Via Scott Hanselman:

I've been reading as much as I can on how to be an effective manager lately. For a number of reasons, mostly internal, but also because in a recent lunch Chris Sells said (something like): "If you're not getting slapped by your boss at least twice a year, you're not pushing the envelope enough."

He then links to a set of management rules, specifically highlighting number three:

If you are not criticized, you may not be doing much.

There's a fine line between pushing and pushy, but you have to push. You may get slapped, but so what? Anything is preferable to indifference or, worse, the same old cliches.