FAQs – Welcome 
The purpose of this section is to provide answers to the typical questions people ask about
- 360 degree feedback systems generally, and
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my360plus: the unique four-in-one tool
- 360 degree assessment and report
- Annual subscription
- Personal development plan
- Ongoing social feedback
Get feedback, set growth goals, see the results.
We hope you find it useful in your leadership and talent development planning, and for developing high-performance behaviours at an affordable cost for your whole team.
If we’ve missed out the question you want answered, simply email us at info@my360plus.com and we’ll be happy to answer.
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What is 360 feedback?
360 feedback is input given about a leader or manager from above (‘the boss’), self-review from oneself, or input from colleagues and direct reports.
In some cases technical and other leaders (e.g. ‘thought leaders’) don’t have direct reports and feedback in this way is often referred to as ‘180 feedback’.
The key element of 360 feedback (or 180 feedback) is that it is anonymous, so that the person being fed back to (in my360plus we call this person the participant or delegate) focuses on the feedback, not who is saying it. Now, in the case of self and ‘boss’ this is impossible, but these two elements of the 360 feedback serve a different purpose.
- Boss’s feedback – if constructive and open – gives a sense of the strategic perspective on the delegate. The boss will probably have experienced 360 feedback themselves and so will know and understand its value.
- Self-feedback – this helps to see whether the delegate rates themselves in line with others. Some people are too modest about their abilities. Others the opposite.
In my360plus the people who give feedback to the delegate are called the observers. In other systems they are known as ‘raters’. We have two major issues with the 360 degree feedback ‘rater’ terminology:
- To rate someone (e.g. on a scale of 1-5 or 1-10) the ‘rater’ needs to understand the behaviour or competence being rated.
- Rating is often really just someone’s current opinion about another person’s behaviours – that is, unspecific and highly open to bias.
By contrast, the my360plus feedback survey asks observers to think about whether, and how much they’ve observed a clearly defined behaviour.
So they’re not ‘rating’ someone, they’re answering a more objective question. This reduces bias and gives more constructive feedback.
What is a 360 survey?
A 360 survey is the questionnaire, typically digital and online in today’s world, that asks questions about the delegate, to the leadership behavioural framework or competency framework used by the organisation.
If the organisation doesn’t have its own framework the my360plus is an easy, affordable and quick way to assess the leadership competencies within an organisation.
A survey collects a number of viewpoints into one feedback survey report, this means that it takes time to assign the observers and a survey process will take place over some weeks.
How does 360 feedback work?
360 degree feedback works by compiling viewpoints, to objective and constructive questions.
The online survey software collates the responses and assigns a report based on the amount of observed behaviour across the group. What it is not is an average of averages.
Some 360 degree surveys, like my360plus, include ‘free form’ or open text questions, which allow for descriptive answers, where observers can add their own comments.
Paper surveys are an option where online surveys are not possible.
The responses from the participant and observers are put together to form a series of pictures or profiles.
Here’s what my360plus offers as standard:
- Compares what the participant says about themselves to what others say about them. (‘Self versus Other’)
- Compares the participant with a much larger sample of other leaders/managers in the same position as them (‘Benchmarking’)
- High-performance behaviours in order of strength
- High-performance behaviours ordered by ‘cluster’ (the four behaviour clusters are ‘Think’, ‘Involve’, ‘Inspire’, ‘Do’)
The my360plus feedback also includes an explanation of the high-performance model and approach and gives coaching tips.
Some organisations supplement the my360plus written report with 1—1 or group feedback sessions with trained coaches or mentors.
Why use 360 feedback?
360 degree feedback is a fairer way to assess the presence of high-performance behaviours. My360plus presents this information in the most objective way possible.
My360plus is often used as part of a wider leadership development programme, which will also include
- A feedback discussion on the my360plus report
- The setting of development goals – we recommend one development goal each 3 months, but some people want to achieve more in a shorter space of time, while others want to develop at a slower pace.
- Ongoing coaching: the my360plus service is an annual subscription to the online platform with the option of setting development goals over the 12 month period, using the coaching tips in the report, getting social feedback from observers and, in some case, re-taking the survey to assess progress over the year.
Why and when do organisations use a 360 to develop people?
HR and L&D departments see a good 360 tool as critical for discovering and growing their talent pool, and for developing their people. A 360 might be the start of a development programme, or a one-time intervention.
My360plus includes a year’s subscription for the individual participant, plus a development plan, a way to set development goals and get ongoing feedback from their network. 360 degree feedback provides more objective evidence of behaviour than a single point of view.
Employees trust them as tools to further their careers – because the feedback is coming from all around them (hence the ’360’ tag). Nobody gets to the top of their game without some help and that help often comes in the form of constructive feedback. Asking for help can be a challenge, and being offered a 360 feedback report, often backed up with professional feedback from a qualified coach, is seen by staff as highly supportive.
Why is 360 feedback important?
360 feedback is important because it’s more objective and less biased.
People mean well but often the feedback we get is full of what’s known as ‘unconscious bias’. If they like you, they’ll speak well of you. If they don’t they may not give you the feedback you need to hear.
My360plus prides itself on being the most objective 360 tool out there. We make sure the questions are clear and the way the questions are asked removes as much opinion and bias as possible.
The way the feedback is reported back to you matters too. My360plus offers clear visuals and benchmarks you against the best - not the average at your level of management.
Why is it called a “360 survey”?
There are 360 degrees in a circle and a 360 degree survey describes the ‘circle’ of people giving a candidate (sometimes called a ‘participant’ or ‘delegate’) feedback. This usually includes the participant’s own self-assessment; feedback from their boss or line manager, from colleagues/peers and from direct reports.
If a participant doesn’t have any direct reports – for example, they are seen as having the potential to grow into a supervisory or management position – this is called a ‘180 degree survey’.
A typical 360 degree survey asks a set of questions and asks the person responding to the survey to rate the participant. My360plus asks about peoples’ behaviours and how often the respondent observes these. For this reason the survey respondents are called ‘observers’ in the my360plus system.
My360plus asks about the high-performance behaviours needed by managers and leaders in today’s complex and rapidly-changing world.
Typical 360 surveys also include open-ended (‘free text’) questions; these give observers the opportunity to add comments. These questions can be tailored.
The my360plus survey offers the following range of surveys:
- 180°: Boss + peers only or direct reports only
- 540°: 360 plus additional external group
- 720°: the 360 degree survey repeated
Can the 360 survey be tailored to meet my organisation’s needs?
At my360plus we often get asked for non-standard groupings, so if you need a tailored service, tell us what you need and we’ll show you how we can help.
Examples of ‘tailoring’ in the my360plus survey include:
- Account Support Contact (client contact for participants and observers that appears in surveys and emails)
- High-performance behaviour names and descriptions
- Free form questions, their number and composition
- The number and mix of nominees
- Addition of extra groups of nominees (e.g. clients, external)
In the my360plus service these above tailored items are included in the fee.
Additionally, clients can request – for a fee – changes to the:
- Email wording
- Survey Questions
This latter item can accommodate client terminology but cannot change the evidence-based high-performance behaviour or the report accuracy.
More complex changes, which require a stand-alone system to be developed include coding changes to:
- Survey contents language
- Report language
- Pdf report
If you would like to discuss tailored changes to my360plus, please contact us: info@my360plus.com.
Is 360 feedback effective?
360 feedback has been shown to be highly effective when –
- The participant is committed to their personal and professional development
- Participants receive good communication about the my360plus system and process
- Participants ask for feedback from a wide range of sources
- Feedback is neutral, supportive and based on the report, rather than subjective bias.
However, the feedback needs to be meaningful and this relies on the evidence foundation of the ‘multi-rater questionnaire’. If it’s based on peer-reviewed evidence for the competences and behaviours it’s asking about, it’s valuable. Questions need to be relevant both to the person being asked, observed behaviours, and the context. If it asks about those behaviours in clear non-jargon ways, it’s even more valuable.
My360plus benefits
Development challenge My360plus benefit
Low budgets for development More people can access development at low cost
Managers have little time Quick, easy and can be done at a time that suits
Facing change, leaders ill prepared Improving quality of leaders, preparing for new challenges
Complexity of doing something Easy start, immediate and automated
Poor view of where talent is Identify talent, know where it is
Lack of development culture Quickly builds development culture
Persuading internal stakeholders Strong evidence based model, data driven
Why do people say 360 feedback can change your life?
It’s a common saying in the world of leadership development and high-performance that there are two types of people: those with a fixed mindset and those with a growth mindset. Successful leaders and managers are those with a growth mindset: not just because they are committed to their own career growth but because they’re committed to growing the people around them too.
A growth mindset means that feedback, for example from a 360 tool, helps prioritise learning and development. We suggest four stages:
1. Start with any areas of limitation. Fix those first.
2. Look at the role and identify any strengths or developing strengths, that will enable the role to be more successful.
3. Then pick a strength – and make it stronger, more consistent and help embed those behaviours in the organisation too.
4. Finally, find a challenge. Go for something new or different. Stretch your thinking and grow into new high-performance behaviours.
360 feedback can change your life, particularly if you’ve got that fixed mindset, or you find yourself coasting in a job. Getting feedback from your boss, your colleagues or direct reports can jolt you into a whole new career route. This means a faster route to success, with more fulfilling roles and the pay and benefits to match.
When does 360 feedback not work?
Here at my360plus we get to hear some great success stories from our partners and customers about how 360 feedback has worked for participants and made a difference to their career and their earning potential.
Avoid these traps and your 360 degree feedback is more likely to succeed:
- Organisations try to cut costs by using a survey format, making up their own questions, or buying in a cheap questionnaire not backed up with evidence.
- Participants aren’t prepared or briefed on 360 feedback and how to make best use of the process.
- Observers don’t understand the importance of their role
- Questions are biased
- Reports are too complex or give numbers instead of clear explanations.
- Feedback is too subjective.
This is why at my360plus, we recommend pre-project communications; we provide customer training, particularly for the project administrators.
For customers running bigger projects we provide a dashboard to help keeping track of multiple participants easier. The dashboard also helps you plan your development programme: monitoring development goals and using coaching, mentoring and other development interventions.
We can provide trained, accredited coaches to give better, more independent and objective feedback.
Our goal is to provide an easy experience for administrators, participants and observers alike, so everyone’s happy.
How does a 360 fit with executive coaching or leadership development programmes?
We will work with you to support the integration of my360plus with other development programmes.
- Many HR or L&D departments use my360plus, alongside on-going coaching.
- The my360plus system supports talent management with the portal giving a dashboard view of what everyone is working on.
- We support you to embed continuous improvement and achieve lasting change and transformation
Leadership Competency Framework
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What’s a ‘competency framework’?
Also known as leadership behaviours, or competency frameworks, these are models that frame a set of core behaviours, such that people, like leaders, managers, coaches, and members of the learning and development or HR teams, can have a structure within which to work, and set behavioural expectations.
Competency or behavioural frameworks are not ‘values frameworks’, yet these can get mixed up.
For a clear explanation of competency frameworks, see this fact sheet from the UK CIPD (Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development) https://www.cipd.co.uk/knowledge/fundamentals/people/performance/competency-factsheet
At my360plus we believe in evidence-based frameworks and in clear communication of behavioural expectations. We also believe that a good 360 feedback questionnaire or survey should not expect the survey respondents to be experts in the behaviours.
What’s the evidence base for the my360plus framework?
My360plus is based on the peer-reviewed research work led by Professor Harry Schroder at Princeton University and London Business School. We work with experts trained by Prof. Schroder.
What’s the my360plus Global Competency Framework?
The evidence-based Global Competency Framework we offer is based on the ‘High Performance Behaviour’ Framework or HPBs, which are clear and simple descriptions of the needed behaviours in a VUCA world (VUCA stands for ‘Volatility’, ‘Uncertainty’, ‘Complexity’ and ‘Ambiguity’ – and summarise the global shift as a result of new technologies, such as IT, Energy, Manufacturing and Life Sciences).
There are 12 leadership behaviours, grouped into four clusters, with five levels per behaviour. They cover the way leaders Think, Involve People, Inspire Others and Deliver.
These link to customers’ typical Leadership competency/behaviour or other developmental models; they have been used internationally by the Forton Group and its partners.
The research underpinning the leadership behaviours comes from peer-reviewed work done by Professor Harry Schroder at Princeton and London Business School. The research team showed empirically the impact of these specific leadership behaviours on organisational performance during increasing complexity and rapid change. These were shown to be the differentiators between high performance and merely average.
Where organisations have already defined their own leadership capability models we can map existing competences into this model and create a good fit.
What’s the ‘Schroder Model’ evidence?
Professor Harry Schroder (Princeton University) set up a team to research the competencies needed to deliver leadership in an increasingly volatile, uncertain, complex and ambiguous (VUCA) world of work.
“VUCA stands for ‘Volatility’, ‘Uncertainty’, ‘Complexity’ and ‘Ambiguity’ – and summarise the global shift as a result of new technologies, such as IT, Energy, Manufacturing and Life Sciences.”
This research was rigorous and ground-breaking and led to the book “Managerial Competence: The key to excellence which was featured in Personnel Today's “seven must-read books”.
Many competency/behavioural frameworks have now adapted or used this fundamental model, in some cases changing the names of clusters or competencies to suit the organisational context.
Other team members went on to research in areas linked to these behaviours, such as Richard Boyatzis who co-wrote books with Daniel Goleman on Emotional Intelligence and Emotionally-intelligent leadership (e.g. The New Leaders).
The inspire cluster, for example, offers clear links between emotional intelligence and these behaviours.
What this framework doesn’t do is cover basic managerial functions, such as reading a balance sheet, managing a budget, or technical excellence. These are assumed as givens in leaders and managers.
The six my360plus behavioural levels
- Limitation - Uses negative behaviour and/or sets a climate which deters or devalues the use of the behaviour by others.
- Not developed - Does not demonstrate the minimum, basic behaviour required to cope adequately with the specific task, problem, issue or situation being managed
- Adding Value - Demonstrates the basic behaviour, which is directed towards and bounded by the specific task, problem, issue or situation being managed
- Developing Strength: the behaviour is used at the highest levels, but inconsistently or consistently at lower levels.
- Strength - In addition, uses higher order behaviour. This may use the behaviour in a broader way, which encompasses the work of other teams, units or organisations, or it may be a higher level of behaviour.
- Strategic Strength - In addition, implements strategies, systems or processes to build value for and perpetuate the use of the behaviour and the contributions it can make.
What's the my360plus development approach?
Colleagues provide feedback on the 12 critical Behaviours set out in the ‘Model’ section of the report.
They rated both the level the participant operates at and the frequency they observed the Behaviours, as these directly relate to level of performance at work.
Both level and consistency are critical.
The my360plus System
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my360plus: the unique multi-rater assessment tool
my360plus is used globally to identify leaders’ strengths, neutralise their weak spots and support and encourage them to identify development areas, using an easy, automated service. Its key unique points are:
- It’s an evidence-based, effective model, based on the Schroder behaviours, ready to use globally, now.
- Navigation is simple and responses are given using a sliding scale; this combines ease of use with accurate responses.
- The service includes year-long access to get ongoing feedback from their observers. This enables people to manage their own development by focusing on a chosen development goal, sharing their goal with their chosen network who then rate them on that specific goal.
- My360plus is fully automated and online with development tips and comprehensive, easy to understand reports. This allows for rapid implementation and scalability.
- Questions are carefully designed to ensure no prior knowledge of leadership ‘jargon’ required by observers.
- Our database has 20,000 data points that allow us to benchmark leaders against expected performance levels.
- People have a visual indicator of what to stop doing as well as where their strengths lie
- Team and group reports are available, using the same simple visual illustration of the comparative scores
What are ‘Assessment’ and ‘Development Centres’?
At my360plus we run development centres to support the growth of internal leaders – for example, the talent pool – and assessment centres for recruitment purposes.
Both use the same Schroder competency framework. We create a simulation of an organisation, similar to their existing environment, but sufficiently different for them to have to think about their response and not use current knowledge.
They are put into a leadership role higher than their current one and are assessed as to how they behave there – by observing them doing a range of exercises. From these, we can observe their responses and assess the levels of their leadership behaviours.
What language options are possible?
The my360plus tool is available in English and Spanish. Where clients have a need to collect input from observers who do not have English at a sufficient level, we provide scripts in their local language (‘Local language Observer Sheets’). These translated versions are distributed by email, as needed.
Observers have these sheets to hand as they fill in the boxes on the automated system. Our experience of running this with organisations around the world is this is a very effective and cost-efficient alternative to large scale translations of the tool itself.
The reports will be in English. They are available on line and can be downloaded as a PDF. If report translation is required, we use accredited translation services and a quote per language will be provided. The online system itself can be translated too.
Who is my360plus suitable for?
My360plus is designed for team leaders, managers, talent management and senior leadership development, particularly people working in VUCA environments.
VUCA stands for Volatility, Uncertainty, Complexity, Ambiguity. There are currently four revolutions happening around the world– in IT, Energy, Manufacturing and Life Sciences. Whether you work in those sectors, or not, these revolutions are changing the world of work and leadership. It means that high-performance behaviours and leadership development need to focus around behaviours that support people and teams to deal with these factors.
Is this solution suited to technical/professional organisations?
My360plus is down to earth and pragmatic – which is why sectors such as Construction, Facilities Management, FinTech, IT,Lawyers, Transport & Logistics, and Utilities, like our approach.
- Simple language
- Cost effectiveness
- Low admin
- Easy for user
- Great value…
What makes my360plus different to other online 360 feedback tools?
Proven, easy and objective – for organisations, participants and observers
- A well-researched link between the behaviours/competences in a the model and higher-performance in leaders and managers. This provides an objective, proven high-performance and leadership framework (Schroder model) for organisations.
- Easy to set up and manage; easy for the participants to understand the report.
- The questions are designed to make them simple for observers to give feedback without needing to understand what each particular behaviour means. This means that the feedback to the participants is as objective as is possible with a 360.
My360plus supports focused coaching, learning development and growth, because it provides a well-researched, proven framework against which development, feedback and coaching can happen.
The objectivity helps overcome resistance and cynicism by participants to receiving feedback.
Language Availability
- My360plus is currently available, in its full version in English and Spanish.
- Additionally, the assessment questions are available as ‘Local Language Observer Sheets’ in French. [The reports and online service are in English.]
- Translation into other languages – either the full version, or the assessment questions – is available on request.
- The phrasing of the questions remains objective and relevant across nationalities, generations and cultures.
The my360plus Report
Each profile is based on sound science. The research highlights four areas important to performance: how we think, involve others, inspire the people around us, and get things done. Each of these areas is made up of key behaviours which the questionnaire you completed measured at different levels.
Your profile and coaching comments, which tell you how you can improve your performance, are based on the consistency with which you use each behaviour as well as the level at which you use it. Remember all behaviours can be developed and the Development Planning section enables you to choose a behaviour to work on.
There are two options for accessing reports.
- Either – Delegates can be emailed a link to view their report or to down load a PDF copy.
- Alternatively –The coach or sponsor receives the report and controls the timing of the receipt of the report to the delegate.
PDF copies are then also sent to the sponsor, together with any requested team reports.
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What reports do participants get?
My360plus doesn’t stop with a paper report.
Participants get access to a fully interactive personal development site to explore their profile, decide on their development goal, to share with their network, for ongoing feedback.
My360plus is a unique, four-part development tool.
The online feedback process leads naturally into practical continuous development so the investment in the 360 is fully realised over time.
Participants receive a personalised digital report (pdf) with clear explanations, an integrated workbook, coaching tools and action planner. They can set short- or long-term development goals and invite feedback from their observers.
- Clear. The report is written clearly, with coaching tips against each behaviour
- Strengths-based. The report uses strengths rather than meaningless numbers, with easy to understand visuals of participants’ results.
- Excellence benchmark. The report benchmarks the participant against people with similar roles, operating at high levels within that role.
- Addresses limitations. It reports on limitations objectively, so participants know where to prioritise immediate development, as well as longer term growth.
- Clear and understandable. The report supports the individual’s learning and growth
What’s the Personal Development Plan?
My360plus offers participants a year-long development plan. After the participant receives their report, they can set individual development goals for each behaviour, to their own timetable.
Participants find this empowering; it helps them take ownership of their professional growth. It empowers them to own and drive their development process
The development plan includes a social feedback option. The system asks their observers to continue to give feedback; this can be via the tool itself – as free form comments on the executive dashboard – so participants can easily see it.
What’s ‘Social Feedback’?
Social feedback means ongoing feedback from the people that the participant nominated to give in the initial survey feedback. They are asked, by the system, whether they want to continue to support the participant.
- System prompts. The system prompts them to give feedback over the period of the participant’s development goal.
- Observable behaviours. Observers provide feedback for participants’ progress against the behaviours
- Observer choice. Observers can use the my360plus system, email or talk to the participant about their feedback.
Coaching Tips and Feedback
Participants can read up on the wealth of coaching tips included in the my360plus system.
- Objective content. My360plus provides an objective starting point for a feedback discussion with a line manager, project sponsor or coach.
- Stand-alone or integrated. Coaching and feedback can be stand-alone, or part of a wider coaching or leadership development programme.
Benchmarking
How is the benchmarking table calculated?
The data presented is built up of 15 years of profiling people from around the world, sorted into levels of experience.
Why is benchmarking important?
It is important so that you can position your profile against your level of experience. Research shows that as we gain experience and are exposed to more complexity and change, we tend to develop more high performance behaviours.
What does benchmarking tell me about my development?
If your profile is relatively undeveloped compared to others with similar levels of experience, this may indicate important development needs. Remember that no one has strengths in every area and the more experience of complex leadership roles you have, the more likely it is that you will develop behavioural strengths.
Different Observer Groups Responses
Why look at different observer groups responses?
It’s interesting to look at differences between different observer groups as this may show how you change your behaviour depending on who you are working with. You may for example behaviour differently to your boss than you direct reports.
How are the different statements grouped?
The system analyses statements which describe each Behaviour as a strategic, advanced, basic and negative levels. The statements are grouped in this order, with strategic level questions in darker green at the top and negative level questions in red at the bottom.
Are statement levels the same as ratings?
No. Your profile ratings (developing strength, strength etc.) are a complex analysis of all statements at all levels, which takes both the level and consistency of your behaviour into account.
How do I use my own report?
At the bottom of each page there is a 'suggested' next page which you can go to, although you can use the section icons above to jump to any section.
How do I get a hard copy of my own report from the online system?
The candidate can either select the ‘print page’ button at the bottom of each page, or alternatively download one or more sections (you can select which sections you need) by clicking ‘download PDFs’.
What kind of reports do people get?
- Each individual receives a full online feedback report, downloadable as an A4 formatted PDF. A valuable developmental document, with an objective profile of the individual’s strengths based on the observations of their colleagues. Each report contains a clear profile of the individual’s strengths, together with explanations and coaching suggestions for each behaviour measured.
- The individual has access to the my360plus system for 12 months allowing continuous use of the social feedback and development planning function as well as the ability to re-measure.
- The organisation receives: a PDF report for each participant, plus any requested team profiles. During the administration of the questionnaires, automated progress reports are always available.
Profiles in the report
How is my profile calculated?
Profile ratings are calculated by considering how consistently and at what level your observers saw a particular Behaviour. The overall rating in calculated from all your observers feedback, but not your self assessment data.
What does a warning triangle mean?
A warning triangle means that significant limiting Behaviour has been observed. See the approach section for more information
Why view by cluster?
Behaviours can be grouped into ‘clusters’ which contribute to broad areas of performance at work. By looking at your profile in clusters of Think, Involve, Inspire and Do, you can see the impact you have on these broad areas.
Why view by strength order?
No one has strengths in every area. By viewing your profile in strength order you can quickly see where you add the most value, or where you need to take the most care.
Why view a self-perception profile?
Your profile is created from your observers' data. By comparing it with your self-assessment, you can get an insight into your self-awareness, and how closely this matches how others see you.
Additional Report Options
My360plus offers additional reporting options to help you get the most from your investment.
Team Reports
Team reports can be for any size of team; they aggregate individual data to profile any group or team.
- Team strengths and gaps. This means that organisations can see where the strengths are across the team– and where the gaps lie.
- Flexible and scaleable. My360plus is scalable and flexible for small or large numbers; there’s no minimum or maximum team or organisation size.
Return on Investment (ROI) evidence
My360plus can demonstrate the ROI of your development project.
It takes the baseline measure with the 1st 360 report; then repeat the survey after any development activities and within 12 months - for only 50% of the fee
- Great value. Within the 12 months subscription period it is possible to do a second full survey for only 50% of the original cost.
- Assessment AND Development. My360plus is a unique, 3-in-1 assessment, social feedback and development tool.
- Measure ROI demonstrate progress and value in terms of high performance, talent or leadership development.
Is the 360 feedback report anonymous?
The purpose of a 360 degree survey is to get feedback from more than one viewpoint. We recommend a minimum number of colleague and direct report observers so that you can’t tell who gave the feedback. Of course, your own, and your Line Manager’s (boss’s) feedback is not anonymous.
In the my360plus survey it is also possible to add feedback categories, such as “Customers”, which increases the number of observers, although bear in mind that customers see you at your best, not in the heat of everyday situations!
Some people say they are willing to forego the anonymity in order to get the feedback they need, for example from a smaller team or group. The key challenge is that anonymous feedback is more objective and feels less personal than when you know who the feedback is from.
The my360plus Process & Outcomes
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How it works: the basics
Our quick-start process means we configure the system for you. All we need to get started is a list of names and email addresses (and GDPR permissions).
Step 1 Supply us with the list (having agreed GDPR and other security details)
Step 2 Organisation sends a positioning email to delegates and observers*
Step 3 Launch emails are sent that begin the process
Step 4 Reports are sent to the participant, coach or sponsor as required
Step 5 The individual takes charge of their development
Step 1: set-up
- You inform your candidates to expect a my360plus email, as part of their development
- Upon GDPR agreement, and receipt of the candidates email address, we send an email to invite them to nominate observers.
- Candidates are emailed with an initial link where they can nominate their network. They are also invited to complete their own self-score questionnaire.
Step 2: candidates choose (‘nominate’) their observers
Observers might be -
- The candidate’s manager(s), peers and direct reports.
- Ideally, a minimum of 3 or 4 peers and 3 or 5 direct reports.
- There is no upper limit on the total, though we recommend no more than 15 across all 3 categories.
- There is no additional charge for extra observers
Once this nomination is complete, each of the observers is sent a link where they can complete an online questionnaire giving feedback on the delegates ‘behaviour’ at work.
The questionnaire has 48 questions and takes 15 – 20 minutes to complete.
Step 3: keep the survey open
The survey will be open for a period of time to be agreed – we suggest 2 to 3 weeks, which allows for observers to be on holiday
During the survey period, observers will be prompted if they haven’t completed their return
Step 4: close the survey
- At the end of the survey, the digital report is made available to view online or download as a PDF report.
- We recommend that the coach introduces the participant to the report, rather than them seeing it first
Step 5: year-round development
Individual development goals
- Over the following 12 months, the participant can select a development goal – one of the 12 leadership behaviours – and set a time frame (say 4 weeks).
- There is no limit to how many times in the year the participant can use this facility, though we recommend working on no more than 6 behaviours in a year.
Feedback and Live Coaching
- Feedback sessions should be delivered by people familiar with the high-performance behaviours and the my360plus See Training, below.
- An initial feedback session could last between 1-2 hours. 1 hour for feedback, 2 hours to identify key ambitions and development goals.
- We recommend one coaching session per month for six months, to embed the leadership behaviours.
Other Set-up Processes
- Communications: We recommend the project sponsor sends a note to ‘position’ the exercise and to ensure that the delegates are expecting the invitation emails from my360plus.
- All administration, feedback and reporting is done securely online. Just sit back while the fully automated my360plus system works.
- Automatic email reminders are sent throughout the process if needed. Progress reports are produced as required.
- Once all the feedback is competed - typically 3 weeks after launch – the data is processed
- There are two options for the next – Report - step.
Either - Delegates are emailed a link to view their report or to down load a PDF copy.
Alternatively -The coach or sponsor receives the report and controls the timing of the receipt of the report to the delegate.
- PDF copies are then also sent to the sponsor, together with any requested team reports.
Timescales
- As soon as we have delegate contact emails, and we have confirmation that the exercise has been positioned, we can launch the process.
- Typically it takes 3 weeks from this point for delegates to nominate their observer network, complete their self-assessment; for their observers to give their feedback and for us to process the individual and team reports.
- The individual will then drive their own development for one year.
- Reports are available as required.
Support for programme managers, participants and observers
- Video and technical support to participants and observers
- Dashboard and technical support to programme managers
- Clear, easy to understand feedback and reports
Training
We offer three types of training – each one a blend of live learning and Elearning.
- To give feedback: in the high-performance behaviours and the my360plus tool
- For team leaders and managers: an introduction from one of our experts in high-performance behaviours
- For coaches and consultants: Mastery in Leadership Coaching: an accredited course in coaching against the high-performance behaviours.
The my360plus Development Focus
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Development focus
Recommended development approach
The best strategy for performing to a high level is to develop a core of ‘Strengths’ over time. No one has all 12 Behaviours at ‘Strength’ level and most people have aspects of their skill set that are ‘Undeveloped’.
Eliminate any limitations
If you have limitations in any skill it implies this is having a negative impact on performance and you should take action to eliminate these irrespective of the core of strengths you are building.
Choose one behaviour to develop
It is best to focus on developing just one Behaviour. Look to develop a ‘developing strength’ into a full ‘strength’ or maybe a ‘strength’ into a ‘strategic strength’. Sometimes your role may mean you really need to develop a behaviour with an ‘adding value’ or even ‘undeveloped’ rating.
Work with others with complementary strengths
If you have areas where you are ‘undeveloped’ try to work with others who have strengths in these areas.
Do I need strengths in every Behaviour?
No. Nobody has strengths in all 12 areas. As you gain experience, you should build on core strengths you have.
Where should I start?
If you have any significant limiting Behaviour that is actually eroding value and reducing your performance at work, you should work to stop this first.
The Coaching Sections of the Reports
The coaching section describes what each Behaviour looks like at the level the respondent is operating at and gives specific guidance.
Use the menu on the right to view explanations and coaching comments for every Behaviour.
How are these comments structured?
The first part of each comment describes what is typically seen for that behaviour at the level at which you use it, as well as the likely impact on performance. The second part gives specific coaching you can use to develop this behaviour if appropriate.
How are the coaching comments created?
The comments have been created by experienced coaches who have observed and coached countless individuals as they develop their personal and business leadership.
Development Goals
Step 1
Select or change your development goal
In this section participants can select the development goal they wish to work on. Currently selected goals are highlighted in red.
To select or change a development goal, simply select it and click the 'select development goal' button.
- The participant chooses a specific behaviour that they want to develop.
- The definition of the behaviour is defined.
- The participant’s objective is defined
- The target date is defined
Example:
“Your current development goal is to develop concept formation, which is about making sense of information and in particular coming up with bigger ideas when creating soultions or solving problems. It involves seeing the 'bigger picture' when being creative or getting to the 'root cause' when solving problems.
Your objective for this behaviour is to encourage and enable others through actions, systems and processes to build this strength into a strategic strength.
You have chosen to work on this until 06/08/2018”
How often should I change goals?
You can change goals whenever you like, but we would recommend that you only do so after a period of time, when you really feel that you have made progress with your existing goal.
Step 2
Next, choose how long do you want to work on your development goal
You can choose the period of time over which you wish to work on you goal. This will be used to help schedule any reminders we send you and your network if you have shared your goal with them.
How long should I choose?
Give yourself enough time to practice the behaviours we suggest, but not so long that the goal slips your mind. Most people choose around 6 or 8 weeks.
How many goals should I select?
The my360plus system allows you to choose just one development goal at a time. This is the most effective way to build your profile, because it focuses conscious effort on that behaviour. Research shows that development is most effective if you share your goals with others.
Who will see what I have selected?
Your programme sponsor will be able to see your development goal so that Training Needs Analysis can be undertaken. In addition, if you have chosen to share your goal with your network, they will obviously be aware of what you are working on.
Selecting the Support Network
The participant selects supporters in their network who have agreed to support the participant on their development goal(s).
Thoughout the development period, the my360plus system sends them reminders which include specific things for them to look out for related to the chosen development goal.
This helps them give the participant specific and focused feedback.
If the participant doesn’t want them to continue receiving these periodic reminders, they simply click on the link next to their name.
Who should I share my development goal with?
You can share with any of your network who have chosen to give you ongoing support and feedback.
Why don't I see my entire network listed?
We only list the people who have actively volunteered to give ongoing support when they completed their feedback survey.
What should I select?
You should try to stop any negative behaviours you exhibit, as these actually reduce performance. Otherwise you should build on strengths you already have, for example building a developing strength into a full strength, or a strength into a strategic strength.
Sometimes, the context in which you work may mean you have to work on an undeveloped behaviour. Remember it may be better to work with others who have this strength rather than try to develop a behaviour you are not inclined to exhibit.
What message will they receive?
This is a sample (for the ‘empathy’ behaviour) of the email the support network will receive:
Subject: Francis Field has shared a development goal with you
Body: Hi Ben,
Thank you for giving Francis Field feedback recently. Francis has now received a full profile and coaching based on all the feedback from his network.
You kindly offered to give him some on-going support and so Francis has asked us to share his current development goal.
Francis has decided to work on developing the Empathy behaviour, which is about completely understanding what is in the other person’s head from their point of view - their true feelings, thoughts and ideas. It is the "receive" part in effective two-way communication.
Over the next few weeks, whenever you are working with Francis, it would be great if you could point out to him when he:
Builds rapport with a client or team member by being really attentive • Encourages colleagues to be open and honest with each other
Summarises someone else’s presentation demonstrating they have understood them
Uses good open questions and listening to really understand someone else’s point of view These things add to Francis’s performance and your recognition and support will really help. Equally, it would really help him if you could also point out any occasions when he:
Does not listen to someone’s point of view
Over talks or interrupts people when they are talking
These behaviours obviously erode performance, and it would be really helpful to Francis if you can point out when he does these things.
Give feedback however you feel most comfortable - Online, face to face, in an email or over the phone.
Remember Francis has chosen to share this goal with you and really does value your feedback and support.
Thanks
Removing people from the support network
Why might I want to remove someone from my support network?
There could be several reasons. The most common is that the person concerned no longer interacts with the respondent regularly. They may well have asked to be removed from the list for this development goal.
Not everyone I shared my goal with now appears on the list. Why is that?
The support network can manage their own involvement as well.
If a respondent shared a goal with someone and they no longer appear on the list, most likely they have opted out of receiving ongoing feedback support emails.
Measuring Development Outcomes
The my360plus multi-rater tool measures behaviours against the evidence-base, supports development through:
- Clear behavioural definitions
- Clear reporting
- Benchmarking
- Coaching tips
- Customisable development goals
In addition, customers can use the my360plus retake service to measure impacts. The tool is available as a year-long licence for individuals' – or teams' – development. This means that the reports can be used as a ‘before’ (baseline) and ‘after’ (impacts) measure at low cost and to a consistent model.
Any development interventions can be assessed against the impacts of observed behaviours by observers.
My360plus is a way to measure behaviour, develop high-performance in individuals and teams; it provides continuous learning, and measures impacts of learning interventions.
FAQs from Participants, Professionals & Observers
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How do I get 360 feedback?
As a participant (sometimes called a ‘candidate’ or ‘delegate’) you get feedback by completing your own self-assessment survey and nominating your boss, colleagues and direct reports to complete your 360 survey.
You request 360 feedback through an automated email sent to the people you nominate. Please note, it’s vital that you put the correct email address into the system! In addition, we recommend you tell people personally about your development, so they know you’re actively seeking their support.
The my360plus survey also asks your nominated observers if they want to continue giving you feedback during your year’s subscription to the my360plus service. This means they can give you feedback on specific development goals.
Once you have your initial my360plus report, you’ll discover how to set and achieve the best goals for your professional development.
How often should 360 feedback be used?
We recommend that a 360 survey should be used to set a benchmark, usually at the beginning of a development programme. Thereafter, the my360plus survey can be re-taken; usually at 6 months or 1-year intervals. This helps to identify progress and measure ROI.
What’s the difference between feedback and coaching?
We use the term ‘feedback’ to reflect, as accurately as possible, the report contents. We recommend a minimal ‘interpretation’, giving neutral feedback in non-judgemental ways.
We use the term ‘coaching’ to encourage the participant to take responsibility for their own development, by using the skills of listening, reflecting, supporting and asking powerful questions to support that development.
How to review the 360 feedback?
Nominating and completing the survey by the participant is initial evidence of commitment to the learning and development process. The report gives the feedback in a range of ways and this helps to pinpoint development areas.
Our approach to development recommends addressing any limitations (behaviours with a ‘warning triangle’) as a priority, so that any negative behaviours are neutralised and improved. Then we recommend building on strengths: consistency is key and finding ways to improve consistency will yield great results.
For senior leadership development building key strengths into ‘strategic strengths’ that is – embedding these high-performance behaviours into the culture of the organisation, will deliver organisation-wide benefits.
What do I say in 360 feedback?
The my360plus survey asks you to rate the participant (your colleague) against the behaviours you’ve observed and how often you see these happening with an easy-to-use slider scale.
It’s important to be honest – neither to over-praise someone, nor to under-report. Fairness is key. If we over-praise, people will think they’ve nothing to develop – and none of us is perfect! If we under-report we’re being unfair to someone’s behaviours which can discourage people.
The free-text questions are your opportunity to comment anonymously; but again, remember that this is a human being who will read what you say. Even if they don’t know it’s you giving the feedback, they still have feelings!
Whether you are giving feedback to your boss or a colleague we encourage you to be fair and constructive in your feedback. Put yourselves in their shoes and think how you’d like to receive what you’re saying.
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