Every 3,000 miles, your car is back in the shop for its oil change (or, you know, it SHOULD be).

You realize without that regular oil change and tune-up, your car can’t perform optimally. We understand and apply this logic to our automobiles. It seems a no-brainer. So why is it that we expect employees to perform their best, day and day out, without any real guidance or attention – the human equivalent of a “tune-up”?

Courtesy of Gallup’s research, you can see very clearly what happens when your staff doesn’t get an injection of guidance or an infusion of support. The active involvement of leaders in providing feedback, particularly on employees’ strengths, is directly related – and has a powerful impact on – their level of engagement.

Conversely, if your employees might as well not exist; i.e. you ignore them, or if they only hear from you when things go wrong, then you’re creating an actively disengaged staff. And that’s no way to fuel a successful organization.

Just as my car might sputter if I don’t give it the TLC it needs, or my brain might misfire if I don’t get the sleep my body requires, your workplace can’t run as smoothly or as well as it could if you’re not assessing and responding to the needs of your employees. Perform proper “maintenance,” and fill up their tanks – just as you feed your own engine with nutritious meals and sleep to run your best. Provide the feedback that accelerates your team’s strong performance and engagement.