360-degree feedback is a powerful tool for development, but it often suffers from a negative reputation. When implemented well, 360 feedback can empower and motivate positive change. However, poorly executed 360 surveys can be overwhelming, discouraging, and impede progress.

To achieve success with 360 feedback, it is crucial for leaders to use the feedback to improve rather than merely reviewing the data. However, the process of collecting and reporting feedback can be incredibly complex. Tasks such as defining rater relationships, inviting respondents, tracking responses, managing email communication, analyzing results, and distributing reports add layers of complexity. Fortunately, technology can handle most of these details, ensuring a smooth process. Nonetheless, it is essential not to lose sight of the overall goal of development amid the focus on technology.

In reality, leadership development often takes a backseat to numerous other pressing responsibilities, such as meeting deadlines, crisis management, personnel issues, production quotas, and KPIs. With so many demands, 360 feedback becomes just another task on a leader's plate. If the process is challenging, leaders are less likely to invest time and effort into utilizing the feedback.

The two most difficult steps in the 360 feedback process involve helping leaders understand their feedback and how to use it to improve. The key to addressing these challenges lies in the 360 feedback report.

An excellent 360 report facilitates a quick understanding of the feedback, highlights meaningful insights, and guides leaders through the process of using the feedback for improvement. By extracting the value from the feedback, the report provides leaders with clarity, confidence, and actionable next steps.

Unfortunately, many 360 reports are overly complex, data-heavy, and overwhelming. They focus primarily on reporting data instead of fostering development. Recipients are forced to sift through pages of dense data, making it difficult to extract actionable insights. As a result, development takes a backseat, and the report becomes a low priority for leaders. Some reports even require certified debriefers to explain the results, making the experience costly and data-focused, with action planning taking a secondary role.

It's no wonder that leaders who receive such reports struggle to understand or act upon the data. While they may gain a few insights, ultimately the reports are shelved, and nothing changes. Reports that focus on data are the primary reason why 360 feedback sometimes has a bad reputation.

Exceptional 360 reports include a basic change model that helps leaders understand how to use the feedback for improvement. The model should define the entire structure of the report, rather than being an afterthought at the end. Presenting feedback through the lens of a change model creates a unique opportunity to help leaders refine essential development skills, such as giving and receiving feedback, goal setting, prioritization, clarifying conversations, involving their manager in their development, and celebrating success. As leaders work on these skills, they not only improve the areas identified in their feedback but also enhance their overall development proficiency.

Leaders don't need to understand every piece of feedback in detail. They only need to grasp enough to empower them to improve one or two leadership skills. As they experience success in enhancing those skills, it will motivate them to revisit the report and select new areas for improvement.

When considering 360 vendors, begin by reviewing their feedback reports. If the reports do not prioritize development, the technology may not be the right fit. While people may have a positive experience gathering data, if leadership skills do not improve, the full value of the investment remains unrealized.

Here are a few simple questions to determine whether a 360 process focuses on development or merely data:

1. Is the report simple or overwhelming?

2. Does the report prioritize development over data?

3. Does it include a simple, understandable change model as the core structure of the report?

4. Can you easily identify clear feedback insights?

5. Does it provide step-by-step guidance on how to use the insights for improvement?

6. Can you understand the model, data, and next steps without expert help?

If the report feels simple, conveys a focus on development, includes a straightforward change model, delivers clear feedback insights, and provides step-by-step guidance for improvement, it is a development-focused report, especially if it does not require an expert to interpret the data.

On the other hand, if the report is overwhelming, data-focused, feels like action planning is an afterthought, and requires an expert to understand the data, you will not fully harness the value of the feedback or your investment.

The STAR360feedback Self-Debriefing 360 Action Report™ sets the gold standard for development-focused reports. Contact us today to preview the report and discover how it can supercharge your 360 feedback success.

 Request a demo here, or call (801) 489-1211.