This morning my barista asked me if I enjoyed my cappuccino. I responded in the affirmative, and then I asked him if anyone ever told him that they didn't like their cappuccino. He said that people rarely say anything unless he specifically asks. He went on to explain that when he asks, people might say, "Well it could have been a little dryer" or something like that. He said he likes to know because he is very willing to make another and to get to know how people like their drink.
I had been thinking about the issue of feedback in relation to the medical field over the weekend, so I said, "It is great that you can get that instant feedback and respond to it. It is not like the medical field where doctors and nurses often do not get follow-up information based on their treatment."
I know that is quite a jump, but thinking about how people get feedback is core to improving pretty much anything we do as humans. In a field like medicine, it seems like we have created institutions that make it difficult for the people on the ground (doctors and nurses) to get feedback on how their treatment plans are working except in the more critical situations. However, my barista has the ability to get direct feedback, learn my preferences and build an on-going relationship.
Consider the situation where you call your child's doctor when they are ill. They will give advice based on what you tell them and then hang up. Sometimes the advice works. Other times you end up in the emergency room. And for the most part, your doctor doesn't hear about the end result. Most importantly, they don't ask for feedback on their advice. They don't say, "Drop me an email to let me know how things work out" or "Here is how to call me back directly." You are free to call into the emergency line and talk to whoever is on duty at the moment, but you are not given a direct way to contact them. If it turns out to be serious and you go to the emergency room, they might get a letter from the physician in the hospital (if you request it to be sent) or they might hear about it months later at your next appointment. If their advice is useful and helps heal you, they will likely never hear about it.
But, why?
We all learn from experience. Experience means that you get feedback on what you do, process it and it has an impact on what you do in the future. Let's hope that most of the time a doctor's medical advice is confirmed by the feedback they get, but why should we assume that is always going to be the case? As an advocate for life-long learning, I fear that medical institutions are denying our medical professionals the opportunity for on-going learning and direct feedback.
However, our cafe system is pretty healthy. Even in chains like Starbucks, it is really easy to get to know your barista and for your barista to get to know how you like your coffee. I don't mean to diminish the value of that experience because I believe that a good barista can probably contribute to your health and keep you out of the medical system, but...
I think the biggest take-away for me is to ask people for feedback. My barista this morning is close to the people he serves. He asks, he learns, and he improves his product.
