Seeking Feedback

A common misstep for leaders is to not seek feedback from peers, subordinates, and other leaders. Creating a healthy feedback loop both opens the room for conversation from folks whom disagree with you, as well as grows you as a leader. I worked with an established physician leader some years back, and while he was a good leader, he had areas of opportunity that he wasn’t aware of. In some of our first encounters I discussed where I was looking for feedback from him, and asked him when he would like feedback. We created a safe place to discuss opportunities, and this helped both of us grow as leaders. Here are a couple areas we discussed, that will hopefully be useful:

1. He was a smart and established leader, so he often gave his opinion. In doing so, he would often forget to ask for feedback or other opinions. This lead to some dissatisfaction from the other providers and not always the best outcomes for the patient experience.
2. He was an advocate for quality reviews with other physicians, and while well intentioned, he could come across as negative and overbearing to other providers.
3. I provided feedback on both of these categories to Dr. W. and we worked to help open his style a bit more. He really wanted feedback and other ideas, but wasn’t always sure how to ask. So, we worked in partnership in meetings to ensure we asked open ended questions, and gave the team opportunity to respond before closing a conversation. This helped quite a bit.
   1. The most interesting part of our conversation to me was when Dr. W. provided me feedback on how my feedback made him feel. He really opened up to me, but also gave me some valuable ideas on how to better present feedback like what I provided. This became a growth opportunity for us both.

Respectfully,

Beau D. McNeff, MBA

Assistant Vice President, Primary & Specialty Services

Cook Children’s Physician Network

(O) 682-885-7638

(C) 503-896-8542

(F) 682-885-2106