90 45 seconds," Zinger explains. Even a short text or email can be productive, he adds. Gallup's Great Managers study confirmed this link. It found that consistent communication— whether it occurs in person, over the phone or electronically—is linked to higher engagement. Employees who have regular meetings with their managers are almost three times as likely to be engaged, compared with workers who don't, the report found. Moreover, these conversations are a good op- portunity for managers to draw attention to em- ployees' accomplishments. Here, Kelleher's ad- vice to managers is simple: "Recognize, recognize and recognize." "Recognition is a significant engagement driver. It is almost always free, has lasting impact, and managers tend to see a replication of the posi- tive results that they are looking to recognize," he says. "There is simply no downside." In addition to conversation, a manager's behavior is also important because it can have a mirror- ing effect, Zinger says. Based on that behavior, it's easy for employees to see how connected a manager is to his or her own work, and the or- ganization at large. A manager who encourages engagement, but is cynical or uncaring in his or her own work relationship will be quickly seen as inauthentic. And the mirroring effect can work both ways, he adds. Let's say a manager has a staff of 10, and two of the 10 workers seem disengaged. Out of frustration, the manager may start avoiding and minimizing his or her conversations and interac- tions with them. In effect, the manager is follow- ing the employee's lead; from the employee's point of view, the manager is becoming disen- gaged. Finally, Kelleher advises managers to establish what he calls "a line of sight" between an em- ployee's work and the mission of the organiza-