Compliments in the Medical Practice are Welcome, But Make Sure You Follow These 5 Guidelines

A compliment from a practice manager or physician builds self–esteem. Self-esteem helps employees feel confident in the work they do. Confidence in a job well done promotes job productivity. There needs to be some caution, however, when giving staff members compliments.

Here are 5 guidelines to memorize:

1. Make it timely.

Don’t wait until the annual performance review to bring up something the employee has done well. The goal is to have the good performance repeated, so to be “effective” give the feedback as soon as you notice the contribution.

As they say, “Catch them doing something right.”

2. Make sure the staff person did the work.

This is an important one. “Thanks for working with Dr. Symonds office to set up a referral program. We are starting to get patients referred and your good work in contacting the office has been recognized.” But what if it was ANOTHER employee who actually did the work in contacting Dr. Symonds’ office staff? Make sure you have the correct information on who did the work and who is due the accolades.

3. Don’t pile on a few compliments all at once.

You want to make the compliment stand out as a memorable event. Dealing with each accomplishment individually is the strategy to use. Too many comments strung together lessen the impact and the compliment gets diluted. Ditto the same for negative criticism. Give every compliment or criticism its own time and place.

4. Give the compliment, ask a question, and then listen.

Once the compliment is given, a follow-up discussion should take place. The best way to do this is by asking additional questions. For example, “Thanks for working with Dr. Symonds office to set up a referral program. Did you find it was easy to work with Dr. Symonds office? We have been trying to communicate with her and her staff for months…to no avail. How did you end up getting their attention and doing the deal?”

5. Make sure the good performance is also shared up the chain of command.

The recognition that comes with knowing a manager further up the chain of command is also aware of the contribution is the ultimate positive feedback. You are saying, “Not only do I value your contribution but I’m making sure others in management know it too.”