One of the easiest things a leader can do to make people feel good is to pay them compliments.

Paying compliments is low effort/high return.

In order for a compliment to have meaning, it should reference evidence that the recipient will agree with. For example:

"You did a great job delivering that feature while under a lot of pressure from management, especially given the technical challenges you encountered."

Versus:

"You're doing a great job. Thanks!"

Providing evidence also proves that you are keeping a close eye on what the person is doing, as opposed to generic compliments which can seem fake if used too often.

When a senior leader provides context to their compliments, they are more credible, and this is such an easy win that it is hard for me to understand why everyone is not complimented when they do something great.