What are your favorite approaches to 360 performance feedback?

As coaches, we often play a critical role in helping a client better understand both the inner and outer conditions in which they operate. Whether in private coaching sessions, group facilitation, or in 360 assessments, coaches can help the client understand and prioritize feedback, operationalize it in development plans, and evaluate progress along the way.   

In the leadership development space we typically recommend the Leadership Circle 360 because it focuses on behaviors associated with successful leadership and whether or not those behaviors are perceived by others. In addition to being applicable to a wide variety of organizations, this 360 instrument enables a common understanding of effective leadership and the qualities we can develop to be perceived as effective leaders. 

When we can’t use a common tool throughout an organization, or to save on cost, we recommend formal interviews. In this process, the client and their manager select respondents that are relevant to the current objectives. In some cases the respondents are people who know the client well and can offer insight into past behaviors. In others, the respondents are those who have say or a stake in the client’s success. The feedback gained from such a process is typically seen as more relevant to the client’s near-term objectives. Giving clients the opportunity to influence the questions asked means they will be learning from others what they hope to achieve in addition to what they need to.

When combined with professional coaching, 360 feedback can be invaluable to a client’s developmental pathway. Contact us to learn more about leveraging feedback in professional development.