The Dentist's Formula For Great Results

My dentist is quite a chatty person. A visit to his clinic follows a typical pattern. There's me.  lying on the chair, mouth wide open and unable to speak. And there's my dentist going chatter-chatter-chatter as he gets to work. I was at his clinic the other day for a routine check-up when he said something that stayed with me, long after the minty taste of the mouthwash was gone.

He was talking about the merits of rinsing your mouth thoroughly. "Just take some water into your mouth, and do a nice squish-squish. It works like magic," he said. He then mentioned how a lot his patients listen to him - and then get it all wrong. In their eagerness to do a really good rinse, they take too much water into their mouth. Result? They are unable to create the force needed to propel the water around inside the mouth. Less water is better as it allows more maneuverability - and leaves room for us to create those little jets that do a thorough cleaning job. For the water to work, it needs that little extra space.  Less is more, said the good doctor.

Interesting, I thought. And I couldn't help thinking how that advice might be useful not just for dental hygiene - but for our work lives too.

The 'Less is more' principle holds true when you are trying to improve a colleague's performance, giving feedback and driving change. Sometimes, in our eagerness to change the other person's behavior we make the mistake of pointing out too many things we want to see changed. We are keen to see dramatic results, so we don't miss a minor point even. Result? The hapless employee doesn't know where to begin, is unsure which changes are most important and generally ends up confused. And we are disappointed when we don't see the change we were looking for. Good coaches know that to get best results, they need to focus on the single biggest driver of change - and get the coachee to work on it. One change, implemented well beats a 20-point change agenda - that's talked about but not implemented.

I remember my first days on the driving range at the local the golf club. I'd hit the ball all over the place and after every shot, my caddy-turned coach would point out what I was doing wrong. Keep your head down, move your hands closer, hold it tight, let it loose, move faster… the list of instructions seemed never-ending. And as you might guess, my game didn't really improve. Until a good coaching professional came along. Watched me hit. Didn't say a word, and then after a while, suggested one change. Just one change. He altered my grip. I focused on that, relaxed a bit, and the change was quite dramatic.

Here's another thought. Next time you are trying to help a colleague accomplish a task, don't spell out every little step of how they should do it. Leave room for him to use his imagination and creativity to complete the job. Leaders often get too caught up with their own knowledge and experience - and ask colleagues to "do exactly as I tell you." That's a sure-fire recipe for a disengaged employee. Tell them what to do - and maybe just enough about how to do it. And then watch the magic happen.

So if you too are looking at maximizing your team's effectiveness, you might like to remember the dentist's advice. Less is more!