Would you work for you?
By Larry Cipolla, CCi Surveys International
Patient. Nice person. Team Player. Intelligent. Great Communicator. Listens with empathy. Handles Conflict fairly. Involves others. Good role model. Believes in diversity. Treat people as I want to be treated
(or is it how they want to be treated? I get confused.)
That sure sounds like me. I would work for me. At least I think I would. How would you describe yourself? What are your strengths and developmental opportunities? How do you know? And how does that compare with how others see you? Well, who knows you better than you? Most people are interested in how they are doing and what others think of them. What about knowing more about yourself through 360° feedback? What about quantifying how others see you on the job? What do they see as your strengths and weaknesses? Scary thought?
If you are a leader, you are the designated role model. What you do is what you get.
How to begin the 360 Process?
First, contact your favorite internal HR person or external consultant. What kind of 360-degree surveys do they offer? For a leadership or managerial survey consider surveys that include both relationship and task skills. Select a survey that measures what you want to know about yourself. Second, collaborate with your favorite boss to identify the people from whom you want feedback. Select people who have known you for at least six months and who you interact with on a frequent basis. And select those people whose feedback you value.
To become more effective and influential with others you need to know where you are now and where you want to be. Next, create action steps that will help you arrive, hold yourself accountable for implementing your plan and monitoring your progress.
Your feedback results
What will the data tell you? You should be able to identify your current strengths and developmental needs in each of the competencies measured by the survey. Self-awareness about each competency is a good start. Yet, to really understand your specific strengths and developmental needs you need to focus on specific items, the behaviors and practices that measure each competency. For example, you would be able to identify to what extent you ...
- Demonstrate a willingness to take the lead
- Keep people focused on future possibilities, rather than past accomplishments
- Express ideas clearly
- Let people know what is expected of them before they begin a task
- Provide feedback in a constructive manner
- Generate alternative solutions when resolving problems
- Follow through on agreed to actions
- Understand how your actions impact the work of others
It is from these specific behaviors and practices on the survey that you would create your action plan.
Is the Emperor wearing Clothes?
How will you respond when you see your results? Some people believe that 360 feedback causes the results. No. It can quantify existing perceptions but not cause them.
Typically, the more effective and competent the person, the more likely they welcome 360 feedback. But, of course, others fear it. Many people believe that ....
- They may lose their job if the results identify too many issues
- They will be criticized
- It is a waste of time
- It takes too long to complete
- It is nothing more than a popularity contest
- No one really cares if you do anything with the results or not
- It has little to do with the "real world"
- Why bother? You're making the big bucks now anyway
- Why bother? People have to do what you say anyway
- Why bother? Why rock the boat anyway
- Why bother compare self image with reality
And some fear it because it forces them to evaluate themselves. Rationalization is the key to mental health.
The dynamics are such that a person may think they are doing a great job in an area and then get feedback that is just the opposite. Suddenly, you find yourself without any clothes. It takes a while to adjust to that, before you can move on to acceptance and self directed action planning. You have to say to yourself, "Well, whether this is what I believe or not, the perception is out there, so what is my plan? What will I do differently as a result of this feedback?"
What are the consequences if you do things differently? Or not? Would you work for you?
People respond differently to their feedback. Reactions can range from disbelief and defensiveness to relief and confirmation of their effectiveness. Yet what is most interesting are those who claim that the feedback did not identify anything new. "Look, I always knew I had a problem with that area." Okay. Then why haven't you taken the initiative to resolve that on-going problem?
360 is not criticism. It identifies both strengths and weaknesses. With 360 there are no filters. It touches you personally. Telling yourself that you have certain qualities is one option for creating an image for yourself. 360 feedback allows you to easily compare your perceptions with those of others. What you do on the job and how you do it from day to day, in crisis situations, under pressure, and during those many happy carefree fun-filled days when all goes well in your world is all known to others. To what extent do you know it? 360 feedback can provide you with a direction for change. It can help you compare current performance with expectations. It can help you identify deltas or gaps in what you are doing as compared to what you could be doing to be more effective and influential. Once you know where you are, where you want to be, and identify a plan to get you there, it can help you increase your influence and effectiveness with others.
The people you interact with already know what your strengths and weaknesses are. They talk about them now, when you are not around of course. 360 feedback can help you compile and understand their feedback so you can make targeted decisions about how you can grow and develop. 360 feedback can help you understand the consequences of your behavior better than just about any other option currently available. You can ensure success when you select a well-designed survey, implement it properly, follow through with specific changes in your behavior, and hold yourself accountable for how you interact with others. Complete a training program or talk to your mentor, if possible. Your influence and effectiveness can grow and develop.
Who knows, you might even want to work for you.
©2001 and 2007. CCi Surveys International. All rights reserved.
