Ulraunt, a former Keeper of the Tomes, was famously stingy with praise for his adjutants to the point it impacted their learning. They never knew if they were doing a good job, because "the Old Buzzard" (as he was known) never offered a word of encouragement. Called out for his reticence by his fellow sages, Ulraunt said that it was simply not in his nature to gush but promised to take steps to ensure his adjutants knew they were doing a good job. He still withheld from giving praises, but he started to send little boxes of strawberry rhubarb tartlets to his best performing students.
Ulraunt is long gone from Candlekeep, but his "rewards" live on at the Hearth and are still sometimes ordered by proud sages. The difference now, of course, is that students can also reward themselves, even when they're doing a terrible job, and now you can too.