Investing in Our Organization’s Talent, Our People: 360-degree Assessments

We’ve written recently about:

• Personal growth in business, striving for continuous improvement
• Conversations as the foundation of organizational culture
• Feedback as the lifeblood of teamwork

As we have said, striving for continuous improvement, trying to be better every day, is a secret to success in business, as well as in our personal lives. Yet we may have blind spots, maybe even a lack of self-awareness in certain areas of our lives in which we don’t truly understand how others perceive us. In fact, not realizing the effect of our words, our actions, and even our body language, facial expressions, and the tone of our voice is all too common.

Realize for a moment, surveys reveal that 50% of the working individuals do not feel they have a productive working relationship with their boss, and so a great many do not respect their boss.

Yet, very likely all of us who are bosses probably think we’re doing great, that we are effective leaders. If we are not self-aware, how are we to change, to get better?

I’ve come to realize that a 360-degree assessment can be a very effective solution.

A 360-degree assessment is a formal approach to personal development. In essence, a participant asks ten colleagues who know her work and work style well to rate her on a number of key competencies important to success. The ratings are done online and the individual ratings are anonymous. Once all are in, there is a report prepared that is a compilation of all of the ratings. The participant also self-rates herself, so she will be able to judge her self-awareness versus the ten colleagues who are very familiar with her work.

The report of the ratings goes to the participant only via whoever is the facilitator.
She owns it! It is solely a personal development tool, not to be shared with human resources and a boss or CEO and anyone, unless the participant chooses to do so.

Having been a participant in a 360 myself in business, I can attest to its value. Co-worker feedback is powerful. We can’t hide from it. It is an eye opener, and it gets your attention. For example, I learned that my colleagues felt I played favorites. My immediate reaction was “not me!” Mary Mavis, my coach, rightfully said if my colleagues think I do, I would be wise to treat perception as reality. Was that how I wanted to be perceived? If not, I had better figure out what I must do to change. She was right, and I tried my best going forward.

Now, as a coach and consultant, I am a facilitator, that is, I help clients conduct 360-degree assessments. I am a huge believer in their value. It is an investment in an organization’s talent, which is their people. I cannot think of a more valuable investment, as

• People learn about themselves, how others perceive their strengths, as well as areas for potential improvement (and we all have areas of potential improvement)
• It opens up important conversations, for example between participant and facilitator/coach, and, if the participant so chooses, with her boss, her direct reports, mentor, sponsor, peers and/or others she may wish to share with, and maybe even ask for help in the way of ongoing feedback.
• There can be a decided change in organizational culture, with colleagues more collaborative and better sharing ideas as they give one another helpful feedback. This charges an organizational with positive energy and heightened esprit de corps.

Many 360-degree assessments turn out to be non-events; they do not have the positive impact that can help a strong team be even stronger. That is solely because they were not done properly. The participants were not assured or convinced of the safety, that they each owned their own assessment, and that it was a unique opportunity for them to learn how to become even more effective in their work with others.

With this understanding by the participants and with a facilitator/coach who is experienced in the use of 360s and is earnest in her/his desire to help each participant gain the maximum benefit for the tool, it can be transformational.

Of course, the learning from the assessment needs to be followed with a desire and commitment to make changes. Often the areas of potential improvement are long-term habits. They can be changed though. Usually it takes help, from colleagues via feedback, and, if possible, working with a coach.

As we approach 2012, many organizations could benefit greatly by considering investing in its talent by offering a 360-degree assessment opportunity.