Over the last thirty years, we have coached hundreds of business founders, owners, CEOs and managers on how to lead their organizations to Predictable Success.
Our experience has shown that a 360 leadership skills assessment – when used effectively – is a vital tool in developing a highly effective management team, and in turn, a highly successful organization.
Let’s take a closer look at the reasons why:
1. They objectively identify strengths and weaknesses.
Most of us have a visceral, or gut sense of what our strengths and weaknesses are. However, this can only take us so far. If an organization is going to achieve Predictable Success, we need objective, factual data on what our strengths and weaknesses really are.
A 360-degree assessment provides exactly that.
2. They identify blind spots.
No matter how attuned we might be to our strengths and weaknesses, it does us no good whatsoever when it comes to our blind spots. By definition, these are areas we cannot see, and we all – every one of us – have them. A successful leader recognizes that fact and seeks to understand more about what those blind spots are, and how to eradicate them.
The 360-degree assessment is ideal for this purpose. In fact, that’s what the name implies – a 360-degree assessment places us in a (metaphorical) room with mirrors all around us – there’s nowhere for those blind spots to hide!
3. They provide a benchmark for development.
For so many leaders, addressing their development needs is done inconsistently – if at all. They drift on, depending on the same skill set they had 2, 5, even 10 years ago. Meanwhile, the world has changed, and they are increasingly out of touch with the skills necessary to lead their teams effectively.
Once your 360 is completed, you will have a solid bedrock on which to plan your personal development – a detailed analysis with a structured action plan attached.
4. They’re repeatable and consistent.
Once you have identified and implemented the personal development plan that comes out of your 360 assessment, you don’t need to spend time wondering if you have, in fact, ‘developed’ as a result – you can simply re-run the 360 again and compare results.
5. They build the unity of the management team.
Implemented correctly, a 360-assessment process will bring your management team closer together by drawing peers into a joint process of investigation, analysis and development. Coached in the right manner, your managers will see the process as a unifying, not a dividing process that increases their alignment around the organization’s goals.
6. They’re cross-functional.
To achieve Predictable Success, most organizations need to operate in a much more cross-functional manner. By its nature, the 360-assessment process involves people working cross-functionally, and helps initiate (or cement) a cross-functional culture.
Want to learn more about how 360-degree assessments could benefit you and your team? Contact us!
Les McKeown's Predictable Success Blog