Dental Tribune U.S. Edition

DENTAL TRIBUNE | September 2011 Practice Matters 7A Thank the person for trying to help you improve, even if you didn’t particularly care for what he or she told you. Resist the urge to blow off those comments you considered to be negative. Over the next 48 hours, think about the information you have been given and devise three to five steps you can take to change your approach. For example, Dental Assistant Laura is very frustrated because she feels that Business Employee Betsy is unnecessarily interrupting the clinical team when they are with patients. Betsy feels that Laura is trivializing her need for clear infor- mation. Instead of lashing out, Betsy decides to ask for examples and listens to Laura’s perception of the interruptions. She thanks Laura for calling her attention to the issue and decides to focus on address- ing the matter constructively rather than reacting negatively to what she could choose to interpret as unjust criticism. Betsey develops a plan to raise the issue at the next staff meeting. She is prepared to share with the team situations in which she has felt the matter necessitated an interruption and would like guidance on how to handle similar situations in the future. Don’t sit back and wait for feed- back, actively solicit it and use it! Recognize that feedback is one of the most critical tools you have in achieving your full professional potential. Constructive feedback – not crit- icism – should be given and received daily to help all members of the dental team continuously fine tune and improve the manner in which everyone carries out their responsibilities. DT AD About the author Sally McKenzie is CEO of McKenzie Management, which provides success-proven man- agement solutions to dental prac- titioners nationwide. She is also editor of The Dentist’s Network Newsletter at www.thedentists network.net; the e-Management Newsletter from www.mckenzie mgmt.com; and The New Den- tist™ magazine, www.thenew dentist.net. She can be reached at (877) 777-6151 or sallymck @mckenziemgmt.com. (Photo/Pryzmat,www.dreamstime.com) The best way to become comfortable in receiving and acting on feedback is to ask for it.