Making Your 360 Leadership Development Assessment Work for You

You asked for feedback on what you could do to be a stronger leader. The most important thing you can do now is take action. Leaders who diligently act on their 360 survey results make great strides toward becoming strong leaders that people want to follow.  Leaders who take the feedback seriously build invaluable trust and support among their team members.

On the flip side, leaders who ask for feedback, but never take action, seriously undermine their workplace relationships. Their lack of action sends the message that they don’t value their employees’ and coworkers’ feedback or, even worse, don’t think other people know what they are talking about.  This is a sure-fire way to diminish your leadership capacity, frustrate your peers, and send your employees looking for another place to work.

We want to ensure you are growing as a leader, and building a reputation with your manager, peers, and employees as a productive leader they can count on. The following six actions will help make your 360 Leadership Development Assessment work for you and enhance your success:

Take the feedback seriously

Some supervisors and managers don’t like 360 feedback, or feedback of any kind for that matter. They know their employees have some issues with their leadership, and they are fearful of the results. When possible, they will do everything they can to ignore the results. However, great leaders know that to be successful they must know how they are perceived by, and how they are affecting, those around them.  Great leaders thrive on feedback.

Your manager, peers and employees have taken the time to provide you with honest feedback about what you can do to improve your character and skills as a leader, and build a great (and productive) work environment. Their feedback is a gift designed to help you. Take it seriously and respond with enthusiasm, even if some of what you learned surprised you, or was less positive than you expected.

Thank people for their honest feedback

Make an effort to thank participants for contributing to your Leadership Development Assessment. You can send a written “Thank you” note, or thank them in person at a meeting. Have the courage to thank them for their honest feedback, even if it wasn’t what you wanted to hear.  Convey that you are serious about becoming a stronger leader and that you are developing actions to address their feedback. By thanking participants, you have taken the first step towards strengthening your workplace relationships.

Get to work

Once you have completed your action plan, make time to work on your plan. Schedule the actions on your calendar. As the old saying goes, “Plan your work, and work your plan.” Ask your manager to hold you accountable for your action plan, and invite him or her to meet with you regularly to discuss your progress.

Nothing says you are serious about becoming an even stronger leader than taking quick and decisive action based on the feedback you receive.  Many leaders find it beneficial to meet with their team and outline their action plan. Tell employees what changes you plan to implement, and then follow through. You will gain respect and earn employee confidence when they see you holding fast to your commitments.

Regularly review your progress – Identify new actions and recommit to your plan.

One key to keeping your action plan alive is to hold yourself accountable for becoming a great leader. Employees may come to your company because you have a job they are interested in or because you offer a great compensation package. They leave or stay with your organization because of the relationship they have with their immediate supervisor. In today’s economy, it is critical that you hold yourself accountable for taking action based on your survey results. Your very best employees will have more employment options in the future as the economy continues its recovery – don’t give your talent reasons to migrate to your competitor.

• Identify the actions you have taken and their respective outcomes. What is working well?
• Ask for input on whether or not your actions are making a positive difference.
• Meet with your manager and solicit their feedback. What does he or she think you still need to accomplish? Are there new areas you need to add to your action plan?
• Create new action steps where needed, and recommit to continuously working on your plan.

Celebrate your accomplishments

You’ve taken your survey feedback seriously; you’ve implemented effective changes in your leadership, and you are seeing the impact of your efforts. Congratulations! Remember to celebrate both the small milestones and the large successes. You deserve it.

Keep learning – Keep growing

Great leaders are great learners. The most productive and effective leaders are the ones who continue to look for ways to strengthen their leadership character and skills. They know the best way to do this is to look beyond themselves, and invite input from the people they hope to influence. Get in the habit of regularly asking your manager, peers, and employees for feedback on what you can do to become and even stronger leader.

Take full advantage of your 360 Leadership Development Assessment by implementing the six actions outlined above. The more you grow as a leader, the better an opportunity you have to create a culture of workplace of excellence where employees can say, “I love coming to work.”