The Art and Skill of Feedback

The workplace, family and marriage are often greatly impacted by our ability to provide consistent feedback to people we interact with on a daily basis. It can impact the work performance of our employees and the quality of our relationships at home. As a consultant, I interview many employees across the state where I consistently hear a desire for meaningful feedback from their employer and a desire for stronger relationships.  Considering the average dental office spends 25% to 35% of their revenue on employees we would do well to become students in the art and skill of effective feedback.  It affects every area of our lives.  As father of six children I can vividly remember times where I missed the target in an effort to provide meaningful "feedback" to one of my children or even worse my wife of 44 years.  Feedback can come in many different forms which can be either subjective/objective or destructive/constructive and be heard quite differently than we intended!  At the School of Dentistry we all remember reviews that brought either exhilaration or disappointment. The learning process must be woven with encouragement and constructive correction.   A great resource for assessment of employee engagement is Gallup’s Qr2 Survey. “Twelve important questions to engage employees.”  These principles apply as we develop employees or teach students.  This will help you understand where your employees line up with engagement in your office.  It will also give you a hint of your return on investment in staff salaries. A fully engaged and energized staff member will make a great contribution to office growth.
 
Will you improve the art and skill of how you provide feedback to your team? Major studies indicate the lack of employee engagement exists across the workforce (Gallup)[1]. Investment in this area could provide immense financial and job satisfaction for all involved.  Let’s start with a simple self-assessment of ourselves! Have you developed a process for conversational feedback when engaging your team members or is it shot from the hip?  Would you start a complex treatment plan without a plan?  As doctors we often overlook our role of developing others on our team, this requires reflective time to make a plan of communication coupled with metrics the employee understands are their responsibility.  Think back over the past few months and evaluate your ability to provide feedback in the development of your team. Has it been effective in bringing about the desired change or rewarding exceptional performance?  I am including two references for your development. Warning! Feedback and employee development is often avoided, or procrastinated because it is uncomfortable, or the skills were never developed because you are just too busy in the dental chair and your office manager has not acquired the effective feedback skills. 
 
Following are some tips to strengthen your feedback system to enhance a thriving culture and growing employees.

As employees grow your organization grows, take the time to invest in these critical skills, no less important than our endodontic or restorative skills “I believe that everyone is a leader at some point in time, we have a choice how well we lead.”[2]
 
Building a relationship the first step

1) Telling someone something is not the first step in feedback. The Gallup survey reveals employees want to know the boss or management cares about them and takes time to listen to them. When this takes place it opens the door to receive feedback.
 
Making regular deposits in the brain bank is critical

2) I like the model of depositing “positive feedback-appreciation and affirmation” regarding an employee performance, like a bank account.  When critical feedback is needed, which I call a withdrawal, you have built up deposits in the account for the withdrawal to take place. If you find it impossible to make positive deposits it may be time for the employee to be on probation or dismissed.
 
A multi-lingual mind set is required

3) Become multi-lingual, by this I mean understand that we all have different communication styles.  We often have to speak the language of the employee we are engaging. I often have a dominant boss come to me saying, "Jim, I don't understand I provide feedback and my employee starts to cry or get angry, I just tell it like it is."  The employer often does not realize they are perceived as being rude, cold and ineffective in empowering their team member. Two great tools to improve our multi-lingual skills are the DiSC instrument and the Strength Finders.  I use one or both of these with all of my clients. Understanding our own language and that of the people we are evaluating or developing can be a major factor in our effectiveness.  Acquiring and applying these skills can take your practice to the next level​!
 
Develop a feedback toolbox for diversified situations

4) Feedback can range from simple affirmation such as saying, "great Schedule!" or, "you were really organized for the complex procedure".  Affirmation of individuals is tremendously underutilized, yet it is a powerful transformer of attitudes. A recent comment from a doctor, “Why should I have to affirm them, that's what I pay them to do?”  The absence of affirmation impacts an organization and the quality of service and employee retention. The most effective feedback is conversational directed with the individual not at the person. Having the skill to create an interactive conversation is most valuable.     Often we fail to define clear metrics that indicate the objective quality of the employee performance. These should be written, clearly defined and objective. Feedback can be simply verbal or include a written report and scheduled meeting. One size does not fit all. The leader must have the knowledge and discernment to differentiate poor performance or have you failed to train and equip the individual to do the job or acquire the skill?
 
What gets measured and reviewed gets attention

5) Feedback with metrics requires further planning, conversation and understanding. The School of Dentistry has many metrics in place and is in continuous pursuit of calibration of multiple faculties providing consistent feedback to students. Calibration without a mentoring relationship will short circuit the learning process at schools and offices. The most effective learning and growth takes place when clear metrics, healthy communication and dialogue are in place.  Both parts of your brain (ANALYTIC +RELATIONSHIPS) need to be engaged for maximum learning to take place.
 
Establish a time and place for important feedback

6) Selection of time and place are important components of creating an atmosphere to provide meaningful feedback. A common statement I hear from many employees, "It's been 3 years since I have had feedback or a review, I really feel devalued.  It's always going to be in a few weeks.”  It makes a statement to the employee or family member. “I am important because time is being given to me and someone is listening to me in a conversation.” Time and listening are two great tools for meaningful dialogue. 
 
Dentistry in the 21st century requires more than dental skills

7) We are often expecting change when giving feedback for growth and improvement, but without planning and developing our own skills we fall short of our expected out come. A skilled leader and communicator will develop a personal feedback style that recognizes both excellence in performance and addresses standards that do not meet the core values and expectations of your organization. We cannot relinquish the important development of this Art and Skill of Feedback in our home or office. It requires multiple factors to be in alignment: time, planning, dialogue, understanding of the multi lingual nature of relationships and clarity of the topic being addressed. This will lead to mastery of a powerful feedback system. It shuts down the commonly used system of accuse and defend often leading to frustration and confusion between doctor and employee.
 
Where Do I start?
I have provided several references for your reading in addition to a complimentary telephone conversation on this topic. Acquiring a coach, taking courses and reading on the development of people are all ways to grow. Take the time to develop this skill set to enhance your leadership and growth in your practice and life. It will lead to growth of everyone around you.  “Leaders become great not because of their power, but because of their ability to empower others”[3]

Is Your Feedback Effective? 
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Dr. James R. Schroeder practiced dentistry in Richmond and is the founder of Leadership by Design.  If you have any questions or would like help implementing a change in your office, contact Dr. Jim Schroeder at 804-897-5900.  jim@drjimschroeder.com.           

[1] GALLUP, October 8, 2013 “Worldwide, 13% of Employees are Engaged to Work” by Steve Crabtree [2] IF YOU WILL LEAD-Enduring Wisdom for 21st Century Leaders, by Doug Moran ISBN: 978-1-932841-58-9 [3] THE FIVE LEVELS OF LEADERSHIP, Proven Steps to Maximize by John Maxwell, page 9 ISBN: 978-1-59995-365-6

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