Mindset and Best Practices for Getting 360 Feedback
My colleague and dear friend, Amanda Weiner, recently interviewed me with the VNSNY ACE Leadership program participants on how to get the most value from a 360 process. I wanted to capture some of the key points for future clients as the questions so frequently come up.
360 feedback is an imperfect snapshot of yourself at a particular moment in time; it contains stakeholder perceptions across different sets of competencies, such as executive leadership, management, emotional intelligence or even political savvy. By definition, these report are not the final truth; they are reflective of your behavior and should be studied closely for insights, AND they also reflect your raters’ biases and values, and also broader team and organizational patterns and norms as well.
This image spoke to me about how lonely and terrifying it can be to approach one’s own 360 data. What will I hear in this report? What if it’s harsh? What if it’s complimentary but doesn’t feel true? What will I learn that I don’t know? Do I have to look?
Below is a summary of best practices and learnings in Q&A format
1.) How do I prepare myself for getting 360 feedback? What are best practices for reviewing 360 feedback?
It’s normal to feel anxious as you think about soliciting and receiving an integrated 360 review from your professional colleagues. Getting feedback, whether positive or negative is often uncomfortable. I always remind clients that as humans we are wired to pay more attention to “threats” in our environment (whether physical or emotional); you are likely to initially hone in and remember more of the negative versus positive feedback in the report.
As hard as it is to do, you need to put yourself in “growth mindset” versus “performance mindset,” as you think about receiving your feedback. There will never be a point in time when we don’t have opportunities for learning and where our strengths don’t have some connected shadow side that threatens to get in the way. We are imperfect, period. Professional and leadership growth is a lifelong journey where we never are complete. There are also times in our life, particularly this year in 2020, where circumstances personally and/or organizationally may limit our ability to perform at our best, and in those moments, you really need to receive the data in that broader context of compassion and acceptance for yourself.
Choose a time when you are well rested and at equilibrium for your first review of the report. It’s definitely not a good idea to open the report when you have other pressing deliverables and demands on your mind. I recommend printing out the report (as tempting as it can be to review on screen!). Marking it up kinesthetically allows you to digest it in a much more comprehensive way. Also, you will want to review the data at least 2-3 different times before talking with your coach ore relevant stakeholders about the report. You may even want to share the report with a close colleague who knows you well and can help you process and digest the report with organizational context in mind.
2.) What are some of the challenges/mistakes/lost opportunities you have seen people face in reviewing their 360 data?
It is common to get tripped up emotionally by one or two qualitative comments, and/or focus on who said what. This is typical in a first read, and I try to help clients contextualize the comments and move on from the emotional response to the broader narrative and messages of the report.
To this point, I always challenge myself to come up with a 1-2 sentence headline for the 360 report; this can be a gross simplification of an overwhelming amount of data, but it allows a more centered interpretation across the data. When clients try to take in all the data with a fine-toothed detailed approach, it can ironically lead to you taking nothing away from the process. It’s important to soak in the data at first, but then pull up to a maximum of 1-3 themes and opportunities for positive change.
I have seen highly analytical clients challenge the validity of the tool and competencies as a means of defending oneself from accepting the data in a 360. In these cases, the client may want to spend more time debunking the validity of the competencies than focusing on the deeper insights that can be tried on and gleaned for their growth.
I have also seen clients that want to deflect the data as representative of limiting organizational dynamics and bad habits of their direct manager and broader organizational climate. In this case, I try to encourage the client to focus on their sphere of influence and role in the data, and acknowledge their ability to influence positive change versus accept the limitations of their environment.
3.) What do I do with the feedback? How have you seen people successfully apply the feedback? What are some examples of ways you have seen 360 data help professionals and leaders?
I think about the review of 360 feedback in few distinct stages.
Processing and digesting the data in depth as a scientist and student.
Pulling up for broader story lines and top level themes and opportunities
Selecting 1- 3 (maximum) inspiring and concrete areas of focus/goals that will have greatest impact for you professionally
Thanking your raters and sharing top line insights and areas of focus with ask for support and ongoing feedback in these areas
When clients go through each of these phases, particularly the final phase—informing their raters of their insights and asking for suggestions and ideas and feedback in their areas of focus going forward—they are much more likely to maximize value from their 360 feedback.
I have seen clients be deeply impacted by their 360 feedback, particularly if they don’t like what they see and hear reflected in their reports. In some cases, the reflections can spur a transformational mind shift and intention for change immediately.
Most cases, however, have more subtle and incremental influence on clients. Often, it is the highly granular behavioral suggestions that can be most obvious and easy for clients to enact change around. For example, I have seen many clients stop using sarcasm, telling inappropriate jokes, swearing explicitly in front of their team members and/or making unnecessary apologies, and reap positive effects on their perceived professional presence.
The last phase of the 360 process, sometimes referred to as “feedforward” by coaching guru Marshall Goldsmith, is too often overlooked and underutilized. Thanking 360 raters for their input and sharing what was learned and where one is focusing their learning going forward requires humility and vulnerability. And not everyone is able or willing to take this risk, particularly if the trust in the work relationships is not there. However, the risk is worth taking with those who you trust and value, and who will be honest with you. Inviting key stakeholders to give you ongoing suggestions and feedback is the very best way to extend value from the 360 process. It also cements your learning to have to share the insights and goals repeatedly with others.
Self-awareness is one of the most critical, foundational competencies of effective leaders, and there really is no better way to “see” yourself through others’ eyes than through 360 feedback.