Eight out of ten employees see crowdsourced feedback as more accurate than a review crafted solely by the boss. And those who receive regular colleague analysis are 21% more likely to be satisfied in their roles (source: Globoforce).
In the latest in our series of dealing with common feedback in the workplace, we take a look at how four women tackled the sometimes useful, often tricky peer review.
PREPARE YOURSELF FOR 360 FEEDBACK BY FIRST CONDUCTING A THOROUGH SELF-EVALUATION
“One of my clients was shocked by the negative responses to her 360-degree review, which faulted her for being demanding and pressuring colleagues around deadlines. She had never thought seriously about her strengths and weaknesses, so
she was unprepared for the blowback. I advised her to be gracious; after all, she herself had nominated the individuals who devoted time, energy, and thought to the review process. She used it as an opportunity to go back to them and
say, ‘Thank you for investing the time, for filling out the survey, and writing comments. I’ve thought about what you said and I’d love to talk about ways we can work together better’. After some careful self-analysis, she realised that
what other people saw as weaknesses were really ‘strengths on steroids’. Because she was strong during deadline pressure, she ended up being too demanding of colleagues who owed her assignments for client meetings or projects. She went
back to her peers to explain how she operates and to express her commitment to working better together.”
The lesson: You might not be able to predict exactly what colleagues will highlight about you, but in asking for their feedback you are asking them for a rounded assessment (i.e. positives and negatives). So though you should expect the
latter, you can limit the force of the blow by taking a good hard look at where you need to improve from your own point of view too, and having a plan for how you’ll address these.
CHOOSE WISELY WHO YOU REQUEST FEEDBACK FROM – AND USE YOUR JUDGMENT WHEN ASSESSING ITS MERITS
“About six months into my new job I was offered coaching and a 360-degree review as part of a development program for new partners. When I met with the coach before the review, I asked that he interview specific people. I knew I had
many fans in the organisation but was more curious to hear from some new peers and potential detractors. The feedback report was primarily positive but included some useful areas of development around building a more commercial approach
and developing a stronger team. The review also included some harsh feedback about me as a person, indicating that some reviewers thought my style ‘irritating’. The coach noted that this was something he heard from a very small number
of people. I was taken aback as these were criticisms I hadn’t heard before – it just wasn’t aligned with my sense of who I am. Rather than reacting right away, I took the time to reflect and consulted a more senior partner who had
given me some frank, career-changing advice in the past. He agreed that the feedback didn’t resonate and asked me to think about whether there was any truth in it. If there wasn’t, he advised me to let it go. ‘Feedback sometimes is a
gift that comes with a gift receipt,’ he said. Ultimately, I chose to work on the things in the report that rang true.”
The lesson: Stretch yourself by requesting feedback from those outside your immediate circle, but in asking for review from those with less direct experience of your work and behaviours you will need to prepare yourself for some
surprises. Keep an open mind when decided what to take on board and what to choose to ignore.
WHEN REQUESTING FEEDBACK, BE AS SPECIFIC AS POSSIBLE TO GET THE MOST USEFUL ADVICE
“I was concerned that I was not getting critical feedback from colleagues and supervisors. The company I worked for had exhaustive assessments but I only got good feedback, and most of my development actions cantered around expanding
existing competencies. I was struggling to find a path to taking on leadership roles, and was beginning to wonder if my lack of critical feedback impacted my ability to find the leadership roles. In other words, I wondered if people
tip-toed around what skills, competencies, and potential intangibles I lacked to make me feel good, but didn’t really do much to help me improve on areas I needed to achieve my career goal of taking on senior leadership roles. The
trick, I concluded, was figuring out how to extract that information from people. I scheduled a meeting with my boss and stated that I really value critical feedback, and would be hugely grateful to hear candid thoughts on how I could
move up. It helped that I was specific about where I wanted to go, so that my boss could frame any pointers around what was potentially standing in my view. We now hold mini debriefs after projects where I talk through elements I
struggled with and I get some guidance on what I could have done differently, bringing in co-workers where relevant.”
The lesson: “What three things might get in the way of me taking on a leadership role?” is likely to produce much more tangible feedback than an open request for general review. It also gives co-workers a strong indication that you’re
looking for growth-orientated feedback and that what they have to say could help you – hence they’re more likely to feel permission to be honest.
BE QUIET AND JUST LISTEN!
“I have a big personality and I began to wonder if that played a role in my manager and co-workers being reluctant to give me feedback. I approached my manager and asked for a totally honest conversation, and the gist of what came back
was that because of my energy and frankness, conversations could sometimes be ‘tiring’. I took that as a sign that if I wanted to get the truth from people, I’d need to give them room to have their say without getting too involved.”
The lesson: Avoid reacting, challenging or questioning in the moment; make a commitment to listening to what’s being said and mulling it over in your own time before you follow up.
Sources: adapted from Forbes, Harvard Business Review, Askamanager.com
From the series on dealing with common feedback
