How to talk to your team about your 360 feedback

Thank the people who answered, tell them what you heard most clearly, and name the one or two things you will do differently. Share themes, not scores, and never try to figure out who said what. Then ask them to tell you what they notice, and check in from time to time, because that follow-up is what turns a 360 into change people can see.

Why the conversation matters

Talking about your 360 is the step that research keeps linking to change. Marshall Goldsmith and Howard Morgan reviewed leadership programs at 8 companies, covering 11,480 managers and more than 86,000 short follow-up surveys from the managers' co-workers. Leaders who discussed their improvement priorities with their co-workers, and then regularly followed up, "showed striking improvement."

Leaders in the same programs who did not have that ongoing dialogue showed improvement that "barely exceeded random chance." In the authors' words, they are "not necessarily bad leaders; they are just not seen as getting better."

The study shows a link, not proof of cause. It comes from the authors' own client programs and was published in a business magazine, not a peer-reviewed journal.

A peer-reviewed study that followed 252 managers for 5 years found the same pattern: those who met with their direct reports to discuss their feedback improved more than other managers (Walker and Smither, 1999). Managers also improved more in the years they had that conversation than in the years they did not. The ratings came from direct reports only.

A review of the research, including a pooled analysis of 24 studies, concludes that people are likely to improve after a 360 only if they act on their feedback, for example by discussing it with others (Smither, London and Reilly, 2005). Across those 24 studies, the average improvement was small, but the authors point out that an average across every question can hide real change in the two or three things a leader chose to work on.

Talking is a start, not the whole job. In a study of 5,335 people, sharing feedback and asking for suggestions was linked to more improvement, but it explained only a small part of why some improved more than others (Smither and colleagues, 2004). The change is still yours to make.

So the 360 tells you what to work on. The conversations after it are how people find out you are working on it.

What to tell your direct reports

They see your leadership up close every day, so they are often the first to notice a change.

Share: The two or three themes you heard most clearly, in your own words, including one strength you will keep. Themes, not scores: numbers start a debate about the numbers, and themes start a conversation about what you do.
Commit to: One or two changes, in words that describe behavior. "I will explain the reasoning before a decision lands" beats "I will communicate better."
Ask for: Help spotting the change. Ask them to tell you when they see it, and when they see you slip back.

What to tell your manager

Your manager can make room for the change and back you when it gets hard.

Share: A few sentences on what the 360 showed, the one or two things you will work on, and why you chose them.
Commit to: The same one or two changes your direct reports hear about. One plan, told the same way to everyone.
Ask for: The support that would help, such as time or a project where you can practice the change, and a word from them when they notice a difference.

What to say to your peers

Peers see you where your direct reports do not: in meetings across the organization, and when your goals pull against theirs.

Share: Less than with your direct reports. One theme that touches your work together is enough.
Commit to: One change they will be able to see, such as how you handle disagreement in meetings you share.
Ask for: A word when they see it, good or bad, in the moment or soon after.

The words to use

Short beats polished. Put these in your own words.

To open

"I want to thank everyone who answered my 360. I've read all of it."
"I'm not going to try to figure out who said what. I want to tell you what I heard and what I'm going to do about it."

To share a theme

"The clearest message was that decisions change late and you don't hear why. That's fair."
"A strength that came through is that I protect your focus time. I'm keeping that."

To commit

"I'm working on one thing first: explaining the reasoning before a decision lands."

To ask for help

"If you see me get it right, tell me. If you see me slip back, tell me that too."
"What's one thing I could do that would make this better for you?"

With your manager

"Here's what my 360 showed, and the one thing I'm working on."
"What would help most is hearing from you when you notice a difference."

With a peer

"I got my 360 back. One thing I'm working on is how I handle disagreement in our shared meetings. If you see it, good or bad, I'd like to hear."

If it stung

"Some of this was hard to read. I'm grateful for the honesty."
"I'm not going to argue with it. I'm going to work on it."

Keep it going

The first conversation opens the work. In Goldsmith and Morgan's data, what set leaders apart was coming back to it, and leaders who ask for input and then follow up "are seen as people who care."

A check-in can take 2 minutes at the end of a one-on-one, or after a meeting that tested the change. How often is up to you. What matters is that you keep asking.

Ask what people noticed, not how you are doing. "Have you noticed any difference?" gets you information. "Am I doing better?" gets you reassurance.

"A while ago I said I'd work on explaining the reasoning before a decision lands. Have you noticed any difference?"
"What would make it better?"

When someone tells you something, thank them, and if it stings, say what you will try next. That is what keeps the next answer honest too.

Mistakes to avoid

Asking who said what. That includes guessing out loud, and asking someone to explain a comment, which is the same question in other words. In a small experiment with 38 managers in one insurance company, direct reports who had to sign their names rated their manager significantly higher than those who answered anonymously (Antonioni, 1994). Hunting for who said what teaches people to answer more kindly next time, and any later 360 tells you less.
Defending yourself. Explaining why a comment is unfair tells people that honesty has a cost. If something seems wrong, sleep on it and look for the pattern before you say anything.
Promising too much. You will keep one or two changes, and people will remember the rest. The leaders in Goldsmith and Morgan's study were asked to pick 1 to 3 areas.
Saying nothing. People who took the time to answer notice the silence. Goldsmith and Morgan warn that co-workers "might well infer that leaders who don't respond to feedback must not care very much."
Fishing for reassurance. Asking "Was it really that bad?" puts people on the spot and teaches them to soften what they say next time.

How 360review helps

If you run a follow-up 360 with 360review, the people who answer are also asked whether you have talked with them about what your last 360 showed. Once at least 5 people have answered that question, you see how many said yes, such as "6 of the 9 who answered," and never who said what. So you learn whether the conversation reached people, not only whether you had it.

How to give 360 feedback. The other side: how to answer a 360 so it helps.
How to interpret your scores. What each number in a 360 report is telling you.
Your scores were low. Now what? How to respond when the results hurt.

Frequently asked questions

Should I share my 360 results with my team?

Yes, in part. Share the two or three themes you heard, the one or two things you will work on, and how people can help. Your scores can stay with you, and asking who said what is never part of it.

How much of my 360 should I share?

As much as you like, as long as you share themes in your own words and never quote anyone's comments. What helps most fits in a few minutes: one strength, one or two changes, and a request to tell you what they notice. Scores tend to start a debate about the numbers rather than a conversation about what you do.

What if my 360 feedback was harsh?

Talk anyway, and keep it short: thank people, name one thing you will work on, and leave out the defense. Low results are a starting point, not a verdict. In a 5-year study, managers who were first rated poor or moderate improved significantly, more than you would expect from low scores simply drifting back toward the average (Walker and Smither, 1999).

What should I tell my manager about my 360?

A few sentences on what it showed, the one or two things you will work on, and what support would help. Then ask them to tell you when they notice a difference. Your manager should hear the same plan your direct reports hear.

How soon after getting my 360 results should I talk to my team?

Soon, once your first reaction has settled. Give yourself a day or two, then talk while people still remember answering, before the silence starts to speak for you.

What if I can't tell who said what?

That is how it should be. The answers are anonymous so people can be honest, and keeping them that way is what makes any later 360 honest too. Talk to everyone about the pattern, not to one person about a guess.

Should I talk to everyone together or one by one?

Either works. A meeting is a good place to thank everyone and name what you will work on. A one-on-one is where it is easier for someone to tell you what they have noticed.

Sources

Goldsmith, M., and Morgan, H. (2004). Leadership is a contact sport: The "follow-up factor" in management development. strategy+business, issue 36. www.strategy-business.com/article/04307
Walker, A. G., and Smither, J. W. (1999). A five-year study of upward feedback: What managers do with their results matters. Personnel Psychology, 52(2), 393-423. doi.org/10.1111/j.1744-6570.1999.tb00166.x
Smither, J. W., London, M., and Reilly, R. R. (2005). Does performance improve following multisource feedback? A theoretical model, meta-analysis, and review of empirical findings. Personnel Psychology, 58(1), 33-66. doi.org/10.1111/j.1744-6570.2005.514_1.x
Smither, J. W., London, M., Reilly, R. R., Flautt, R., Vargas, Y., and Kucine, I. (2004). Discussing multisource feedback with raters and performance improvement. Journal of Management Development, 23(5), 456-468. doi.org/10.1108/02621710410537065
Antonioni, D. (1994). The effects of feedback accountability on upward appraisal ratings. Personnel Psychology, 47(2), 349-356. doi.org/10.1111/j.1744-6570.1994.tb01728.x