This is known as "Management by Walking Around" My best manager did this. He'd wander by, and ask how it was going. Some days he'd say "tell me one good thing, one bad thing." At least once a day you got face time with him, and once you learned that, you could use it to your advantage.

Sometimes I sit in on the daily meeting and don't learn anything, but MBWA, I often get some insight to issues that are going on.