Have you ever had a formal 360-degree feedback assessment? As a coach, I’ve been through the assessment process (many times!) and also conducted a number of assessments for clients. It’s accurate to say 100% of the time, in both situations, learning took place. If you’re part of a culture where feedback is a strength you may be thinking “That’s nice, but I give and receive feedback all the time. If I took a 360, there wouldn’t be much I haven’t heard already.” I can assure you that’s not the case, since the mere act of asking for feedback always surfaces something new; something that has gone unsaid.
Which 360 Format Is Right for You?
A coach or HR partner is usually the person who will conduct your 360. It’s worth discussing whether to do a live 360 (a series of one on one interviews) or use a tool such as the Leadership Practices Inventory or the Leadership Circle Profile. Both approaches work well in different situations. Remember, the tool you decide to choose is less important than partnering with someone who can help you interpret the feedback and decide how you’re going to use it.
Even if you really do get great feedback from your colleagues, there are certain things that only a 360 can provide. One that I love as a coach is the aggregation of themes and trends from a variety of people. Online tools in particular will reveal an interesting set of metrics that are sure to shed light on how different groups experience you at work.
Metrics Are Useful
Assessments can generate detailed metrics and reports. Still, you’ll want to focus on the measures and scores that are most revealing. These go beyond how people rate your behaviors. Some interesting 360 metrics include:
How you see yourself vs. how others see you. For instance, do you rate yourself higher than your direct reports on creating an inspired vision? Do you feel you need to take even more risks, whereas your boss is perfectly comfortable with your risk tolerance? There is a lot to learn in the gaps between how you rate yourself and how others rate you.
What people think, on average. How do you rate overall on a category like emotional intelligence? Do your direct reports find you collaborative, but your peers not so much? Questions in a 360 are grouped into themes, which can help you see the big picture. It’s not uncommon that direct reports experience you differently from your peers or your boss. In addition, we all fare better in some categories than others. That’s just how we’re built.
360 Feedback Increases Self-Awareness
Overall, the feedback that’s collected during a 360 will be qualitatively and quantitatively different from what you would get in conversation. A robust 360 summary can confirm assumptions you have about yourself. You might be pretty confident that you’re an empathetic leader. It’s something you’ve often received positive feedback about, and you think your team knows you care. Some but not all team members confide in you when they’re struggling, and are willing to ask for help. If their feedback is positive as you expect, you know this is an area you should continue investing in with no major changes.
On the flip side, you might feel that you do a poor job of communicating clear priorities. It’s something you worry about periodically. But when you get my feedback results, it turns prioritization is one of your highest rated categories. You did even better than you thought. Great news, right? Well, not exactly. This gap shows that if you’d asked your team members how they were feeling, you would have known priorities were clear. You could have spent your time worrying about something else. That’s why even learning what you’re doing well is valuable.
Overall, if you’re in a leadership role, a new role, or relatively new to your organization a 360 is a good tool to have in your toolkit. If you want to know how you’re doing. Assess strengths and gaps, or see how you’re coming across then a 360 assessment always promises to be a profound learning experience.
Interested in 360s for yourself, your executives, or your team? We’d love to work with you. Contact us at info@reverbpeople.com.
