Why You Should Give Frequent Feedback

Leaders owe it to employees to help them understand how their contribution is viewed so that they know where they're doing well and where they're falling short.

Let me use an example from the book The Game of Work to make this point. Do you enjoy bowling or know someone who does? We can think about work like bowling, except there's a person called a manager who stands in front of the pins holding a curtain. The manager can see the pins, but the bowler who is the employee can't. Now imagine that the bowler rolls the ball, hears the crash of falling pins and says, "How'd I do?" The manager says, "Change your grip." The bowler says, "But how did I do?" The manager says, "Move your foot back." So the bowler changes his grip and moves his foot, then rolls another ball. He hears more pins fall and asks, "How am I doing?" The manager says, "Put some tape in the thumb hole." "But how am I doing?" repeats the persistent bowler. "Don't worry about it," says the manager. "We've got a review coming up in six months. We'll let you know then."

Managers who want the best from their employees don't hold a blanket in front of the pins while they are bowling. They give frequent feedback so that the employees know how well they are doing.