You need to know where you stand
Published Friday November 7th, 2008
My boss handed me the stiff, white, legal-sized envelope with such a stern look I instantly became uneasy. "Go ahead and open it," he urged, like I was a school girl receiving a bad report card.
This was my first 360 feedback report. In the old days, when HR was known to some as personnel, 360-degree feedback was "cutting edge" stuff -- only reserved for executive and upper-management levels. In short, your 360 report was a mini survey of a circle sampling of your work relationships: including your subordinates who reported to you, peers who you worked with, customers you serviced (typically internal) and supervisor. The anonymous questions dealt with your characteristics and skills in the areas of decision-making, integrity, managing, customer service, communication, interpersonal to name only a few. The report weighed heavily in career progression so everyone took them seriously.
I peeled back the flap and took out the document. The pages displayed perfectly aligned text and statistics, but your eyes were drawn past the preamble and prose to the brilliant colours on the pages containing bar graphs and pie charts. It looked more like a shareholder report than something for personal development.
I was instantly relieved to notice that my bar graphs were on the high end -- abruptly ending my anguish over potentially losing my job; I couldn't understand why my boss had taken such perverse pleasure in watching me sweat for those lengthy few moments ... hmmmph!
360-degree reports, back then, and are still today, one of the most powerful tools to check in on how you are doing with your circle of influence. Now, there are great resources to make the process so much easier -- online, quick and less expensive (such as Dave McKenzie with Fundy Group).
Providing an invaluable comprehensive look at the perceptions others have of your 360 can't be dismissed like other singular forms of measurement. It reflects everyone's view so you can readily see a clear picture of your strengths and weaknesses. But you must be careful with the interpretation of these pictures and we were trained in helping participants see these as directional aids instead of fixed assessments. In other words, if your picture wasn't particularly positive, it was intended to point you in the direction to improve -- not in the direction of the nearest window to jump.
What we didn't know then is that their real strength is not in the results but inherent in the process of asking "how we were doing." There really isn't such thing as a perfect measure of leadership. In fact, when I think about it, the greatest leaders I followed and who influenced me had serious weaknesses: bad tempers, disorganization, caused havoc regularly by defying company rules -- the list is endless. We knew enough not to emulate all of their characteristics -- just the ones that we needed at the time. The best leaders asked for feedback regularly and asking was an admission to their own weaknesses -- that essentially they weren't perfect and that it was OK. Sharing their journey of personal growth and improvement showed us by example that improving together was what was important in leadership.
Perhaps great leadership requires that we not wait four years to check in to what the polls are saying -- and to remember, Obama, that we don't need perfection -- just be what we need right now.
n Monique Brennan BA, MSc. is a Certified Human Resources Professional (CHRP) who works with companies to improve their workplaces. If you would like to receive her free newsletter or share comments feel free to contact her at: 388-0011 or mqcoach@nb.sympatico.ca.
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The recent national election showed an overall non progressive business culture in the southern U.S. Because of the higher level of diverse groups 360 feedback or peer reviews should be fully understood by those groups. My research shows most employees have no clue what 360 degree feedback means. Some responses were very interesting. “Is that some new deodorant?” “Is that like a power surge?”
360 feedback has been used as a weapon in the workplace. Diverse groups have always been victims of economic,political,social and physical raco-terrorism especially in the south. A post election interview of diverse,non diverse employees showed elation and outrage. A 360 peer review of persons of color in predominant non diverse workplaces is a legitimate issue of concern.
"I'll be glad when He gets assassinated" are some comments made by non-diverse employees. Who then are expected to "give" unbiased feedback of a diverse employee.