360 Degree Feedback

Re: 360 posts - Pregitzer
Lynn Pregitzer (lpregitz) (Oct 19, 2010 1:30 AM) - Read by: 9Reply to MessageReply

I used the free version of the surveymonkey.com tool for my 360ᴼ feedback. The survey had four sections: Character, Interpersonal Skills, Building Talent, and Leadership and Motivation. The questions were selected from Dr. Farzin’s recommended list with each section consisting of 5 questions each. The survey had 100% participation from 11 participants. All responded anonymously via email.

The respondents were all connected to me through work. Feedback was requested from 5 former bosses and my current boss, 3 coworkers and 3 subordinates. Most of these people have known me more than 5 years. If I did this survey again, I would have evened out the categories, to get more feedback on the Building Talent section. Most of the scores were in the top two weightings. This consistency was a surprise to me as I rated myself lower in many areas. Family members were not in the survey because I think they would perceive me as dominant in comparison to my work personality. (As Vance Caesar demonstrated, I am the typical crooked person--almost falling over.)

For character, there was one particular area that stands out where I am 64% “Often” and 37% “Always” on “Knows own strengths and limitations.” Getting rated “often” rather than “always” seems to imply that that I am perceived as being confident. I frequently am insecure and am always cautious when I’m in a group. I exhibit the same behavior in this cohort as well. Until I am confident that I am in an environment where I belong, I don’t usually speak up.

For interpersonal skills, I was rated higher in all categories than I rated myself. For the question “Brings conflicts into the open for resolution”, one person rated me lower than others. The rest were split 50-50 between “often” and “always.” This may be my gorilla pounding his chest. This is a skill I want learn from this program.

For the building talent category, several respondents chose N/A because they did not see me in this role. The average scores of 4.6, 4.8, 4.9, 4.7 were right in line where I thought I would be. I make a concerted effort to ensure to give employees an opportunity to grow themselves.

In the final category, leadership and motivation ratings were higher than I ranked myself. The ratings for the question “Effectively persuades others in order to build commitment for ideas” were 36% “Often”, 46% “Always” and 9% “Occasionally”. I think that depending on the situation that I interacted with the respondents, I can understand why they see me differently. While working on projects that I needed to garner support, I would hold one on one meetings to lobby the key decision makers. However, in settings where I needed to persuade a group with no preparation ahead of time, I find it difficult to sell my idea.

In conclusion, I was hoping that I would be able to identify more “gorillas”. If I redo this survey again, I think I’ll try a professional service to give me insight into more areas for improvement.