Giving and using driving directions is not my strong suit - the GPS in my phone has become my lifeline. Unless I've driven someplace dozens of times, I question my ability to get there.
The key to getting where I need to go (with or without GPS) - landmarks. These landmarks tell me when I am on the right path or if something is amiss. It could be a highway name, a street name, or a physical landmark (a building or a tree).
What does driving directions and landmarks have to do with being a Great Manager? Feedback.
When I would drive to visit my daughter at college, every once in a while, there would be a sign telling me I was on Highway 55. Feedback. I would recognize the windmill farm. Feedback. I would see a familiar exit for a town. Feedback.
The majority of the feedback - sometimes all of the feedback - was positive. It let me know that I was on the right track. It created reassurance (sometimes consciously, sometimes unconsciously).
When you give positive feedback - and the majority of the feedback should be positive - it creates reassurance and comfort for the employee.
Use feedback to let the employee know they are on the right track and also to get them back on track if they happen to stray off.