Ask Elva: “How can I keep the value of 360 alive?”

When a participant notices their 360 degree feedback report pop into their inbox it may fill them with dread and/or excitement, and of course they could feel differently once they’ve read it!  They might be inspired or relieved, or confused, upset or angry; they might be disappointed and feel they haven’t learnt much new.  You could then help the participant get really clear what can be done about the 360: there may be more feedback to gather, conversations to have, development plans to discuss, training or coaching to arrange, or perhaps new behaviours/habits to try out.  However, all too often these follow-throughs are just “good ideas” and the reality is that the 360 is forgotten about, nothing is done and the participant carries on just as before. 

You can’t force people to make changes but here are nine things you can do to keep the 360 alive:

1. Diarise follow-up 360s for a year’s time, including comparison data

2. Book mini 360 “pulse” checks for six months’ time