Feedback: the breakfast of champions
Feedback: the breakfast of champions
Are you providing feedback that boosts your representatives on to higher achievement and promotes a positive culture within your team? Ama Verdi-Ashton looks at how to get the motivation-development balance right.
As managers in pharma, our ultimate goal is to have a high performing team of individuals driving sales, whilst ensuring that you and they have the highest profile within the organisation and its customers. One of the most important drivers to achieve this success is the use of feedback.
In this article we will explore the different types of feedback, its purpose and the why, when and how of delivery. By utilising this message you will achieve success by creating a motivational and learning environment.
Why bother to feedback?
Ever wondered what the representatives are like when we are not around to observe them in a call? Do they rush straight to the next appointment, or do they take the time for post-call analysis so they can ‘wow’ the next customer? Whatever you think the answer might be, by giving good honest feedback regularly you will encourage your team to improve their skills. In addition, if they know that next time you are out with them you will feedback on their calls, they will be encouraged to do quick post-call analyses to prove to you that they have moved on.
So, one good reason to give feedback is to improve the skills of the team members, which, in turn, can deliver sales quickly. Good honest feedback can also be very motivating to individuals and to teams as a whole. A team will respond positively every time you tell them they are good at something, especially if you can back it up with evidence. Every time you tell an individual “your presentation was brilliant”, you will be rewarded tenfold in motivation and productivity.
The outcomes of regular feedback can be high motivation, encouragement of skills development, reinforcement of good behaviours and improvement of the not-sogood. Feedback directs behaviour that paves the way to improved performance
On the flipside of the coin, how do we make a representative feel when coming out of a call we say “yes, that was good” without exploring what was good and why, and what success it led to? What about the area meeting when a representative completes their presentation to no comment from you or, even worse, a perfunctory “that was good, thanks”. How does that individual feel? What does it say about you as a leader of people? What message does it relay to the team about what you think about the job they do for you? It could belittle the role of the representative and the job they do for the company, leaving them feeling undervalued, demotivated and, most importantly, underperforming.
In short, the outcomes of regular feedback can be high motivation, encouragement of skills development, reinforcement of good behaviours and improvement of the not-so-good. Feedback directs behaviour that paves the way to improved performance. It builds self esteem and confidence, which are fundamental to driving all key performance indicators.
Types of Feedback
Many books label the different types of feedback but let’s keep it simple – in my experience, no matter what the label, there are two types of feedback – motivational and developmental.
Motivational feedback relates to what the representative was good at and what you were pleased with. Upon delivery, this could be a simple “well done” on gaining a close in a call or a more involved analysis after a presentation to key account customers.
Developmental feedback relates to behaviour or skills in need of improvement. It may be that the representative finds closing difficult with the call ‘fizzling out’ towards the end, or the over-friendly representative who finds it difficult to get into the sales call and spends the whole time chatting with the customer amiably. Developmental feedback can be difficult to give as there is risk of upsetting the recipient. No pain no gain? However, being blunt with developmental feedback is common. We have all heard “that was rubbish” or “what was that all about?” Such comment is derogatory and demotivating, whilst ultimately betraying the skill gaps of the deliverer. So don’t be blunt if you want to be a good leader.
How to Give Feedback
It can be directive – this is best with new and inexperienced representatives. They do not have the knowledge on board for coaching, so direction is best. In recent years, the explosion in Pharma to drive a coaching culture, has resulted in managers forgetting how to be directive. I am sure we have all experienced the rookie representative being endlessly coached who says “please tell me, I don’t know”. This is where directive feedback works.
However, coaching can be a powerful tool for feedback. If done well it can drive performance and help more experienced individuals reach their potential. There are many different coaching models that you can look into. In my experience, the GROW model is excellent and has worked over and over again for me (see box 1).
You may feel tempted when coaching to give answers – accept that there will be silences, give the coachee a chance to think. You can always encourage and prompt them, e.g. remind them of what the customer said or what they said.
I have identified two clear ways of giving feedback but please don’t take this too prescriptively – a good session will be flexible, peppered with directive and motivational feedback and always tailored to the needs of the individual.
Some simple rules for success...
- Listen closely and be specific (you can make notes in the call – ask the customer’s permission. This also highlights to the customer that you are there to observe the representative and not them, as sometimes they can worry about this.
- Emphasise what you see and hear, use evidence from the call or situation verbatim if possible, i.e. “I really liked your question ‘What are you trying to achieve?’”
- Keep it objective – i.e. about the business.
- Don’t be subjective – i.e. about the representative.
- Use positive, supportive language like “That was excellent. I want to see more of that” and avoid humdingers like “That was crap. Why did you do that, it was rubbish”.
GOAL
Define the goal. This can be difficult, so use the time to explore why you are there and the purpose of the coaching session.
Ask questions like:
- What do you want to achieve from today?
- What does your goal look like?
- How will you know you have been successful?
- Why are we here today and how can I help you?
REALITY
Explore what actually happened, e.g. if you were in a call, how did the call go, especially with regard to what you identified as the goal.
Ask questions like:
- How do you feel about the goal you identified?
- Why do you feel you did not achieve it?
- What happened?
- What did you/the customer say?
- What was the consequence of that?
OPTIONS
Start exploring what the representative could do differently. This is the time to push them to explore as many options as possible and consider the consequence of each.
Ask questions like:
- Ideally what would you like to happen?
- What does that success look/sound like?
- What are some of the options?
- Tell me the consequences of these options?
- Which option will work for you? Why?
WHAT WILL YOU DO?
This is the action plan. Summarise everything you have discussed, starting with the goal. This could sound like: “You have identified the goal, explored what has happened and have a good idea of your options”.
Ask questions like:
- What does your action plan sound like?
- What else do you need from me?
- How about some time lines?
- On a scale of 1 – 10, how committed are you?
FAQs...
How do I start a coaching/ feedback session?
Always take time to set the scene. For new representatives you may want to fill them in on why you have these sessions, the advantages and disadvantages of them. Give them an opportunity to ask questions or add to the discussions then move on to focus on the goal.
What if the representative is not opening up?
If it is a new representative, you may need to move to directive feedback, as they may not be sure what you are getting at. If it is an experienced representative, you may be on the wrong track so it is good to stop and ask “What are you taking away from our discussions today?” Be direct and honest, there may be an underlying issue.
What if there is a lot of developmental feedback?
It is always better to stick to one or two areas of development, otherwise it will be too much for them and it could be very demotivating. It is more encouraging for them to work on one or two areas, then move on to the rest at the next session.
How about the ‘you-know-what sandwich’?
If you mean the praisedevelopmental- praise sandwich, this is good in principle. However, do end with the action plan and what they are going to gain in the future by carrying out this action plan.
When to give Feedback
Anytime is feedback time, so whenever the opportunity arises, grab it. It will grow your business by developing the team responsible for its delivery. Follow up feedback sessions with an email for the recipients personal development plan wherever possible.
Appraisals are a good time to give feedback. However, do not save up the mother load of feedback for appraisals. Feedback should be continuous, often and immediate. Appraisals provide an opportunity to record what has been achieved as a result of the feedback you have given, e.g. better key account management or an improvement in their presentation skills. Drafting a developmental action plan should be easy, as the hard work will already have been done in your previous feedback sessions. Aim to make appraisals a summary of all the feedback/coaching sessions in the period before culminating in a robust developmental action plan.
Also provide the opportunity for the representative to feedback to you about your leadership. Be brave and ask for 360-degree feedback from your representatives and peers. This is a fantastic way to improve and develop as a manager and, importantly, encourages a positive feedback culture in your team. We all like a pat on the back! Delivery of feedback is one of the best routes to success and guaranteed to encourage a motivational learning environment. So begin today and shake your team up. I leave you with the words of Doug Lowenstein, the founder and former president of ESA, the video game industry, when he said: “Everybody needs feedback and it’s a heck of a lot cheaper than paying a trainer!”
Ama Verdi-Ashton has 25 years experience in the pharmaceutical industry. Her roles have included hospital representative, head office trainer and 12 years managing primary and secondary care teams, taking her last team to the highest accolade in AstraZeneca of the AstraZeneca Academy. More recently, Ama has been working as a Training Consultant.