4 Ways to Seek Feedback from Your Manager

When was the last time you had a performance review? In a busy dental practice, it’s common for employees to go more than six months, even more than a year, before their direct supervisor or employer meets with them to review performance and discuss an increase in compensation.

It’s no wonder some employees feel no one cares about the quality of their work and that their best efforts don’t seem to make a difference. Perhaps it’s not just some employees. Maybe it’s the majority.

DentalPost’s February 2022 Satisfaction Survey disclosed three alarming statistics.

• 82% of respondents had not talked with their employer/supervisor in the last six months about their progress.
• 65% of respondents thought their employer/supervisor did not care about them as a person.
• 73% of respondents said they had not received recognition or praise for doing good work in the last six months. 

We need feedback to become the best we can be not only in life, but to advance as professionals. At a basic, human level, we need feedback to fill our need to feel we belong, we are valued, and we are making a difference. 

Feedback is a critical component of our work. We need to understand whether our performance aligns with what is expected of us, and this includes what we are doing well, what we need to change, and how to improve. We need help to discover opportunities to advance our careers.

Request Feedback Early and Often

The responsibility for feedback does not have to lie solely on the shoulders of your manager or employer. You can proactively influence the frequency and mode of feedback and, in so doing, project two positive attitudes of wanting to do your best and wanting to make your manager’s or employer’s work life easier. As your needs are being met, you are also meeting the needs of those responsible for your employment.

The earlier in the employer-employee relationship you solicit feedback, the easier and faster it will be to improve your performance and value to the organization. By instigating an easy feedback process, you will stand out as innovative and sincerely engaged in your work.

4 Suggested Ways to Seek Feedback

You don’t have to wait for a quarterly, semi-annual, or annual performance review. Here are four suggestions to facilitate the feedback you need to become confident your efforts are going in the right direction.

1. Talk During a Break

Suggest a break-time walk around the block with your manager to not only re-energize your bodies but also to report on milestones you think you are achieving and challenges you are facing. Your supervisor can give you feedback easily as you walk and talk.

2. Write a Self-Review Report

Write a summary report each month on what you accomplished and failed to accomplish and leave it on your supervisor’s desk with a smile and a comment like, “I just want to update you on what I am doing and how it is going in case you want to redirect me or have ideas for improvement.”

Are there metrics or anecdotes that support your self-review? Your supervisor will find them interesting.

You can vary your reports to keep them interesting by answering one or more key questions like the following:

• What has been easy and why?
• What has been difficult and why?
• Do you have the training and tools you need?
• What engages your interest most?
• What next self-development goal have you set for yourself?
• How do you see your efforts making a difference?
• What do you need help doing?

3. Email Your Self-Performance

Email periodic self-performance critiques to your supervisor and prompt your supervisor to respond with a leading question at the end of the email. For example, you might close with, “Do you have any quick thoughts on this?” or “Am I on track with your expectations?” 

4. Schedule Performance Meetings

Proactively ask to schedule regular meetings for a conversation about your performance. Be sensitive to the manager’s time constraints by saying something like the following: “I know you are super busy, so I was thinking it would be good for both of us if we set up a regular schedule of brief meetings to review my work and make sure I’m meeting your expectations. To start, maybe we could meet for five to ten minutes once a week. Is there any day of the week and time of day you could do this?’

10 Questions You Might Want to Ask

• What should be my priorities right now?
• Which skills would you like me to develop next?
• What steps do you think I should take to broaden my exposure to what everyone else is doing and the demands on them?
• How can I interface better with the other team members?
• How can I best support the workplace culture you are striving to build?
• Do you think I am delivering the type of service you hoped I would?
• Do you think my productivity is coming up to speed?
• What can I do to expand my role?
• I’ve been thinking about a new initiative to help meet the practice goal of __________. Would you like to hear about it?
• Am I giving you the type and frequency of reports you need? How can I improve them to meet your needs better?

Make Feedback Easy and Regular

Whichever way(s) you choose to solicit feedback, don’t imply you are expecting the manager to spend heaps of time with you. You want to make feedback easy, light, and regular in your work relationship. Accomplishing this will make it amazingly easy for your supervisor to recognize your contributions and do your annual performance review. A happy bonus is that there should be no surprises. You’ve been receiving feedback all along.

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