members performed a great job, don’t wait until the weekly meeting, the end of the project or the annual performance review to tell them. Praise them right away—in their cubicles, in the middle of a meeting or even in the hallway. Without embarrassing your staff, make sure that their colleagues can hear your praises.
In contrast, if you need to reprimand someone for an unacceptable performance, make sure to do it privately—and quickly. Be honest and caring—and direct. Focus on the facts of the unacceptable performance and then ask for solutions on how resolve the issue.
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Sounds like it ought to be straight common sense - but you’re right; too aften, it isn’t. Over a long career, I’d say EVERY good boss I worked for followed these guidelines. When good work is done, I’ll praise the worker. When something gets screwed up, I’ll talk about it privately - or, if it’s my fault, I’ll say so.