"I know I'm supposed to provide specific positive feedback. But in my job as manager, my attention is focused on the problems. How can I make sure that I remember specific examples of positive performance?"

One strategy is to keep a performance journal for each employee—

scheduling specific times (perhaps weekly) to reflect on each employee's performance and to jot down specific examples of positive behavior.

Some managers ask employees to keep a "hero file." Each employee can keep track of their own contributions and the things they did right—and pass the information on to you on a regular basis.