How 360 Degree Feedback and Leadership Development go Hand-in-Hand

Being a strong leader involves a high degree of emotional intelligence and emotional awareness. When it comes to developing leadership potential, however, especially among junior employees, there are often emotional ‘barricades’ that need to be dealt with in order to get future leaders into the right ‘headspace’. The implementation of 360 Degree Feedback as a leadership development programme can help to target these barricades, which may include:

Being Perfect is Essential

Because perfection is unattainable, the people who seek it are simply setting themselves up for disappointment. Perfectionists blame the world (and everything in it) rather than doing what’s necessary to accomplish extraordinary results. Seasoned leaders realise that perfection is not necessary, and that moving forward even with a flawed, imperfect plan is often better than doing nothing at all.

Emotions vs Reality

Some people, new to leadership, find it difficult or impossible to ‘get out of their own heads’ and see situations from different viewpoints. Junior employees  may need to be coached on how to manage their emotional responses to situations so that they can appreciate the bigger picture.

Past failures determine future success (or lack of success)

When employees experience a series of setbacks, they often begin to assume that their goals are not achievable. Over time, they become dispirited and discouraged and avoid situations where failure is a risk. Because big achievements usually involve at least some element of risk, once-disillusioned workers often fail to make significant achievements at work because they’re too scared to try again. One failed project does not mean the death of all future endeavours.

Self-worth should not be based on what you THINK others think of you.

Employees sometimes define themselves based on how they guess their boss, peers or direct reports see them. When they are convinced that others think poorly of them, they may lack the self-confidence necessary to keep growing and moving up the ladder. Individuals often underestimate and sometimes overestimate others’ perceptions of them.

How using 360 Degree Feedback for Leadership Development targets these self-limiting beliefs

Breaking through individuals’ self-limiting beliefs can be difficult, especially in environments where constructive feedback is not requested or received often. Developing emotional intelligence is, however, critical for successful future leaders. 360 degree feedback, which relies on input and honest comments from a range of sources, can be an effective tool to help people overcome their own limiting beliefs as it exposes them to real thoughts, comments and feedback from the people around them at work. To learn more about effective implementation of 360 Feedback, read our article Top 10 Tips for Effective 360 Feedback Projects. Using 360 degree feedback for leadership development targets these barricades and develops a clear pathway to higher quality leadership skills for your employees:

360 highlights behavioural strengths and weaknesses, not imperfections.

360 feedback scores a diverse set of skills on a linear scale, highlighting primary strengths and weaknesses rather than minute imperfections in a developing leader’s skillset. By targeting these more fundamental shortfall and strengths,, participants’ attention is focused on developing a more holistic set of leadership skills, whilst playing to their strengths, rather than trying to achieve perfection in minute facets of their work.

360 describes a bigger picture

360 helps developing leaders see how their skills are considered from all perspectives and removes the emotional bias that may be present in self-assessment or assessment from a single source. This objectivity helps participants ‘get out of their own heads’ and become more used to taking in alternative perspectives.

360 sets achievable targets

Emphasising key strengths and improvements can provide a morale boost for employees, and setting SMART goals around weaknesses helps avoid the disillusionment of vague, seemingly unattainable targets.

360 is more objective

Thanks to its 360 degree view, the data obtained from 360 degree feedback is more holistic and objective than traditional assessment. It builds on strengths as well as highlights development actions.  It removes the element of uncertainty and helps to develop a sense of self-confidence and self-awareness in developing leaders, whilst removing the anxiety that can come from guessing how you are viewed by others. 

To see how 360 degree feedback and leadership development can be tailored to go hand-in-hand for your company, contact us for a free consultation.