Who Doesn't Need Positive Feedback?

There’s just one role that does not require positive feedback.

The long snapper.

If you’re like me and watch the Super Bowl for the commercials and half-time show, it’s helpful that the long snapper’s name is intuitive: their job is to snap the ball a long way to a holder or punter.

The #1 authority on long snapping is a guy named Chris Rubio who played for three seasons at UCLA and never botched a snap.

In a recent Freakomics Radio episode, Rubio explained how he asked his coach for feedback - once.

It went like this:

Rubio: “Coach Donahue, I don’t know how I’m doing. You don’t ever talk to me.”

Coach: “Rubio, if the head coach never speaks to the long snapper, the long snapper is doing perfect.”

Apparently, the long snapper is such a specialized job that if you get it right, there’s nothing for the coach to say.

For the rest of us, a perfect performance is an opportunity for coaching. In a fast-changing world, we need to keep improving!

So, when your employees perform well and you celebrate the outcome – don’t stop there. Ask open-ended questions to help your employees:

• Reflect on what went well

• Anticipate the changes on the horizon

• Discover what they will want to do even better to up their game

When it comes to feedback, silence is not golden – unless you’re coaching a long snapper.

Melissa Janis builds management capabilities to create a workplace that's better for your employees and better for your bottom line.