360-degree feedback
Does my bum look big in this?
If you have ever been asked that question, you know there are two types of answer. A right and a wrong one.
The wrong answer has many variants…
- Yes — too brutal
- Try a bigger size — too honest
- I think it is the colour — too subtle
The right answer — and there is only one — is
- No, you look great — unless of course they don’t look great. In which case this is also the wrong answer.
The best course of action is to avoid any situation where:
- You are likely to be asked the question
- You feel compelled to do the asking — especially if you are a middle aged man. Skinny jeans are not flattering on 20 year-old lads, let alone middle-aged men.
Avoiding the question
This is straightforward in my personal life. At work it is not so simple.
Have you ever found yourself on the receiving end of an e-mail from your boss that read like this?
Dear (Evaluator)
Please would you provide me with employee 360-degree feedback on my performance against our key leadership principles.
Please fill in the form below and, in line with our open and honest culture, return it to me directly, copying in my line manager.
| Always | Sometimes | Never | |
| Am I self aware? | |||
| Do I show a drive for results? | |||
| Am I an inspirational leader? | |||
| Do I communicate openly and honestly? | |||
| Am I receptive to feedback? |
Please provide any other comments you feel would help with my development
These are the corporate equivalent of the bum question and you cannot avoid them. (The exception is “other comments”, which you should only fill in if you have handed in your notice, paid off your mortgage and have a king-sized axe to grind.)
Only the truth helps
360-degree feedback is useless unless it is truthful. The only way it will be truthful is if the system is anonymous and open to everybody. Not just those who are asked. An open and honest culture really won’t cut it.
Feedback may be the breakfast of champions, but if it has more sugar coating than a bowl full of Frosties it isn’t going to do much for your performance.
Or your bum.
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Image by mastaba
Another great post James.
I once delivered feedback which was cutting, visceral and probably unnecessarily direct. Or so I thought at the time.
The question was, “Why do I keep getting passed over for promotion”, my answer was along the lines of, ” You are perceived as a serial non-deliverer”
A decade on, the same guy is now a senior and capable consultant, delivers with alarming regularity and is a close confidante.
Maybe your feedback did the trick 🙂