360 degree feedback- A complete guide with free pdf questionnaire

What is 360-degree feedback? A complete guide of what, why, and how of 360 degree feedback with a free downloadable pdf questionnaire and a sample report. Plus 360 degree feedback best practices and guidelines.

What is 360-degree feedback?

Download the link for the 360-degree questionnaire pdf and the sample report at the end of this article. The 360-degree feedback is a talent management tool. As human beings, it is virtually impossible to see ourselves completely objectively.  The 360 degree feedback allows the leader to find the gaps between their own perception and how others team members perceive them.  The 360 degree feedback is usually administered to help mid to senior-level leaders increase their self-awareness and consequently support them to become better leaders. This tool allows leaders to see the gap between their own self-perception and how others view the leader.

Why the name 360-degree feedback?

In any work environment, usually, the feedback flows from top to bottom. Most employees get feedback from their direct managers about their performance and behaviors, and they in turn give feedback to their direct reports. This feedback is unidirectional or from a single rater or a single source.   The direct manager’s perception can be inaccurate or biased. In contrast, 360-degree feedback comes from all directions. The word 360-degree refers to “all-around” or all directions as there are 360 degrees in a circle.   The 360-degree feedback is solicited from people who work above, below, and across the employee for a particular employee.  These are usually boss(es) or direct manager(s) (above), direct reports or subordinates (below), and peers (across).  Sometimes, 360-degree feedback can also include vendors or customers.  It depends on the role of the person undergoing the 360 degree feedback process. The 360-degree feedback is also known as multi-rater feedback, or multi-source assessment, as multiple people are rating a single employee, and feedback or assessment comes from multiple sources.  The United States Army pioneered the 360-degree feedback process and started using it in the early 1940s.  However, since the 1990s, it has gained popularity and become a permanent talent management tool for most multinational companies today.

Importance of feedback – an example

Let me give you an example to elaborate on the importance of 360-degree feedback. Imagine that you are in the soft drinks business and are planning to launch a new cola.  How do you ensure the success of this new product?  How do you ensure the success of this or any new product or service?

The customer feedback process

Here is a typical process most companies would follow. They concoct the cola and then offer it to some sample consumers. They then ask for their feedback on the cola. If most of the consumers like cola, you probably have a winner. Usually, this does not happen. You may get some feedback like – the cola does not have enough flavor, too much sugar, not enough fizz, etc. Based on their feedback, the product is modified. We then offer the consumers the “improved” product and ask them to provide feedback again. Usually, after a few iterations of feedback and improvement, you get a reasonable level of certainty that the product is likely to succeed. On the contrary, there are many examples of products and services that management was really excited about but was launched without proper customer feedback. Unfortunately, the customers did not share the management’s enthusiasm, and hence the products failed miserably.  The “new” Coke and Crystal Pepsi are examples of such products in the soft drink industry.  However, the importance of customer feedback is obvious and important for any product or service in any industry. Without good quality feedback from consumers, there is little chance of improving any product or service.

Who are the consumers of your leadership?

Now here is a question. If you are a leader, who are the consumers of your leadership? The answer is obvious, isn’t it?  The people who are at the receiving end of our leadership are our consumers. These include direct reports, peers, and bosses. Sometimes it can also include customers and suppliers. As mentioned earlier, the term 360 refers to feedback from all directions. From those who are above the leader, below the leader, and across from the leader.  The term multi-rater feedback or multi-source feedback refers to feedback from multiple raters and multiple sources. The purpose of 360-degree feedback is to help improve performance by providing the leader with an awareness of his/her strengths and weaknesses.

Why 360-degree feedback or multi-rater feedback?

The higher a leader moves up the career ladder, the less likely she is to get honest feedback. When a leader moves up the career ladder, both the quality and quantity of the feedback are reduced. Leaders tend to get more positive reinforcement than critical feedback that may help them improve. This constant positive reinforcement often makes the leader think that everything they do at work is fine. In reality, that may not be true. The leaders only hear the positive aspects of their performance or behaviors.  They seldom get the “negative” or “constructive” feedback that is essential for improvement. Team members around the leader usually avoid giving any negative feedback to the leader. First, as human beings, we are uncomfortable giving feedback to anyone!   It is just a human tendency to avoid such an uncomfortable situation. Second, they may be afraid of the consequences if the leader may dislike their honest or critical feedback.  This is especially true if that person is your boss.  The perception (whether it is true or not) is that giving your manager honest feedback may upset them and can have career consequences.  Hence it creates a tough situation. While the leader needs candid feedback to get better, she hardly receives good quality feedback that will help her improve.

Using collective Intelligence and reducing biases

Turnow (1993) describes the rationale for feedback as follows 360-degree activities are usually based on two key assumptions:

1. Awareness of any gap between how we see ourselves and how others see us increases self-awareness
2. Increased self-awareness is key to improving performance as a leader.

Hence the 360-degree feedback becomes a foundation block for management and leadership development programs. With feedback from multiple raters who work closely with the leader, team members’ collective intelligence provides a more comprehensive and accurate picture of a leader’s behaviors and performance. Besides, multiple raters minimize the biases inherent to any human interaction. The higher the number of raters, the more likely the individual biases will cancel out. This results in a more complete and more accurate picture of the leader.

Why is it difficult for leaders to get honest feedback?

There are several reasons leaders don’t get honest feedback as they move up the career ladder.

• Leaders don’t ask for feedback!
• Team members feel uncomfortable giving feedback.
• Team members often don’t know how to give feedback.
• Fear of consequences–fear that leader may take revenge.
• The leader may get defensive when someone tries to give feedback.
• People have learned to tell you what you want to hear (not what you need to hear!)
• As leaders, we may really not listen nor act on any feedback, which stops any further feedback.

Get honest and constructive feedback.

That is where 360-degree feedback helps. It is anonymous feedback. What does it mean? It keeps the identity of people providing the rating or feedback hidden. The best way to get honest and useful feedback for leaders and senior executives is through 360-degree feedback. Similar to our cola example above, there is little chance of improvement for a leader without honest and constructive feedback. The feedback and improvement loop allows an employee or a leader to improve. Besides, 360-degree feedback is usually administered by an external agency not connected with the organization. This brings a neutral third party who is more objective. Feedback providers also trust an external agency more than an internal human resources team to protect their anonymity.

How does 360 degree feedback work? 

Download the 360-degree questionnaire pdf and the sample report at the end of this article.Administering 360-degree feedback. The following are the steps in administering the 360-degree feedback process.

Select the raters

For each leader or employee for whom we administer, we compile the list of people giving the feedback. First, it is the leader’s own feedback, aka Self. Other groups are the boss(es), subordinates, peers, etc. Usually, the people who frequently interact with the leader are chosen to observe the leader and hence provide feedback. For each group, like subordinates and peers, there are at least three or more raters, and we average their rating. This helps protect the anonymity of individual rater.

Conduct pre-briefing sessions

Conduct pre-briefing sessions for both leader and the stakeholders The pre-briefing sessions are crucial for the success of the 360 degree feedback process. In general,  people avoid giving honest feedback, even in anonymous settings. It is important to explain to the stakeholders the benefits of the process to them, the leader, and the team. It is also important to assure their anonymity so that they can give honest feedback. It is also important for the leader to understand that feedback sometimes is like bitter medicine. It is needed if the leader wants to get better.  An experienced coach conducting the debriefing sessions can really set the stage for the 360-degree feedback efforts’ success. If this step is skipped or not done properly, it may compromise the entire process’s effectiveness.

Distribute assessments

Based on the competency framework (which competencies make the leader successful in his/her role), the competencies to be rated are decided. For each competency, we include several questions. We decide on the rating scale for each question. Usually, the rating scale is from 1 to 5 or 1 to 10. For a sample 360 degree questionnaire pdf, please click the link at the end of the article. We distribute an online survey link of the assessment consisting of the survey questions via email to all the raters.

Close the survey

Once enough raters have submitted their ratings, the survey can be closed, and the process then goes to the next step.

Analyze data and generate reports

Once the survey is closed, the online system crunches a lot of numbers. We then produce a detailed 50 plus report is then which can is shared with the leader and the sponsor (the Human resources department of the manager)

Host debriefing session

The debriefing session shares the report with the leader and has two objectives. The first is to help the leader make sense of the data and convert it into actionable insights. The second is to make the leader aware and help him/her accept the feedback and develop an improvement plan. An external coach certified and skilled in using the 360-degree feedback tool is the best person to share the report with the leader. Why? There are several reasons.

• The external party not associated with the company brings in a neutral and unbiased perspective.
• A skilled facilitator helps create awareness in the leader’s behavior without causing resentment.

It makes the leader aware of her strengths and improvement areas in terms of the perception of all team members. Usually, the leader also prepares an individual development plan as part of the debriefing.
Read the article: Everything you ever wanted to know about executive coaching.

Hiring a leadership coach to debrief

A skilled coach helps the leader to interpret the results of the feedback.  The coach helps the leader convert data into actionable insights. The coach also helps develop an IDP or individual developmental plan. Some companies are under the incorrect impression that providing feedback will motivate the leader enough to change. However, research has shown that these plans hardly ever get converted into consistent actions by the leader. After the feedback session, hiring an executive coach drastically improves feedback, resulting in behavior change at work. Without proper support and follow-up, the value of 360-degree feedback can diminish, and it may lose credibility and cause distrust in employees to undergo this process.
Read: How to find the best executive coach for you or the leaders in your organization.

360 degree feedback advantages and disadvantages

What are the advantages and disadvantages of 360-degree feedback?

Advantages to the leader

• It increases the self-awareness of the leader.
• Help identify strengths and improvement areas.
• Starts an open dialogue around the leader’s behaviors and their impact
• It can act as a launchpad for the leader’s improvement and career growth.

Advantages to the team

• It gives a voice to all team members on how they see the leader’s behaviors.
• The leader’s openness to receiving feedback cascades down and improves team dialogue
• It improves team communication and engagement.

Disadvantages of the 360-degree feedback

• If not administered correctly, sometimes it may deliver biased feedback, either too positive or too negative.  Hence it is important to sensitize the leader and the raters of their roles and responsibilities.
• It is time-consuming and tedious. Hiring an external consultant who has expertise in the 360-degree process helps a lot. They can help improve both the quality and speed of the process.
• In a culture of high distrust, it may spoil relationships between the team and the leader.

360 degree feedback Guidelines and best practices

What are some guidelines and best practices to implement 360-degree feedback?

• Agreement, involvement, and support of the top management – they should themselves take part in it and encourage others also.
• Use it as a developmental tool and not for performance management.
• Select the relevant competencies and design questionnaires based on them.
• Ensure that the leaders understand the benefit and are not threatened by the process
• Keep the questions short, simple, understandable, and specific.
• Sensitize the stakeholder, assure anonymity, so they share honest feedback
• Ideally, get an external agency with expertise in this process which can help ensure all the above points.  We can help.  Find out more about our 360-degree tool that is used by everyone from startups to Fortune 500 companies.
• Conduct a debriefing session that generates awareness and acceptance in the leader
• Prepare a development plan – and Individual development plan or IDP
• Follow up with executive coaching sessions to help leaders form new habits and change behaviors successfully – read more about what executive coaching is and how it can help.

Which is the best 360-degree feedback tool?

For mid-management to C-suite levels, probably the best tool is the Global Leadership Assessment or GLA 360 tool.

What Is the Global Leadership Assessment GLA 360?

The Global Leadership Assessment (GLA360) is a 360-degree feedback tool based on extensive research and designed and tested by Dr. Marshall Goldsmith. He has been awarded and recognized worldwide and is considered the #1 Leadership Thinker and the Executive Coach to Fortune 500 CEOs. The research included the CEOs of Fortune 100 companies, global thought leaders and their inputs, and international business executives of multinationals on six continents. A statistician creates most assessments. In contrast, the GLA 360 is created based on inputs by the leaders and for the leaders. A real-life leader, in all likeliness, will know a lot more about leadership than an academician or a statistician. You are assessed on competencies that have made real leaders in multinationals successful. You are compared with actual leaders, which gives a more accurate assessment helpful in the real world. The GLA 360  measures the following 15 competencies that matter to real leaders on 6 continents. It shows leaders the areas they need to develop to succeed in a competitive business environment.

Comprehensive survey

• Easy to administer as an online survey including data collection monitoring – anywhere in the world
• 15 competencies in 5 clusters, scientifically validated
• 72 questions (5 points Likert scale) plus 3 open questions for verbatim feedback
• Norm group of 2,800 international leaders from a wide range of countries, ethnicities, ages, organizational levels, industries, and educational backgrounds
• Available in multiple languages (English, Chinese (Simplified), Polish, Dutch, German, and French)

Get the best 360-degree feedback tool for your team.

We offer GLA 360, a tool designed by the world’s number 1 leadership thinker Dr. Marshall Goldsmith.  It is based on solid research and compares your scores to a norm group of successful leaders worldwide. We can administer the 360-degree feedback for you or your team anywhere globally and in multiple languages English, Chinese (Simplified), Polish, Dutch, German and French.

Cost-Effective & All-Inclusive Solution

360-degree feedback is an effective tool for leadership development.  It is also complicated and requires the expertise of a certified professional to understand.  We offer a cost-effective and all-inclusive solution for your 360 degree needs.

Here are the inclusions

• Globally used and validated GLA 360 instrument designed by the world’s number 1 leadership thinker Dr. Marshall Goldsmith
• Unlimited number of respondents or raters for each leader
• Available worldwide in multiple languages
• Complimentary sensitization session for leaders via video call
• Complimentary sensitization session for raters (team members of the leader) via video call
• Individual and confidential behavioral Interviews with ALL team members of the leader
• Report generation – detailed report that is 50+ pages
• Quantitative/objective – 360 degree feedback report
• Qualitative/subjective – Compilation of the feedback from the interviews
• Debriefing session with the leader to Decide the leadership growth areas for the leader
• Confirm the growth areas with the leader’s manager and/or HR
• Help the leader prepare an IDP (individual development plan)
• Start the executive coaching for the leader and deliver guaranteed and measurable leadership growth (optional)

Schedule an exploratory 15-minute conversation to explore the GLA 360 tool – We deliver it virtually across the globe. Click the button below to schedule a conversation. SCHEDULE NOW!

360-degree questionnaire pdf

What are some sample 360 feedback questions?The GLA 360  instrument we use measures the 15 competencies that matter to real leaders on 6 continents. It shows leaders the areas they need to develop to succeed in a competitive business environment. We can group the feedback providers or raters under the following groups.

1. Boss (or bosses)
2. Peers
3. Subordinates
4. Others
5. Vendors (only if required)
6. Customers ( (only if required))

Here is a sample question under self-awareness competency “Is aware of how his/her actions and decisions affect others.” The raters give a score of 1 (being lowest) to 5 being highest. So, in this case, if the rater thinks that the leader is quite aware of his actions and decision on others, she may rate the leader a 4 or a 5. On the other hand, if the leader is clueless about how his behavior or actions affect others, he may rater the leader a 1 or a 2.

Download a sample 360-degree questionnaire pdf and the sample report by entering your details below

Next steps post the 360 degree feedback.

What is the next step after the debriefing session? Debriefing session creates awareness of the leader’s strengths and improvement areas.  The leader will also prepare an IDP.  Is that enough for behavior change and improvement?  Unfortunately, the answer is no.  Not because the leaders are not committed or lazy.  But because leaders get busy.  They handle relentless demands from multiple stakeholders.  Urgencies and emergencies are a norm and not an exception.  In such an environment, the individual development of the leaders takes a back seat, and things go back to their default mode. Leadership development has similarities to fitness goals.  Can you lose weight and get fit on your own?  Of course, you can.  But as we all know from personal experience, it is not so easy. Fitness goals often top the new year’s resolution lists.  Gyms are crowded in the first week of the new year.  By Valentine’s day – crowds at the gym are back to normal. Instead, if you hired a personal trainer to help you achieve your fitness goals – would that improve your chances of success?  Research shows that the chances go up 1100% Similarly, you can achieve your leadership development goals on your own.  But we know from experience that it is not easy.  Hiring an executive coach increases your chances exponentially. 

360 degree feedback for leadership development and Executive Coaching for your leaders

We offer Marshall Goldsmith executive coaching worldwide.  It is the best coaching program because it is the same executive coaching process used by Marshall Goldsmith to coach CEOs of Fortune 500 companies worldwide. We guarantee measurable leadership growth, or you don’t pay at all. We are also offering Global Leadership Assessment GLA 360 and executives across the globe. We can administer the GLA 360 for any country in the world online available in multiple languages ( English, Chinese (Simplified), Polish, Dutch, German, and French).
Read: Which is the best leadership development program?

We offer our New Age Leadership – NAL Triple Advantage Leadership Coaching.

That delivers guaranteed and measurable leadership growth.  It is based on a stakeholder-centered coaching process with a 95% effectiveness rate (in a study or 11000 leaders on 4 continents).

It is used by companies ranging from startups to 150 of the Fortune 500 companies to develop their leaders.

Here are some of the salient benefits of NAL Triple Advantage Leadership Coaching

Time and resource-efficient: The leader does not have to leave work to attend training programs.  We go to the leader and her team.  And it only takes 1.5 hours per month. The rest of the time, the leader is working to implement with her team.

Separate and customized improvement areas for each leader: Every leader is different.  One size fits all approach doesn’t work.  Individual development areas for each leader aligned to the business strategy.

Involves entire team: Unlike most leadership programs, NAL Triple Advantage Leadership Coaching involves the leader’s entire team, and it has a cascading effect – increasing the team effectiveness and improving organizational culture.

The leader becomes the coach: for continuous improvement for leaders themselves and their teams. It is like kaizen for your leadership development.

Cost-Effective: Our entire one-year coaching engagement often costs less than sending the leader to a short-duration leadership program at any reputed B school.

Guaranteed and measurable leadership growth: as assessed – not by us – but anonymously rated by the leader’s own team members.

Pay us only after we deliver results! : We work with many of our clients on a pay for results basis.  What does it mean?  If the leaders don’t improve, you simply don’t have to pay us.

Schedule an exploratory 15-minute conversation with our leadership adviser today

Click the button below.SCHEDULE NOW!

Summary and Conclusion

• 360-degree feedback is one of the best tools available for the development of managers and leaders.
• It increases the self-awareness of the leader and hence leads to improved leadership behaviors.
• Hiring an external agency is the best way to implement 360-degree feedback.
• Feedback report sharing and preparing developmental plans are essential.
• Using a leadership coach’s services can help leaders convert the IDPs into action plans into job behavior change and improvement.
• Download our FREE 360-degree questionnaire and sample report.
• Or connect with us to get GLA 360 degree assessments and multiple value additions for one low price for your leadership team, delivered anywhere globally, in multiple languages English, Chinese (Simplified), Polish, Dutch, German and French.

References: Human Resource 360 Degree Feedback by Mohammad Rouhi Eisalou Harvard Business Review