Example:

A project team worked weekends launching a multimedia web site on a tight deadline. Their CEO was on holiday when the site launched. They did not call to congratulate the team. To their, it was a matter of keeping their personal life sacred. To the team, it was a message that their personal life was more important than the weekends and evenings they had put in to meet the deadline. Next time, they may not work quite so hard. The emotion and effect on the culture was real, even if it was not what the CEO intended. Congratulations from the CEO on a job well done can motivate a team like nothing else. Silence can demotivate just as quickly.