Self Survey or 360:  You Choose! 

Have you ever had a boss who asked:  “How am I doing?  In your opinion, am I supervising/leading you in a good way?”  

I thought not.  Neither have I; but what a great thing to ask.  And what great feedback you might get.  In fact, there are a lot of specific leadership areas to think about.

Below is a list of the leadership characteristics that anyone would agree are important.  As a self-assessment, it is designed to identify important personal strengths as well as areas where improvement is needed. Simply evaluate your satisfaction level in the 30 areas below by checking one answer per question. 

Additionally, you can ask your employees and colleagues to anonymously rate you.  Just remember to accept their feedback graciously with absolutely no repercussion..    

Self Assessment                  or            360 Assessment

As the leader I:                                    As the leader you:

1. Create an atmosphere of mutual trust.
O Very Satisfied    O Satisfied    O Dissatisfied    O Very Dissatisfied

2. Demonstrate honest, ethical behavior in all transactions.
O Very Satisfied    O Satisfied    O Dissatisfied    O Very Dissatisfied

3. Lead by example as in “doing what I ask others to do.”
O Very Satisfied    O Satisfied    O Dissatisfied    O Very Dissatisfied

4. Demonstrate courage in all transactions.
O Very Satisfied    O Satisfied    O Dissatisfied    O Very Dissatisfied

5. Communicate a clear vision with recognizable goals for the organization and its people.
O Very Satisfied    O Satisfied    O Dissatisfied    O Very Dissatisfied

6. State expectations clearly and confirm understanding.
O Very Satisfied    O Satisfied    O Dissatisfied    O Very Dissatisfied

7. Expect people to be accountable and offer support.
O Very Satisfied    O Satisfied    O Dissatisfied    O Very Dissatisfied

8. Translate organizational goals practically and meaningfully for people from the lowest level to the highest level.
O Very Satisfied    O Satisfied    O Dissatisfied    O Very Dissatisfied

9. Make and communicate decisions promptly.
O Very Satisfied    O Satisfied    O Dissatisfied    O Very Dissatisfied

10. Resolve conflict with the goal for all to succeed.
O Very Satisfied    O Satisfied    O Dissatisfied    O Very Dissatisfied

11. Communicate with charisma and effectiveness to groups.
O Very Satisfied    O Satisfied    O Dissatisfied    O Very Dissatisfied

12. Take responsibility for decisions without finger pointing.
O Very Satisfied    O Satisfied    O Dissatisfied    O Very Dissatisfied

13. Involve others in planning actions.
O Very Satisfied    O Satisfied    O Dissatisfied    O Very Dissatisfied

14. Praise people for work well done.
O Very Satisfied    O Satisfied    O Dissatisfied    O Very Dissatisfied

15. Delegate in a way that encourages others to have full ownership.
O Very Satisfied    O Satisfied    O Dissatisfied    O Very Dissatisfied

16. Appropriately provide authority to others to make decisions.
O Very Satisfied    O Satisfied    O Dissatisfied    O Very Dissatisfied

17. Believe in and provide training that teaches leadership, teamwork and technical skills.
O Very Satisfied    O Satisfied    O Dissatisfied    O Very Dissatisfied

18. Implement innovation as a method to improve performance.
O Very Satisfied    O Satisfied    O Dissatisfied    O Very Dissatisfied

19. Demonstrate no tolerance for organizational turfing or “them and us” scenarios.
O Very Satisfied    O Satisfied    O Dissatisfied    O Very Dissatisfied

20. Create forums to celebrate organizational successes .
O Very Satisfied    O Satisfied    O Dissatisfied    O Very Dissatisfied

21. Support and demonstrate efficient management of personal stress levels.
O Very Satisfied    O Satisfied    O Dissatisfied    O Very Dissatisfied

22. Support and demonstrate balance between leadership responsibilities, family and outside activities.
O Very Satisfied    O Satisfied    O Dissatisfied    O Very Dissatisfied

23. Support and facilitate efficient cross functional communication that results in few project or production delays.
O Very Satisfied    O Satisfied    O Dissatisfied    O Very Dissatisfied

24. Manage impending change, real or rumored, efficiently.
O Very Satisfied    O Satisfied    O Dissatisfied    O Very Dissatisfied

25. Encourage at least 80% of the organization’s communications to close immediately in some form.
O Very Satisfied    O Satisfied    O Dissatisfied    O Very Dissatisfied

26. Use time constructively and efficiently.
O Very Satisfied    O Satisfied    O Dissatisfied    O Very Dissatisfied

27. Help people by listening without pre-judging.
O Very Satisfied    O Satisfied    O Dissatisfied    O Very Dissatisfied

28. Have excellent relationships with work associates regardless of position in the organization.
O Very Satisfied    O Satisfied    O Dissatisfied    O Very Dissatisfied

29. Am accessible to communication.
O Very Satisfied    O Satisfied    O Dissatisfied    O Very Dissatisfied

30. Encourage people to communicate their differing opinions.
O Very Satisfied    O Satisfied    O Dissatisfied    O Very Dissatisfied

Yet when it comes to a necessity, a preventative, or something I consider boring, I’ll procrastinate.  Does root canal come to anyone’s mind?  What sounds better:  $250 for a filling or $1,250 for the drill and destroy?  Of course $250 sounds better to the rational person.  But we are not always rational when it comes to spending money on something that is considered preventative.   After all, there’s often nothing shiny to show for it.  Remember the commercial years ago about replacing Fram Oil filters during each oil change that went:  “you can pay me now or pay me later.” 

Such is the case in employee hiring and promotions.  You can spend a little money up front or spend a lot later in terminations and re-hiring.   Why am I so sure of this outcome?  Because there is a fundamental flaw in the hiring and promotion process; a flaw that costs municipalities and American companies, millions of dollars per year. 

Here is the problem.  Jobs are often given to those who are most likable during an interview.  We imbue “attractive” or likable people with all sorts of positive qualities whether these attributes are actually there or not.  The result is a lack of job fit. 

And what about the inherent flaw in promotions?  Simple.  Promotions are given to people who have performed admirably, but usually in a technical sense.  A promotion to a supervisory position however means that more people skills are required.   On average almost 70% of supervisors are given failing marks by their employees and the reasons usually have to do with an overall lack of people skills.

For those who are initiated, job fit testing has rapidly become sine qua non for hiring.  These assessments reveal a ton about a candidate’s intellectual capacity, behavioral tendencies, manageability, decision-making ability, attitude, energy level, sociability, and assertiveness to name just a few.  Most importantly, the assessment can give decision-makers a clear picture of the candidates abilities compared to a benchmark of  successful employees in like positions around the country. 

Whenever I hear an interviewer say “I have good instincts about people,” I get nervous.  Study after study has shown that we are terrible judges of people and their abilities.  We are even worse at predicting their future success.  I’ve used these assessments for the past 10 years with overwhelming success.  The primary adjustment we’ll all have to make is in trusting the instrument and spending the dollars up front on putting the right person in the slot.  Extracting them later is like getting a root canal; painful and preventable.