Why can't we all just get along?  Let's try in 2017 to be more positive with each other.  It's easy when you are down on somebody to forget that they have feelings that affect their self-esteem.  It is just as easy to make your staff feel like they are all winners as opposed to making them feel inferior.  Look at your staff.  Is the approach to your staff as positive as it could be?  Do they think of themselves as winners, or are they constantly being reminded that they fall short of your managerial goals? People tend to act in accordance with their image of themselves.  If they see themselves as well regarded, they will try hard to perpetuate this image and this is where a supportive boss comes in.  Praise, appreciation, respect, new responsibilities, delegated authority…all these are rewards from you to them that can't help but play a critical role in employees' sense of self-esteem, and their consequent productivity. People will react bitterly to attacks on their self-esteem.  You can compare the process to the rush of antibodies combating an infection.  It's a natural, self-protective reaction that leads, in an office, to an adversarial relationship between employee and manager, and a counter-productive attitude toward the job.  Your employees will tend to react positively to positive direction.  There's a big difference between correction and criticism.  One goes up, the other down.  Thus, "You're good at following suggestions" tends to produce a cooperative, ready to listen attitude, while "You can't take criticism" tends to bring opposition.  And, "You can do better than this" elicits more of an "I'll try again" response than "I'm getting tired of your lousy work." Your staff can surprise …