Receiving feedback from a 360 evaluation—hearing from your peers, stakeholders, reports, and boss—can be overwhelming. First, there is the sheer amount of information. You are seeing data from aggregated competencies, items, comparisons, comments, and so on. This quantity is a lot to take in and it can be challenging to identify what really matters both to you and others.
Second, humans are prone to taking feedback personally. My wife and I used to both teach at a university. She would also get better teaching evaluations from me, and she would typically refuse to read them because of that one comment or that one dissatisfied student. It can be hard to dissect feedback while maintaining energy around your strengths. We are often fighting our own instincts when learning about ourselves.
Ideally, you will be able to translate 360 insights into action, but it is not an automatic process. Rather, intention and effort will help you on the path toward meaningful development. Here are some tips to break through the possible paralysis of feedback.
Don’t try to figure out who wrote what
Yes, it’s natural to want to know who said what. In 360 debriefs, I hear people saying “Oh, I know who rated to me low” or “yeah, I know who wrote that comment” quite frequently. This ego-protective process allows us to minimize information that we disagree with by trying to exert control over what we know. At the same time, it can diminish the value derived from combined feedback. Taking that step back from individual pieces of feedback and looking at aggregated results can help you take a more objective look.
Create separation
Because an initial view of results can be overwhelming, give yourself space and assume that it will take multiple viewing sessions to fully understand the results. Spend some time both by yourself looking for themes, but also with others that you trust. If you have a debriefer, or a coach, open yourself up to questions and exploration, and segment different portions of your reports. For instance, say, “Today, let’s focus on relationships,” even if your mind wants to jump into lower scores on results-orientation. Setting aside defensiveness in a very intentional way will improve the breadth of your insights.
Look for themes
Both stepping away from individual results and creating separation can help you identify themes in your results. Where do your top items, bottom items, and comments overlap? What personally resonates with you based on your short-and-long term goals? With which groups should you be focusing your attention?
For example, I was coaching a middle manager who saw a comment about poor presentations from his boss. He started to build a plan about how he could bolster his presentation skills and deliver information in a more dynamic way. However, in further exploring the entire 360 together, he identified that presentation was actually a strength (comments from peers, stakeholders, and reports). What was actually missing was a stronger relationship with his boss, who also wanted to be more informed ahead of time about what information would be presented. Digging deeper and finding consistent feedback can inform the plan.
Start Small
An action plan does not need to be life-changing. A 360 survey can help focus attention on small behaviors that could have a big impact. Start by picking one behavior and identifying short-term actions around that behavior. Ask yourself—who does that well? What can I emulate? What can I experiment with? In the next week, what commitment can I make to a new habit? Once you have a win under your belt, it is easier to more holistically build out an action plan.
Ready to turn your 360 feedback into actionable insights? Consider using our comprehensive 360 platform to gain a deeper understanding of your strengths and areas for growth. Reach out to us today for a free consultation and take the first step towards meaningful development.
