In business, effective leadership is the cornerstone of success. Studies have consistently shown that as leadership effectiveness increases, so does the retention of valued employees, customer satisfaction, profitability, productivity, and employee engagement.
360 Degree Leadership Review survey tools enable organizations to get a full view of an employee, manager, or leader’s on-the-job performance, determine areas for leadership development, and identify gaps between how the employee believes they perform versus how they are perceived by their colleagues.
What is a 360 Degree Leadership Review Survey?
A 360 Degree Leadership Review survey is a structured approach to gathering feedback on an individual’s performance from various perspectives, including peers, direct reports, colleagues, and organizational superiors. This method offers a complete (or 360 degree) view of an individual’s strengths and areas for development. The 360 Degree Leadership Review can be used for current leaders and managers, to identify future leaders, or at the end of a 3-month employee probation period.
The Benefits of Using a 360 Leadership Survey
With over 85% of Fortune 500 companies relying on the 360 Degree feedback process for their leadership development, it’s evident that the benefits to both the leader and the organization as a whole are substantial.
Benefits to the Leader
Leaders stand to gain several benefits when provided with a 360 Degree Review of their performance:
- A deeper understanding of their strengths and weaknesses.
- Heightened self-awareness and introspection.
- Valuable insights into their interactions and relationships with others.
- Strengthened working relationships and collaboration.
Furthermore, it encourages personal development, enhances performance, and promotes open communication with colleagues to review findings and expectations.
Benefits to the Organization
The 360 Degree Leadership Review surveys enable an organization to attain a comprehensive view of leaders’ performance across all levels within the organization. This insight benefits the organization in several ways:
- Helps reduce workplace bias by offering an objective evaluation.
- Identifies training gaps.
- Promotes team building.
- Helps to identify workers with leadership potential and provides insight into the specific competencies and areas in which they need further development.
- Allows organizations to review new employees as they approach the end of probation to get an all-around view of their performance.
- Encourages leader accountability by providing specific insight into leadership competencies.
- Improves employee performance leading to better working teams and more productivity.
Conducting feedback surveys also helps to create a feedback-rich environment that leads to improved culture within the organization.
Conducting a 360 Degree Leadership Survey
Who to Survey
In a 360 Degree Leadership Review survey, feedback is typically gathered from various sources who interact closely with the leader in different capacities. This includes:
- Direct Reports
- Peers
- Supervisor or Manager
- Other Employees
- Internal stakeholders such as project collaborators
This multi-perspective approach provides an in-depth view of the leader’s performance and allows for a well-rounded assessment of their strengths and areas for improvement. It also fosters a more accurate and constructive feedback process.
Best Practices and Implementing Results
Companies often overlook the potential of the 360 Degree feedback process. They select a feedback tool, gather input, and provide a report to leaders, which often gets read and put away. However, this casual approach results in minimal impact and a missed opportunity for growth. Conversely, organizations that take the process seriously see more positive results. The feedback tool may stay the same, but their committed approach sets them apart.
These best practices are recommended to maximize the benefits of a 360 Degree survey:
- Feedback should be gathered from various sources who interact closely with the leader.
- Surveyees should remain anonymous to help encourage constructive and honest feedback.
- The survey should be short, 10-15 minutes at most.
- A comprehensive report should be presented to the leader by the administrator.
- The leader should be provided with context and guidance to understand the data.
- The leader should be provided with direct coaching and guidance to help them create a personal development plan.
- Training should be scheduled and conducted.
- Frequent follow-ups and accountability checks should be administered.
Build Better Leaders with TalentClick’s 360 Degree Review
TalentClick’s 360 Degree Review is a detailed multi-rater survey that measures the behaviors linked to key management abilities, such as accountability, people management, conflict management, commitment, and more. Once complete, a comprehensive report is generated, highlighting the leader’s strengths and areas for development.
TalentClick’s 360 Degree Leadership survey allows the organization to understand the perceptions and sentiments of an employee from all angles. Book a call today to learn more!
