The Use and Abuse of 360 Degree Feedback

Multi-rater feedback surveys, also known as 360s, are now standard in many corporations. People are receiving large amounts of feedback from fellow workers on their leadership, management and work style behaviors. These come from peers, direct reports, bosses, sponsors and even clients and customers. The number of 360 assessments available for commercial use is staggering and indeed choosing among them can be a challenge.

If not familiar with the process, it goes something like this: you complete an assessment of your own leadership or management style (or other specialized topic such as emotional intelligence), usually online. You identify a number of other folks such as peers, direct reports, managers, etc and they also complete the survey. You then receive a report which includes mostly anonymous ratings (except for the managers) and you are able to compare your own perceptions to those of others which can give you a good view of your strengths, needed areas of improvement, and potential gaps. 360s can also be administered as customized interview-based assessments.

When administered properly, 360s can be of immense value--you receive feedback that you normally don't get which can help you become a better leader. We all have blind spots and getting the perceptions of others in a confidential format can be highly motivating and instructive. However, if not delivered appropriately, there are dangers. These include: political ratings, negative bashing from someone with an agenda, artificially heightened scores, which feel good but may be misleading, and "data dumps" an overwhelming amount of data delivered without personalized implementation to help you interpret and apply the information.

There are pros and cons to using 360s for performance reviews and I personally do not use them in this way because of the aforementioned potential problems. However, for DEVELOPMENT of your leadership skills, when delivered confidentially, a 360 can be an excellent resource.

BAD feedback can be worse than NO feedback, so before administering any assessment in your company you should consider these questions:

1. What is your ultimate goal? What do you hope to accomplish?
2. Is this the appropriate assessment tool to use?
   
3. Are you using the right implementation strategy ---which includes the process, assessment choice, format and professionals involved in administering the 360.

A clear and thoughtful approach to implementing multi-rater feedback surveys ensures the integrity of the process and the value of the information received.

The social etiquette of social networking

New technologies require new ways of behaving. So it is not surprising that there will be a learning curve. Twitter is my newest adventure and I am still trying to figure out the proper etiquette.

For example, a member of one of my Linked In groups posted a notice "Hey, you can follow me on twitter if you want...we have lots of good info, articles, etc.". So I went to his twitter account to check it out and saw that he was a fairly new member with hundreds of followers (wow), yet he was only following about 12 people. So I thought to myself, this guy obviously thinks he is more interesting than most other people in the world. He goes in search of people to follow HIM, secures a slew of enthusiastic followers, but decides he is really too busy, important, or whatever, to follow them in return. Are you following me here ?

So it seemed a bit arrogant and I said so on the LinkedIn discussion group which, of course, is the wrong thing to do because it made me look like a mean person (as some people seemed to think). And for those of you who are not on LinkedIn or Twitter, you are excused from trying to figure this whole thing out.

So what exactly is the proper etiquette? I am learning. For example, I am learning that every time I Tweet, I pick up a follower or two. And many of these are very interesting and I follow them back; but some aren't, so I don't. And some are just down-right weird, like the guy who's twitter updates consisted of comments such as "I love you" and "oooh baby" and stuff like that. Needless to say, I blocked him, which is another thing you can do in Twitter which seems rude but in some cases, like with this weirdo guy, is probably a good idea.

Don't get me wrong, I really enjoy being on Twitter and have met very interesting people who I am now following. And I frequently locate a person or group of interest who I decide to follow and I am not at all offended if I don't get a follow back (I really don't expect the Ellen Degeneres Show or NPR to be interested in my tweets).

There is also the situation where you are "invited" into someone's LinkedIn, Facebook, Myspace, or whatever connection and you think---I really don't want to be connected. I'm not talking about total strangers, but people you know but just don't want in your network.

What do you do now? You can reject them, but that seems awfully harsh, or not respond, which seems to be what most people do. That is hard for me since I am one of those people who prides herself in being responsive. So I have found myself contacting people directly and letting them know I keep my connections to others I know well or have worked closely with....

Yes, new technologies require a new etiquette, so as a guide I think I will just follow the social rules I use in "live" communications and hope for the best.

Listening 101

Sometimes the simplest things are the most difficult. Like active listening. We often think of ourselves as good listeners; but are we really? Or, are we distracted, or disengaged, or just waiting for our turn to speak.

Listening is more than hearing. Consider this: have you ever had the experience of talking to your teenager (or dare I say, spouse) who does not appear to be listening ? You comment "You haven't heard a word I said" only to get the response, "Yes I did you said blah blah blah etc. etc.". Of course, he or she just repeated your words verbatim. Yet, you did not FEEL the person was listening.

Listening is not just about content, but it is about process. It is about making an emotional connection, showing the speaker you are engaged, genuinely interested and involved. Yet in today's world, especially the business setting, we find it difficult to listen as closely as we should. There are many distractions, too many priorities to attend to, and a pace that is hard to keep up with. When we try to listen, we are bombarded by emails, IMs, telephone calls, tweets and all sorts of other stimuli that take our attention away from the human activity we call listening.

Maybe its time we all took a course in Listening 101. It is likely to improve our work productivity and may just make our spouses a little happier too.

Tired of the Generational Wars? Me too!

It is very common to hear these days about the war between the generations. You know, how the Boomers can't deal with the Millennials, and how Generation X is misunderstood, while Generation Y (unlike everyone else, apparently) wants "work life balance" and on and on. This so-called generational conflict is itself generating enormous billable hours and white papers from consultancies. Well, frankly, I'm a bit tired of the whole thing. I'm tired because these discussions are based upon such gross generalizations and they do not seem to move us any closer toward a shared understanding. On the contrary, they seem to fuel an "US vs. THEM" attitude in the workplace. I also think there are major misconceptions inherent in the discussion; for example:

1. There are 84 million Baby Boomers. We don't all think alike. We don't all act alike. I have more in common with many Generation Y-ers and X-ers than with many Baby Boomers. In other words, there is great diversity WITHIN the generations, so these sweeping statements often fall short.

2. Good leaders must be able to deal with all types of people--short, tall, fat, thin, young and old. It doesn't matter whether they belong to Generation Y, Z, AA, or whatever.

3. There is a tendency to confuse DEVELOPMENTAL issues with GENERATIONAL issues. A 59 year old Baby Boomer manager is in a very different place developmentally than a 25 year old generation Y professional. There is a big difference between starting up your career vs. winding down, or beginning to think about starting a family vs. preparing for retirement and grandchildren. These are life stage issues that all generations face though granted the evolution of time has changed the landscape within which these issues are confronted.

4. There are Boomers who are more tech savvy than their youngsters. OK, this is not so common, but it does exist. But the fact is: Boomers are not all technology neophytes and 20 somethings are not all technology geniuses.

5. The desire for work-life balance does not reside with one generation. Many people want a life outside of work. How to accomplish this successfully is the real challenge, and over one's lifespan, the balance between time at work and time at home frequently shifts.

The bottom line---there have always been differences between generations and there always will be. It springs naturally from the fact that we are born and raised during different times. However, individuals are shaped by a variety of factors including: personality, gender, ethnicity, age, cognitive style, education, parental values, culture, professional skills/interests and more.

Maybe we should change the discussion--focus more on celebrating our uniqueness as individuals, on what we can learn from each other and on those things we all have in common. We may find this makes getting along at work a whole lot easier and it may save you some money on consulting fees.

What does a Leader look like?

I've been engaged in a recent discussion on an online HR group on age discrimination. Though most people acknowledge it exists, many prefer to avoid the discussion as it seems too negative to dwell on.

So its my blog and I'll cry if I want to (a baby boomer reference...get it?)

Age discrimination is alive and well. So is discrimination based on gender, race, ethnicity, disability, sexual orientation and any number of other issues. The reality is, we all hold biases, many we don't even realize. I think its important to acknowledge these biases--in a sense, surface them so we can deal with them. The first step toward change is always awareness.

I had a situation once which put me in touch with my own biases. I was seeking a graduate level psychology intern for a program I was managing. I reviewed a resume, had a nice conversation with a potential candidate and set the meeting. She showed up at my door and I thought "Oh my god". She was large--very large. So I immediately came face to face with my own bias about weight. Fortunately, my years of psychological training helped me to recognize what was going on....I was ready to dismiss this talented young woman because she didn't fit my image of the best candidate for the job. So I was able to stare this bias squarely in the eye and put it aside. As it turns out, she was one of the best interns throughout the length of the program.

But how often are we really aware of our biases? When you are sitting face to face with a candidate who is 20 years your senior, or of a different race or ethnic group or whatever...and you have a specific image of the "appropriate" candidate for this position in your head, are you being truly objective?

What does a leader look like?

Social Psychology research has volumes of data to support the prevalence of these biases at work. Given random pictures of different age/ethnic/racial backgrounds of people, there are clear patterns that arise. Being tall and/or attractive also has an impact.

Personal biases are everywhere and they do figure in to the hiring and promotion process. So let's start with that premise, accept that inequities exist, and move toward making the changes we need. This will involve dealing at a macro level (addressing laws, societal norms) as well as the personal (be honest with ourselves about our own biases).

Are you a Techno-phobe?

Techno-phobia---noun...meaning fear, anxiety, pounding heart, sweating profusely or downright dread in regard to learning new technologies.

OK, its not a real diagnosis, but one I just made up. (See, some advantages to being a card-carrying Psychologist).

Many people simply dread the notion of having to learn a new application or call the IT guys who are going to make you look foolish, so its easier to avoid the whole thing. Unfortunately, like any other phobia, avoidance only makes the fear and trepidation stronger. So why not embrace it?

I am one of these Baby Boomers who buck the stereotypes---I love technology, love learning how to use new apps and really enjoy the IT guys, even if they sometimes drive me crazy with their lingo. But really, if you are avoiding learning and using new applications, you are missing out on some really great opportunities, especially for marketing, networking and collaborating. The reality is that with technology, the more you use it the easier it gets... it may take some time up front, but once you get over the hump, there is smooth sailing.

Also--there is so much help out there on the web that you can learn practically anything for free. There are online discussion groups, free self-tutorials, and lots of gurus willing to help. So you don't even have to call your brother-in-law and hassle him with your questions.

If you are reading this blog, you can't be too technology-risk-averse. So go out and try something new, even if it involves weird and crazy concepts like twittering and dancing avatars. Life is short.

Personality, Leadership and Organizational Performance

Just back from the Society of Consulting Psychologists (APA, division 13) conference in San Diego entitled, "Excellence in Leadership". As I make my re-entry from the land of palm trees and sunshine into the cold and chilly New England climate I have some time to reflect on more than the question "How is it a Florida girl ended up in this wintry mess?". I think also of the big questions raised at the conference.

One particularly thought provoking seminar was delivered by Eric Nelson and Robert Hogan (Hogan Assessments) entitled, "Personality, values and employee engagement". There were many good nuggets of information and unlike some of the ideas circulating around the literature on leadership, their work is clearly grounded in solid research.

Some of the key points delivered:

• Leadership Matters---a person in charge can make or break a company
• Good Leadership (and Bad Leadership) is a function of Personality
• Senior Leaders establish the organizational culture
• 47% of Employees distrust Senior Leaders of their companies
• Personality predicts Leadership Performance better than IQ
• High Employee Engagement leads to positive business outcomes

And, my all time favorite (which you may recognize from my earlier blog postings)....

• People don't quit organizations, they quit their bosses.

As a Leadership Consultant I am sometimes asked what a Psychologist has to do with business, or given suggestions to "disguise" my psychological credentials to avoid scaring away potential clients who don't see the connection between business and psychology in the workplace.

Yet the research is clear, whether it comes from the Organizational, Personality or Business Management field: Leadership is Personal; and ignoring that reality is costly !