360 feedback provides a comprehensive assessment from different sources, helping individuals gain insights into their strengths and areas for improvement.
The focus during 360 feedback should be on overall themes and patterns instead of specific comments, allowing for meaningful changes and growth.
Deep dives
Understanding the Power of 360 Feedback
A 360 feedback is a comprehensive assessment that gathers feedback from different sources, including superiors, peers, and subordinates. It provides a holistic view of how others perceive individuals in their professional roles. The feedback is crucial for personal and professional development, allowing individuals to gain insights into their strengths and areas for improvement. The feedback can be transformative, helping individuals understand how they are perceived and make meaningful changes to enhance their effectiveness.
Navigating the Process of a 360 Feedback
The process of implementing a 360 feedback can vary depending on the context. It is often associated with coaching engagements, leadership development programs, or high-potential programs. The feedback can be facilitated by coaches, consultants, or the HR department. Clear communication and expectations are essential to ensure the confidentiality and anonymity of the feedback. The focus should be on the overall themes and not specific comments, as the feedback aims to identify patterns and areas for growth.
Empowering Individuals with 360 Feedback
Receiving a 360 feedback is an opportunity for personal growth and self-reflection. It helps individuals understand how they are perceived and become aware of their blind spots. By focusing on the themes and recognizing their strengths, individuals can develop a comprehensive action plan to improve specific areas. The feedback serves as a valuable baseline for future development and allows individuals to leverage their strengths in their career progression.
Considerations for Team-based 360 Feedback
While individual 360 feedback is widely used and beneficial, deploying it as a team activity requires careful consideration. Conducting a 360 feedback for the entire team simultaneously may not yield meaningful results due to the diversity of data and individual development needs. It is recommended to prioritize individual support and development plans, rather than attempting a team-wide feedback session. Confidentiality and trust are crucial aspects, and external facilitators may be preferred to ensure objectivity and maintain a safe environment for feedback.
Tom Henschel: The Look & Sound of Leadership
Tom Henschel of Essential Communications grooms senior leaders and executive teams. An internationally recognized expert in the field of workplace communications and self-presentation, he has helped thousands of leaders achieve excellence through his work as an executive coach and his top-rated podcast, The Look & Sound of Leadership.
In this conversation, Tom shares the strategies he uses to help executive leaders benefit from 360 degree feedback. You will discover the right mindset to enter into, effective ways to process 360 degree feedback, and what to do going forward.
Key Points
A 360 gives you feedback from people above you, your peers, and people below you.
360s can be career transformative.
A 360 almost always goes alongside coaching.
360s are not a performance management tool.
If 360s are not done well, they can become dangerous and people are very cautious giving real feedback.
Don’t try to figure out who said what. Instead, focus on the overall themes.
The results of a 360 generally should not be totally new information for receivers. They’ve probably already heard the feedback before.
Bonus Audio
How to select your 360 raters
A few of Tom’s best 360 stories
Resources Mentioned
DiSC Inventory
Myers-Briggs Type Indicator
StrengthsFinder
Related Episodes
Three Steps to Soliciting Feedback, with Tom Henschel (episode 107)
How to Improve Your Coaching Skills, with Tom Henschel (episode 190)
How to Grow Your Professional Network, with Tom Henschel (episode 279)
Executive Presence With Your Elevator Speech, with Tom Henschel (episode 316)
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