Are You Giving These Three Types of Feedback?

A lack of appropriate feedback leads to failure. Here are the three types of feedback you need to give to succeed. 

I’ve often described the most common form of employee feedback as, “Screw it up, beat ‘em up!” 

In other words, most workers only receive feedback from a superior when they’re in trouble.

That’s not to say you shouldn’t give critical appraisals of performance or conduct when appropriate, but you should pay attention to how you deliver feedback to your employees. Proper feedback can transform lives and accelerate progress, while poorly presented feedback can build resentment and destroy team morale.

The good news is that you can learn to provide your team with the three types of feedback it needs to thrive: appreciation, coaching, and evaluation.

I first encountered the three types of feedback in Roger Fisher and Alan Sharp’s excellent 1999 book, “Getting It Done: How to Lead When You’re Not in Charge.” A decade later, Fisher would pen “Getting to Yes: Negotiating Agreement Without Giving In.” Both tomes shaped my management style and made me a better leader and businessperson. 

I read “Getting It Done” when I had just completed building a new clinic. I needed to develop a team that was comfortable innovating and iterating without my constant direction and oversight. I knew other organizations successfully created self-directed teams and wanted to apply that to my veterinary staff. I wasn’t interested in abdicating my responsibilities as owner, but I wanted to allow more efficient delegation and foster collaboration. I needed to be a better leader and coach, and Fisher and Sharp had some interesting advice for a young veterinarian like myself.

Feedback #1: Appreciation

Appreciation is the foundation of feedback that helps an employee learn and grow. The purpose of sharing appreciation is to say, “I notice how hard you're working and am grateful for you.” I noticed appreciation or “praise” was sorely missing in most workplaces. When I began “catching someone doing something good,” it catalyzed improved morale and performance.

Start by audibly recognizing good work, extra effort, or exemplary attitudes each day. Pull an employee aside and share your heartfelt thanks: “Gina, great job with Ms. Latimer today. I know she can be difficult at times, and your patience and professionalism with her made today’s appointment a success. Thank you so much for going the extra mile.” 

Not only will that make Gina feel great about herself, but it will also inform her of the type of performance you value. Even better, your team will see you praise such actions and seek to do them themselves. This “positive feedback loop” is a flywheel for improvement and helps maintain excellence.   

When employees feel undervalued or unappreciated, they won’t - and can’t - accept the other types of feedback necessary to improve, especially coaching.

Feedback #2 - Coaching

Coaching is any kind of feedback that makes you more knowledgeable, effective, or efficient. It is designed to improve someone's performance at a specific task. It’s the engine that drives your team to excel. Without excellent coaching, the most gifted employees will never reach their potential, and the business will never attain the greatness it seeks.  

Great coaching begins with trust. Trust is based on recognition and appreciation, which are necessary for the team member to be more willing to accept coaching. It’s all connected.

Only when employees know their boss truly appreciates them are they willing to be coached by them.     

Effective coaching is a bilateral active relationship; both parties must fully commit to the process. Many “mentorships” fail because one of the individuals doesn’t fully trust or accept the other, and this unwillingness to take advice leads to abandonment. 

Coaching needs to be structured with written training plans, scheduled meetings, and goals. The “coach” needs to observe and determine where and how improvements can be made, and the employee must do the work and follow the plan. Many mentorships are poorly defined, lack structure and process, and ultimately create little value or benefits. Many are viewed as a waste of time or unfairly blame participants when the process needs fixing.   

You can learn to be a better coach by reading and studying successful role models and putting in the work. But who should you follow? I’d suggest you only take advice from someone more successful in a given area than you. There are many “leadership experts” out there with questionable credentials. It’s hard to listen to someone who has never owned or managed a business tell you how to be a better leader. I used to joke that you can’t call yourself a veterinary practice owner until you’ve had to fire a veterinarian. Call me old school, but the school of hard knocks and learning from successful folks I admire has taught me innumerable valuable lessons. It’s also given me perspectives someone simply can’t comprehend from the other side of the employment equation. 

Become a better coach, and you’ll create a better team.  

Feedback #3 - Evaluation

Evaluation is feedback that tells you whether you are on track and shows your performance against benchmarks or expectations. Routine performance reviews and evaluations are examples of this type of feedback, but don’t overlook the impact of one-off evaluations of specific situations. 

I’ve found offering an immediate evaluation of challenging scenarios very impactful. “Dr. Jones, let’s take a few minutes to review Ms. Smith’s visit. How do you think it went? Was there anything you identified that we could’ve done differently? Is there anything I can do to help with these difficult appointments for you and the team?”

It’s essential not to make the employee feel like the villain during these “on-the-spot evaluations.” Avoid framing the conversation as what they did wrong but as how the two of you, as peers and partners, can explore options to improve in the future. 

Regular, systematic performance evaluations are associated with successful teams and businesses. The exact mechanics and format may vary based on your business culture and needs, but an evaluation process is foundational for progress. 

Many “evals” lack value in veterinary practice because they’re identified as time markers for wage raises. When an employee asks for their “eval,” they're often referring to a pay increase. The “performance evaluation” element is lost to the “pay raise.” Decoupling evaluations from raises or rewarding a wage increase based on achieving goals from an evaluation is a proven strategy to maintain focus on personal improvement, not on earnings.  

Ask your employees what type of evaluation they believe would be most beneficial. While they may not have specific recommendations, you can spot common themes or attitudes and tailor your feedback based on their wants and needs as much as possible.

Feedback is essential for achieving excellence. As you observe the benefits of regular evaluations, you’ll also want to ask your employees for ways you can be a better leader. 360-degree feedback can elevate your management effectiveness in ways self-reflection can’t. Becoming a better leader, mentor, and coach will allow you to build a better business with more satisfaction, meaning, and financial rewards for everyone.