Here are my observations about an outstanding 360° tool that avoids those problems.
Everything DiSC 363 for Leaders is well-designed and, when combined with effective interpretation and coaching, produces stronger leaders. It has the following five benefits:
#1: A clear and meaningful report
An assessment tool is only as good as the report that is produced for interpretation. (Click here for a sample copy of the report.)
The 363 for Leaders report has six well-designed sections:
- Your leadership style(s) from among eight possible styles
- How your raters see you relative to how you view yourself
- Feedback about three practices associated with each leadership style
- Your three greatest strengths as a leader
- Three strategies for development
- Data summary and a comprehensive list of comments from your raters
#2: An interpretive framework
Last month I wrote about the need to become a mature version of yourself rather than trying to change who you are fundamentally. Because the 363 for Leaders is tied to the DiSC profile, it enables you to develop leadership strengths in light of your personality style and natural tendencies. You are able to identify which requested behaviors will require the greatest energy and adaptation.
For example, a Dominant leader whose primary leadership style is Commanding is asked by his raters to "remain open to input" (an S or Steadiness characteristic associated with the Inclusive leadership style). This is going to be a greater challenge than if he is asked to "speak up about problems" (a DC or Dominance-Conscientiousness characteristic associated with the Resolute leadership style).
#3: Three strategies for development
The process is intended to produce behavioral development in the leader receiving the feedback. This isn't about beating someone up or simply saying, "You're doing a great job, keep it up." This builds on the recognition that all of us can grow as leaders and provides specific recommendations for that growth. As I pointed out in the preceding section, you are then able to explore how those recommendations relate to your personality style.
One of the benefits of this tool is that the raters are answering two questions about each behavior: 1) On a scale of 1 to 7 how would I rate this leader? and 2) How much more of this behavior do I want to see from this leader? The three areas for development don't represent your three lowest rated behaviors, but the three behaviors raters most want to see more of. You might have a lower score on Setting High Expectations, but if people really want you to Focus on Results then that will be one of your three areas for development.
#4: CommentSmart technology
Comment sections on 360s typically have three significant problems. First, the wording of a comment may provide a clue to the identity of the writer and so there is always the fear that the feedback may not be anonymous. Second, it is difficult to know whether two similar comments count as two instances of the "same" comment or as single instances of "different" comments? This increases the time spent developing the report and the associated cost of the product. Finally, open-ended comments allow for inappropriate rants or personal attacks.
363 for Leaders uses CommentSmart technology which solves each of the three typical issues. Raters say whether they are content with the current level of behavior in an area, whether they want to see a little bit more of this behavior, or a lot more of this behavior. Then they are presented with prewritten comments that express specific responses to these behaviors. These comments are broad-ranging and well written. They guarantee anonymity and eliminate the question as to whether two comments are the same. They also eliminate the possibility of ranting or flame-throwing.
