The impact of leadership, good or bad, is demonstrated by the sheer number of resources available on the topic. There are so many theories out there on what it means to be a good leader and how to best manage people. With this abundance of information, it’s too distracting for leaders to narrow down what they should really be focusing on. How can they develop their skills in a way that matters to their company and team?
The solution is to get feedback directly from the people that their leadership affects, normally via a 360-degree feedback tool. But 360s can often be viewed as time-consuming work, and when that work is complete, the results are often too overwhelming to take any action. Marcus Buckingham writes in the Harvard Business Review that the problem stems from traditional 360s collecting “bad data.” If you don’t get the right information – or if you get way too much information – it’s hard to know what the next steps should be. So what’s the alternative?
A better 360.
The McQuaig 360 Leadership Review is a simpler 360-degree feedback tool, designed to provide a clear path of action for effective leadership development. By focusing on the major problems that exist with traditional 360s, we built a solution that’s easier to use, more relevant, and more empowering for your organization’s leaders. Here’s how the McQuaig 360 Leadership Review differs from traditional 360s:
Problem: Traditional 360s are painful to complete
Unless you’re asking them to do something they love, not many people get excited when you add another task to do their to-do list. And completing a lengthy questionnaire doesn’t sound like something most people would love. The problem is that many 360s assessments are just that – a lengthy questionnaire. And if it’s painful to complete, your respondents might not care to write helpful comments, which are the most valuable thing to collect.
Solution: A quick, easy and mobile 360
The McQuaig 360 Leadership Review is a simpler 360-degree feedback tool. On average, it takes only 12 minutes to complete – and that includes time for comments. Respondents can also take the assessment whenever it’s convenient for them, since it can be accessed on mobile devices. By removing the sense of burden that comes with completing a 360, we’ve created a better experience for all participants. You’ll see the difference in higher response rate and higher-quality feedback.
Problem: Traditional 360s produce lengthy and confusing results
Don’t you love receiving a 50-page report with more detail than you know what to do with? Yeah – us neither. If information isn’t clear and actionable, it’s hard to determine what to do with it. If you go through the process of conducting a 360, you’d better have something that spells out what to do next. Unfortunately, that’s exactly what happens with a lot of traditional 360 assessments. Without actionable next steps, you’re just wasting time and energy.
Solution: A 360 with a streamlined, clear and actionable report
Our 360-degree feedback tool offers a streamlined view of the results, highlighting major areas for improvement or recognition. See where perceptions differ between the subject and the other respondents to uncover behaviours that a leader might not realize they’re demonstrating. Dig into the comments to obtain specific examples of behaviour that should either be encouraged or avoided. Find out what they should do more or less of, based on what’s actually necessary for their particular role. And using this information, create an action plan based on the major themes revealed. Instead of forcing you to wade through murky, unclear information, like other 360s do, the McQuaig 360 Leadership Review acts as a bridge to get you to the other side and into the development phase.
Problem: Traditional 360s don’t identify natural strengths and weaknesses
Even if you mange to extract what skills a leader should be working towards, you may find that they struggle to develop those skills. Alternatively, you might invest a ton of resources into training and development, only to find that those skills come naturally to that person. In many 360s, there’s a missing component: the evaluation of personality traits.
Solution: A 360 that integrates with personality insights
Every personality trait has associated strengths and weaknesses that come across in leadership situations. Being able to connect a desired behaviour with a personality trait enables you to see whether someone is naturally suited to display that behaviour, or if they’ll need additional support to do so. If you have this knowledge, you can create a better development plan that truly suits each employee. In some cases, you may need regular coaching; in other situations, your leaders may just need to know that they can stop holding back and let that personality trait shine. Either way, it’s nice to know all of this before you decide on your plan of attack – and the McQuaig 360 Leadership Survey has you covered.
Leadership is paramount to the success of your company, and our goal is to help you support your leaders. That why we’ve created the McQuaig 360 Leadership Review to be simpler and easier to use than other 360-degree feedback tools. Get rid of annoying surveys, remove clutter from your reports, and focus on creating realistic and resource-friendly action plans with the McQuaig 360 Leadership Review.