What is a 360 Leadership Assessment?

Leaders matter! They inspire people, motivate them to perform higher, and embody company values and culture. Effective leadership will improve morale, increase productivity, build connectedness and foster innovation. Leadership success is critical to the success of any organisation. To ensure leaders are positively impacting the people around them, they need feedback. One of the most effective ways to gather feedback is with a 360 feedback assessment.

A 360 assessment for leadership will provide company leaders with feedback from direct reports, peers, managers and other stakeholders. The data from the 360 leadership review provides leaders with a holistic of their current performance and areas in which they can develop to increase their effectiveness as a leader. So what is a 360 leadership assessment, and what are the benefits?

What is a 360 Leadership Assessment?

A 360 leadership assessment is a feedback tool for measuring a leader's skills, behaviours, and competencies. A 360 degree leadership review collects anonymous feedback about a leader from the people working most closely with them. These people may include direct reports, peers, customers, suppliers and managers.

A 360 leadership assessment captures a leaders self-assessment. It compares it with feedback from others to provide a complete picture of the leader's current performance level. The comparison allows for a deep understanding of strengths, gaps and blind spots in the leader's performance. This type of leadership assessment is invaluable for development.

The 360 leadership assessment captures the overall perspective of a group rather than relying on one or two views. Multiple sources of feedback contribute to a more reliable understanding of a person's development gaps. Using 360 leadership assessment tools is one of the most effective ways to develop leadership within your organisation.

What are the Benefits of a 360 Leadership Assessment?

There are several benefits of a 360 leadership assessment. These benefits apply to not only the individual but to the team and the whole organisation. The top five benefits of a 360 leadership assessment are:

  1. Increased Self-Awareness
  2. Boosts Confidence
  3. Creates a Culture of Openness
  4. Improves Leadership Development
  5. Promotes Dialogue

Increased Self-Awareness

Increasing self-awareness is the fundamental first step in leadership or professional development. Self-awareness provides a foundation on which further development can occur. A 360 leadership assessment will provide a holistic view of a leader's current strengths allowing them to leverage their strengths to boost team and organisational success. A 360 leadership review will also identify development areas that leaders can use to map training and improvement pathways. Focus on these areas will drive a significant impact on performance and improve workplace relations. 360 assessments for leadership will capture any blind spots. Blind spots are particularly challenging to identify. A 360 leadership review can quickly and effectively identify these.

Boosts Confidence

Leaders often have strengths that they are not aware of. A 360 leadership assessment can reveal these, leading to a boost in confidence. These come across in the review as areas where a leader has rated themselves lower than how response groups have rated them. These positive blind spots demonstrate how others recognise the contribution the individual is making as a leader.

Creates a Culture of Openness

A 360 degree leadership assessment helps to create a culture of openness. A 360 leadership review provides the opportunity for employees to contribute anonymously in the review of their peers and managers. This medium removes the fear of sharing openness and promotes honest feedback. 360 leadership assessment tools are one of the most comprehensive and rewarding ways of providing leaders with the chance to hear what they're doing well and what they could improve upon. This openness can lead to more productive people, teams, and a better workplace culture

Improves Leadership Development

Leadership development is essential for existing and future leaders to help them progress in their careers. Even top leaders have areas they can develop. A 360 degree leadership assessment is a great source to identify new training opportunities and development of skills. A 360 leadership assessment helps to inform leadership development plans and focus areas. It's an instrumental tool in the leadership growth process. Additionally, a follow-up 360 leadership survey after 6-12 months enables leaders to measure growth, track progress and encourage employees to adhere to their development plans.

Promotes Dialogue

A 360 leadership assessment is an effective way to promote dialogue. Development does not stop once the 360 feedback process is over. The follow-up conversations with leaders and their managers and subordinates often provide additional insight than the report. A 360 degree leadership assessment helps to facilitate difficult discussions and "break the ice." 360 feedback helps to create a culture where open conversations are valued and encouraged.

What Competencies Does a 360 Leadership Assessment Measure?

A 360 leadership assessment measures numerous competencies, including:

  • Prioritising and Delegating
  • Planning
  • Motivation
  • Communication
  • Honesty
  • Integrity
  • Transparency
  • Commitment
  • Respect

We have several pre-made 360 leadership questionnaires enabling companies to quickly assess common competencies required of leaders. The FinxS Open 360 Feedback tool is also completely customisable. If there is competency or value unique to your organisation, you can create your own questions to assess the performance of company leaders.

360 Leadership Assessment Examples

The FinxS Open 360 Leadership Assessment tool allows you to build a unique questionnaire that aligns with your business goals and values. Simply choose from one of our pre-made questionnaires or create your own! From the customisation of the rating scale to the question type and the report format, you have complete control of the questionnaire. You will be using one of the best 360 leadership assessment tools available. Here are sample questions to use in a 360 degree leadership assessment.

Leadership

  • Does this employee exhibit strong leadership qualities in their role?
  • Can you provide examples of how the employee positively contributes to the organisation through their leadership?
  • Does this leader effectively plan and coordinate activities to maximise results?
  • How can the employee improve their leadership?

Transparency

  • Is this leader transparent?
  • Does this leader communicate their intentions clearly and concisely?
  • Are this leaders actions easily understood?

Communication

  • Does this leader communicate effectively in face-to-face interactions?
  • Does this leader communicate effectively in writing?
  • Have you experienced any challenges with interpersonal communication?
  • How could the leader improve their communication?

360 Leadership Assessment Reports

Data can be overwhelming and challenging to interpret. It can also be challenging to communicate it to those who need it. The FinxS Open 360 Leadership Assessment provides easy-to-use reports that help you interpret the results of the review. Reports are completely customisable and provide data lovers with tables of percentages or graphics for visual learners.  360 Leadership Reports collate meaningful information and present it in a way that gives you the confidence to interpret and apply feedback to develop leaders.

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