Giving feedback the traditional way is dead; feedforward opportunities support the long life of your practice
You know the importance of feedback from your patients. Regularly assessing how patients feel about your care and their personal experiences at your office is highly valuable. Otherwise, you do not know where you “stand” with those individuals who matter the most to your practice.
You cannot promptly and effectively address challenges or issues when you do not realize there are problems lurking. They continue to grow and fester, potentially damaging your practice and its reputation.
Likewise, feedback is important when managing your employees. All too often, dental practices are simply so busy that this process of routinely and consistently providing feedback is lost in the shuffle. It takes a backseat to emergencies and the onslaught of tasks associated with day-to-day operations. But a little intentionality and foresight on this front can be invaluable to employee performance and retention. Just as you must understand your patients’ preferences and needs, it is essential for your workforce to understand:
- How they are performing at given times in their careers
- What they do well, in addition to areas where they may struggle
- Weaknesses, as an understanding of areas for improvement, is the first step to change
Traditional processes and models, however, do not always serve organizations well. We urge you to rethink how you give feedback, as conventional approaches have too often been handled poorly, in a way that potentially alienates your top or most promising people. As with all things, there are good, bad, and middling ways to approach the process of sharing insights that are otherwise well-intentioned, designed to result in improvements to performance that ultimately support your business’s sustainability.
The art of giving feedback
It is simply not sufficient to jot down some areas employees need to change and to occasionally schedule meetings with them where those concerns are shared. An even worse approach is to schedule these meetings only when something bad occurs. It’s no surprise that many employees view feedback negatively, especially when they often associate it with critical comments made during a crisis. By artfully committing to a healthy feedback process, you may be able to head off the crisis as challenges are identified early on and addressed enthusiastically and promptly by the employee. You are equipping and empowering them with the knowledge to make positive changes that avoid potentially damaging hiccups. So, what does a “healthy feedback process” look like?
Read related article: The Importance of Staff Retention in Dental Offices: Why It Matters
How to start the feedback conversation
Do not lead with the question, “Would you like feedback?” With this approach, the employee naturally becomes anxious and defensive. Such a starting point may even result in the employee shutting down. No matter how helpful the comments may be, they simply will not absorb anything you say after you lead with that question.
Instead, reimagine the conversation-starter by avoiding the term feedback entirely. Think casual, specific, and positive. For instance, instead of the dreaded ask above, say something to the effect of, “You had a great idea for that patient—Here are my thoughts on how to expand that idea.” Doesn’t this approach sound so much better? It immediately fosters a sense of enthusiasm and inspires the hearer to want to do better, and to grow upon the idea. There are two-fold benefits, as you are imparting suggestions for improvement while also letting them know that they are on the right track (after all, it was a “great idea”). This is how you keep, motivate, and inspire employees and do not inspire fear, anxiety, stress, and the temptation to look for job opportunities elsewhere.
Communicating areas for improvement
When identifying areas for the employee to improve, focus on those behaviours that can be measured, observed, and repeated. Do not provide unhelpful and potentially irksome feedback on one’s personality. Again, stick to those measurable and objective behaviours. You may approach an employee who tends to talk over others to demonstrate this distinction in action. They may frequently interrupt both associates and patients. Of course, this habit needs to be resolved. They are otherwise a great employee. However, the employee may not even notice that they frequently do this. Perhaps the employee is just starting and is overly excited. The excitement can lead to frequent interjections.
Instead of telling the employee that they are being “rude” and “overzealous” by interrupting their colleagues and patients, there is far greater value in saying something along the lines of, “To have a positive impact, let the patient speak first. Then, after they are done, provide suggestions. You can better hear and listen to the patient that way, and they will appreciate you for it.” Isn’t this approach more valuable and concrete than simply insinuating that your talented employee is rude when they need to be a little more aware of their communication style?
What does it mean to be “feedforward”?
When considering what to discuss with an employee and how to discuss it at every step, think in terms of being feedforward. This concept was coined and popularized by globally recognized leadership coach Marshall Goldsmith. The idea is to focus more on future improvements than past mistakes, shortcomings, and failures. This way of framing the feedback process encourages forward-thinking, positivity, and action steps that inspire rather than alienate.
In general, we urge you to see feedback as an opportunity for enhancement. Feel free to discuss this process with your employees. You know how much words matter when communicating with your patients. You are careful in your word choice when sitting down with patients to discuss their needs and treatment options. Do the same with your employees. Speak regarding opportunities, improvement, feedforward, and moving on from disappointments.
Receiving feedback from your employees
Last but most certainly not least, be open to receiving feedback. Encourage your employees to provide suggestions on keeping these dialogues going. Ask them how they like to get suggestions for improvement, and if there are certain approaches that resonate more with them (and are more likely to, in turn, be helpful and acted upon). And whatever you do, make sure your employees feel appreciated.
Feedback/feedforward/opportunities for enhancement should never exclusively revolve around negative comments or dwelling on weaknesses. There are certainly things your employees do well; otherwise, you would not have hired them! Ensure they know those strengths and how they are improving, too.
About the author
Naren Arulrajah, President and CEO of Ekwa Marketing, has been a leader in medical marketing for over a decade. Ekwa provides comprehensive marketing solutions for busy dentists, with a team of more than 180 full time professionals, providing web design, hosting, content creation, social media, reputation management, SEO, and more. If you’re looking for ways to boost your marketing results, call 855-598-3320 for a free strategy session with Naren. You may also schedule a session at your convenience with the Senior Director of Marketing – Lila, by clicking https://www.ekwa.com/msm/.
