“Does your manager ever visit your workstation?” I asked a group of employees.

“Oh, yes,” was the reply.  “If we make a mistake, no matter how minor, he appears out of thin air.”

“And when work is flowing smoothly . . .?” I added.

“We rarely see his face!” several responded in unison.

Employees, like most of us, do not like to be ignored.  While addressing weaknesses is better than no attention, recognizing successes is far better.

According to the Gallup organization only one in four employees say they receive helpful feedback from their leaders.

If you have every participated in a sporting, musical or theatrical practice session under the watchful eye of a coach, you understand the meaning of instant feedback.

Coaches spontaneously approval successes via hand claps, high-fives, and verbal expressions.  Likewise, coaches clearly communicate disapproval with excitable language, often accompanied by unmistakable facial expressions.

In the workplace, effective managers follow a similar model.  That is, they quickly acknowledge even the slightest of successes while, at the same time, intervene to correct problems.

Coaching occurs several times a day, in one- to two-minute spurts.  When done properly, employees view their managers as available and helpful without being intrusive.