Unleashing the full potential from the 360 degree feedback process

Steven M. Yousha, Psy.D.

A key to the success of virtually every organization is the effectiveness of the company's leaders. As such, strengthening leadership effectiveness cannot be left to chance - in today's highly competitive business environment, deficiencies within a company's leadership ranks can spell disaster. A time tested, but not always fully utilized method for improving leadership skills and abilities, and an important component in the broader area of succession planning, involves the participation of leaders in 360 feedback - a systematic and comprehensive process for gathering information and, in turn, providing very valuable input to leaders regarding their impact and influence within their organization. Below are considerations that will allow the participants to benefit most fully from this process, and will help ensure getting the most actionable steps for leadership development.

Mindset

To get the most from the 360, treat it as an ongoing process as opposed to a “one-shot deal.” Help company leadership develop a climate of feedback, support, and coaching for development of its entire staff.

Instrument

The 360 tool should be tailored in such a way that best aligns with the company culture and values, as well as assessing behaviorally-based success factors identified both within the organization as well as in the role of the executive. The more comprehensive instruments will allow observers to provide both effectiveness ratings and comments across a wide spectrum of applicable job-related skills and behaviors. The instrument may also contain meaningful graphs depicting areas for further development, as well as developmental recommendations to take the employee to the next level. The comprehensive instrument may have several areas of assessment, including: identifying perceived strengths and limitations across a broad range of applicable areas, skills most crucial to job success, potential pitfalls, blind spots and derailers to the leader’s development, over-used and under-utilized strengths, comments from observers across competencies, ratings on interpersonal skills, graphs which indicate degree of shared perceptions among observers, and a summary highlighting developmental priorities.

Preparation of participants

How the executive and his or her observers are oriented for the 360 will make a significant difference in terms of feedback quality. Be sure to emphasize the developmental nature of the process, and encourage everyone to be candid and thoughtful in their ratings, as well as detailed in their comments, with a focus on giving the employees the feedback s/he needs to advance.

Feedback delivery

Although one could drop a completed 360 report on the lap of the executive, it is much more likely to be understood and developmental plans implemented if s/he is “walked through” the report by a 360 coach. The coach should understand the 360 instrument intimately, and be able to synthesize quantitative ratings with observers’ comments to offer the richest and most meaningful data to the employee. Without this synthesis, the report runs the risk of being an overwhelming vat of confusing or conflicting data, and can lead him or her to be unmotivated toward development and even defensive with some of the feedback if taken out of the larger context.

Coaching for Development

The 360 coach should prioritize goals produced from the feedback, and help motivate and commit the employee to the goals.

Follow Up

As with most programs designed for development, the chance that a single experience alone (such as a 360) will be enough is less than optimal. Having follow-up sessions with the coach as well as full support from the employee’s boss will help ensure that s/he stays focused on the goals.

Re-evaluation every 2 years or 6-12 months into a new position. As dynamic individuals, we change over time. Although it is likely some things about the employee won’t change, the areas of developmental priority should change if growth has occurred. A 360 will determine the degree of perceived change and resulting effectiveness from a variety of observers, and also when the employee’s responsibilities have shifted significantly, as when s/he is brought into a new role and may rely on a new skill set.

Summary

By keeping in mind the developmental nature of the 360, preparing participants to engage fully in the process, and treating the 360 as an ongoing developmental exercise with leadership support, the chances of reaping the full benefits of this endeavor is much greater. With these conditions met, there is no other single instrument that will offer as much potential for professional development as the 360.