A 360˚ feedback process is a useful tool when seeking to have a full view of someone’s performance at work. It usually is used by managers and senior leaders to gather as much feedback as possible from stakeholders, peers and direct reports on what they are doing well, what they could improve on and their impact on others.
Such a full view requires the person to agree to asking a selected number of people they interact frequently with at work to provide feedback on set competencies. This exercise works best when the team is not too small or it becomes impossible to maintain confidentiality. We would advise that about 12 to 20 people should be identified to provide this feedback. It is voluntary so no one should feel pressurised to do this.
You would look to invite feedback from:
- Your main stakeholders – for example, clients you closely work with; other managers across the business you interact with for work; board members; etc.
- Your line manager (or supervisor or Team Leader)
- Your peers – they can be in the same team or in a different team, at the same level of seniority as you
- Your direct reports
- Other colleagues at more junior level to you with whom you interact frequently
The key is to widen the net across the organisation and not just ask your immediate team. It is also recommended that you do not select people who you know will always be positive about your performance. The 360˚ feedback exercise is your opportunity to find out how you are perceived, how you impact others when you work with them, what you do well and what could be improved.
By embarking on this exercise, you must be prepared to hear honest feedback.
You don’t have to be in a senior role to do this. It can be used for any role, providing there are enough people to ask.
Another key aspect of running a meaningful 360˚ feedback exercise is to have an impartial party coordinate the process for you. HR can help with that. You shouldn’t be the one sending out the questionnaire and you shouldn’t be the one receiving the responses. They need to stay anonymous and the feedback is best summarised by this impartial person, who is trained to deliver it to you in a constructive way.
The feedback should centre around the role and not become personal, although some of the feedback may touch upon behaviour at work.
Below is an example of some of the competencies that could be explored via the feedback questionnaire, but it is worth noting that this example is for a senior leadership role, such as a CEO. It may need rewording to match the responsibilities of the role if at a more junior level.
| Competency | Denotes the ability to… |
|---|---|
| Analytical Thinking | Analyse, investigate and interpret data, issues and situations |
| Adaptability/Change Management | Respond and adapt to changing circumstances and to manage, solve problems and provide solutions in a climate of ambiguity |
| Influencing and Communication | Influence and persuade others and to actively manage the organisation’s communication processes |
| Developing Self and Others | Developing Self and Others Improve own performance and to help others to develop into the next job |
| Strategic Awareness | Steer the organisation towards a goal using strategic vision to focus business activity |
| Team Working | Develop teams at Company level, to improve their effectiveness through personal commitment and to role-model team behaviours |
| Commercial & Financial Awareness | Apply understanding of the Company and industry to improve effectiveness and profitability |
| Leadership and Inspiring others | Use personal skills to guide and inspire individuals/groups towards achieving goals |
| Integrity and Ethical Management | Integrity and Ethical Management Work ethically according to professional and company values |
| Planning and Decision Making | Make decisions on the best course of action and then to plan, organise, prioritise and balance resources to achieve that action |
| Drive for results | Focus oneself and others on achieving specific outcomes |
| Conceptual Thinking and Innovation | Generate new ideas through original thought |
| Self-Awareness | Understand one’s strengths, triggers, emotions, thoughts, beliefs, etc. and use it to understands others and their perception of us |
| Interpersonal Skills | Communicate and interact well with others, using own qualities and behaviours, while performing own job |
And example statements to score would be something like:
| Self-awareness | Never | Sometimes | Often | Always | Cannot Say | Comments from Respondents |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Keeps control of their emotions and behaviour, even when involved in high-pressure situations | ||||||
| Acts professionally at all times | ||||||
| Drive for Results | Never | Sometimes | Often | Always | Cannot Say | Comments from Respondents |
| Promotes the drive for quality across the company | ||||||
| Is focused on the needs of our clients |
