Understanding Your 360
Feedback Report and
Action Planning
© Envisia Learning 2
Understanding Your 360 Feedback
Report and Action Planning
Table of Contents
MODULE 1 360-Degree Assessment and Feedback
Overview
Introduction ....................................................................................................................... 5
Learning Objectives .......................................................................................................... 5
Purpose of 360-Degree Assessment and Feedback ...................................................... 6
Three Basic Questions ............................................................................................... 6
The Johari Window .......................................................................................................... 7
MODULE 2 Reading and Interpreting the 360-degree
feedback results
Introduction ....................................................................................................................... 9
Learning Objectives .......................................................................................................... 9
What is Feedback? .......................................................................................................... 10
Exercise: Chris Sample, Full-Court Press, Part I ....................................................... 11
How to Read Feedback Results .................................................................................... 13
Exercise: Chris Sample, Full-Court Press, Part II ...................................................... 16
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MODULE 3 Receiving 360-degree feedback results
Introduction ..................................................................................................................... 18
Learning Objectives ........................................................................................................ 18
Questions to Consider When Receiving Feedback .................................................... 19
Guidelines for Reading One’s Feedback Results ....................................................... 19
MODULE 4 Reacting to Feedback Results
Introduction ..................................................................................................................... 21
Learning Objectives ........................................................................................................ 21
Exercise: Reacting to Feedback Results ...................................................................... 22
Emotional Reactions to Receiving Feedback .............................................................. 23
MODULE 5 Interpreting Your Feedback Results
Introduction ..................................................................................................................... 26
Learning Objectives ........................................................................................................ 26
Exercise: Interpreting Your Feedback Results ........................................................... 27
Obtaining Additional Feedback ................................................................................... 28
Exercise: Charting Your Feedback Results ................................................................ 30
MODULE 6 Turning Feedback into Action
Introduction ..................................................................................................................... 31
Learning Objectives ........................................................................................................ 31
Issues Around Behavioral Changes ............................................................................. 32
Exercise: Identifying Personal Forces around Behavioral Changes ....................... 33
MODULE 7 Development Planning
Introduction ..................................................................................................................... 34
Learning Objective ......................................................................................................... 34
Development Planning Guidelines .............................................................................. 35
Exercise: Selecting Goals and Competencies ............................................................. 38
Exercise: Creating a Practice Plans .............................................................................. 47
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MODULE 8 Development Plan Implementation
Introduction ..................................................................................................................... 49
Learning Objectives ........................................................................................................ 49
Development Plan Implementation Steps .................................................................. 50
Issues around Implementation ..................................................................................... 52
The Value of Celebration .............................................................................................. 53
Appendix
Sample Development Plan Worksheet
© Envisia Learning 5
In this module…
Purpose of 360-Degree
Assessment and Feedback
The Johari Window
Module 1
360-Degree Assessment and
Feedback Overview
INTRODUCTION
This 360-degree feedback manual is designed to help you enhance your
workplace effectiveness and success by reviewing your on-the-job performance.
This guide helps you to understand and use feedback from you 360-degree
assessment, a powerful tool for leadership and management development. You
will receive performance information in critical competencies that have been
universally accepted as the skills and behaviors desired by organizations for
competitive and superior performance.
With this information, you will be able to identify your strengths and potential
areas for development. Once identified, you will then be able to create a specific
development plan for measurable, positive change.
Learning Objectives
After completing this module, you will be able to:
Explain the purpose and value of 360-Degree Assessment and Feedback
Use the Johari Window to describe how much information you know about
yourself, and how much information others know about you
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PURPOSE OF 360-DEGREE ASSESSMENT AND
FEEDBACK
The term 360-degree feedback comes from an analogy to a compass. The process
provides information on your work performance from multiple points of
reference, not just one, allowing you to understand how you are viewed from a
variety of perspectives. By using a confidential process to collect information
from co-workers, supervisors, direct reports (if applicable) and others, you
receive information that is more informative than traditional, one-source
methods.
By soliciting feedback from many people in your work environment, 360-Degree
Feedback levels the playing field and tends to be not only more balanced, but
harder to dismiss because of its diverse perspectives.
360-Degree Feedback can serve to:
Support current and future business objectives
Enhance competitive performance
Enhance critical competencies in key job areas
Facilitate professional development planning
Three Basic Questions
There are three questions that 360-Degree Feedback can answer:
1. Why Should I Improve My Performance?
To be truly successful in today’s work environment, you need to
continuously add value to your organization. By continually learning and
growing, you can improve your performance and increase your contribution
in the workplace.
2. What Do I Need to Improve?
The results from a 360-Degree Feedback process help you determine specific
skills and behaviors that represent your strengths and areas for development.
The feedback provides a clear picture of how different groups of people
within your organization assess your work performance.
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3. How Can I Improve?
Your 360-degree feedback report will supply you with ideas and
recommendations for change. From this information, you can work with
your manager to create a specific Development Plan, a comprehensive guide
for performance improvement.
THE JOHARI WINDOW
The Johari Window, named after its creators Joseph Luft and Harry Ingham, is a
model used to depict aspects of interpersonal interaction. A four-paned
“window,” as shown below, divides personal awareness into four categories:
Open, Hidden, Blind, and Unknown. The Window shows what you know about
yourself, and how much others know about you.
Known to Self
Not Known to Self
Known to
Others
OPEN
BLIND
Not Known to
Others
HIDDEN
UNKNOWN
Open: The Open pane in the window are things that you know about
yourself, and others know about you. These tend to be available
facts. For example, you know your name, and others tend to
know it, too.
Hidden: The Hidden pane includes details about yourself that you keep
private. As you get to know and trust other people more, you
may choose to share information about yourself, such as your
dreams and ambitions.
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Blind: The Blind pane is information that others know about you, that is
outside your awareness. A blind spot is generally considered a
deficiency. For example, you think you have good
communication skills, whereas others do not.
Unknown: The Unknown pane represents things that neither you nor others
know about you. For example, you may have hidden talents that
you have not yet discovered about yourself.
One of the values of 360-Degree Feedback is that you may improve your self-
understanding and validate the information in the Open pane, but it’s real
strength lies in exploring the Blind pane, by learning how others perceive you.
360-Degree Feedback gives you specific information that you can use as a
starting point for behavioral change.
© Envisia Learning 9
In this module…
What is Feedback?
How to Read Feedback Results
Module 2
Reading and Interpreting
360-degree feedback results
INTRODUCTION
Results from your 360-Degree Feedback process assess people’s perceptions of
you in the workplace. To gain the most value from your 360-Degree Feedback
process, it is important that you understand how to read and interpret the
perceptions others have of you.
Learning Objective
After completing this module, you will be able to:
Interpret and understand the graphs, charts and other information that make
up a 360-degree feedback report
Translate your insights and awareness into practical actions as part of a
development plan
© Envisia Learning 10
WHAT IS FEEDBACK?
Information collected through the 360-Degree Feedback process is especially
valuable because it represents a full range of perspectives. It is important to
understand that this information is a collection of perceptions others have of you.
The feedback others provide is a collection of statements that can be seen as
messages for you to hear and interpret.
These messages are not mandates, or even judgments. In the 360-Degree
Feedback process, you have the opportunity to compare others’ perceptions of
you to your own self-assessment. Different people in your organization will
have different opinions, and this will be reflected in your feedback results.
You will not know how any one person perceives you (except your manager, if
you have only one person in this category). Your anonymous feedback results
will, for the most part, be divided into the categories of people who provided
information about you, for example, yourself, your manager/supervisor, your
peers, your team members and your direct reports (if applicable). These people
are known as “raters.” The feedback from your raters is comprehensive, and
behaviorally focused. It can help to fill in the gaps between how you see
yourself, and how others see you.
© Envisia Learning 11
Exercise: Chris Sample, Full-Court
Press, Part I
Directions
In your small group, read the following background on Chris Sample, of Full-
Court Press, and use the space provided below to answer the Exercise Questions.
Background
Chris Sample is a 21-year employee of the Full-Court Press Newspaper. Chris
got a part-time job in the mailroom immediately out of high school while
simultaneously attending Junior College. After getting an AA degree, Chris
became a full-time employee in the Circulation department and later transferred
to the Press Operations department. Chris had demonstrated strong technical
competence as a press operator responsible, with the other press team members,
for the daily printing of the newspaper. During this period, Chris obtained a BA
degree from a local University.
Over the years, Chris has achieved a series of accomplishments that have
resulted in significant cost savings for the newspaper. Five years ago, Chris
became a first level supervisor in the Press Operations department. About one
year ago, Chris was promoted to manager.
Today, Chris has seven direct reports, two that are first level supervisors. Chris’s
daily work activities include coordinating press operations with other important
departments including Editorial, Advertising, Transportation, and Platemaking.
Chris still prefers to do much of the technical work personally, mainly because
the quantity and quality is better than the work of most of the front line
employees. Chris enjoys staying abreast of the latest technology changes and
monitors the newspaper and telecommunications industry closely.
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Chris has always had excellent technical skills and carefully supervises the work
of others. When work isn’t completed on time, Chris spends considerable
amounts of time checking with the other departments. Otherwise, Chris has
relatively little contact with employees in other departments of the newspaper.
Normally, Chris is extremely positive and supportive of Full-Court Press.
However, over the past year Chris has been more vocal about the recent
problems caused by the recent changes in the company, especially about the
recent “downsizings” and “cost cutting programs” which Chris strongly feels
affect the department’s performance and employee morale. Chris’s pet phrase
has become, “How can the management expect us to get better if they keep
taking people away?”
Chris has also expressed difficulty managing the “younger worker” who doesn’t
seem to really care about the company. Chris perceives that these less tenured
employees care more about making money than loyalty to the company and are
willing to quickly jump to another job that seems more attractive rather than
“sticking around and paying their dues” as Chris did. Chris seems to be
struggling with why today’s workers care less about putting in overtime, seem
less loyal to the organization, and complain more about “family issues” than
when Chris started over 21 years ago.
Chris was chosen to participate in a Newspaper Management Institute Training
Program (a leadership training program for employees promoted into
management positions within the company). When a 360-Degree Feedback
Workshop began, as part of the program, the instructor asked the class how they
would use the insights from the feedback and what their personal/professional
objectives were for the workshop.
Chris jumped right in. “I think what we are being taught is great. However,
frankly, it is obvious to me that some of our senior managers don’t follow these
practices. Are they being exposed to the same concepts and approaches we are?
Too many of them are too new — they don’t really understand the culture of our
company and the way it used to be around here. Maybe we ought to be more
concerned about getting the paper out on time and with quality rather than
getting a bunch of feedback from people who don’t really know what we do.”
© Envisia Learning 13
Exercise Questions
1. Using the Johari Window illustration provided below, what do you think
Chris’s blind spots are? Summarize what is known to both Chris and his co-
workers in the “Openly Known Information” quadrant.
Known to Chris
Not Known to Chris
Known to
Others
Openly Known Information
Blind Spots
Not
Known to
Others
Hidden Information
Unknown
Information
2. What advice would you have for Chris concerning who should be providing
input to Chris in the 360-Degree Feedback process?
HOW TO READ FEEDBACK RESULTS
360-degree feedback reports are divided into three sections:
Graphic Results
Charts
Interpretive Report
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To learn how to read feedback results, we are going to use the example of Chris
Sample, from Full-Court Press.
Graphs
The graphs in your 360-degree feedback report offer a visual interpretation of
your results. The graphic profiles show your feedback results for each major
competency area that was assessed. The scale used on the graphs is “Very Low”
to “Very High” based upon other individuals who recently completed the same
360-Degree Feedback survey you took. These individuals are part of a growing
national and international database. These graphs provide the necessary
information to begin fully interpreting your results.
Most and Least Frequently Observed Behavior Charts
Two charts rank your Most Frequently Observed Behaviors and Least Frequently
Observed Behaviors. The reports are rank ordered based upon the average score
for all your raters and yourself, excluding all “don’t know” or “can’t observe”
responses. Each specific behavior is fully described as well as the competency it
is associated with. This section can be extremely useful in helping to identify
strengths to build on and to target specific areas for further development.
Averages Chart
The Averages Chart provides a summary of average scores across all questions
for each rater category available. The Chart lists the questions under each
competency, so you can clearly see your average score for each rater group. To
get the most out of this chart, you may want to use a highlighter to identify the
responses that are particularly interesting to you.
Look for patterns and questions where the perspectives disagree by 1.5 to 2.0
points, especially where your self-rating is much higher or lower than the other
perspectives. Also, identify questions on which you received either higher or
lower scores by one or more perspectives, and observe consistency or
discrepancy between your self-assessment and those of the others. This chart
will assist you to clearly identify strengths and development needs.
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Feedback Interpretation
This section of the 360-degree feedback report compares your self-ratings to
those of others, and provides specific developmental recommendations for each
of the competencies. This interpretation is useful for detailed analyses of
responses and provides specific feedback information.
It is also another tool to determine differences between your self-perception and
the feedback from your raters. It is important to keep in mind that the specific
developmental recommendations provided in this section of the 360-degree
feedback report are based upon pooled perceptions of all raters who have
provided feedback to you.
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Exercise: Chris Sample, Full-Court
Press, Part II
As Chris Sample’s workshop progresses, each program participant receives his
or her 360-degree feedback report. Chris is genuinely perplexed by the
differences in self-scores and those of the boss, direct reports, and other team
members.
After reviewing the summary report, Chris mutters, “I wonder who really filled
these out? They must have mixed up my data with someone else’s. Either that
or the people filling out the instrument completely misread the directions. Or,
the instrument must not be too good. It’s pretty subjective just circling numbers
from 1 to 7 — some people really have different standards of evaluation
anyway.”
Exercise Questions
1. What do you think is really going on with Chris?
2. What does the feedback report generally suggest? What trends do you see?
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3. Use Chris Sample’s Feedback Results to chart out below his Strengths and
Areas for Development that come as a surprise to Chris and that he already
knew about.
Surprise
Not a
Surprise
Strengths
Areas for Development
© Envisia Learning 18
In this module…
Questions to Consider When
Receiving Feedback
Guidelines for Reading One’s
Feedback Results
Module 3
Receiving 360-degree feedback
results
INTRODUCTION
Your 360-degree feedback results are confidential. They are intended for
professional development purposes only, and are yours to keep, review and
share with people as you choose. In this module, you will find some questions to
consider as you read and interpret your results.
Learning Objectives
After completing this module, you will be able to:
Acknowledge that your 360-degree feedback results come from multiple
perspectives.
Focus on the “big picture” and major themes as you read your results.
© Envisia Learning 19
QUESTIONS TO CONSIDER WHEN RECEIVING
FEEDBACK
As you read your 360-degree feedback results, ask yourself the following
questions:
Do I understand my 360-degree 360-degree feedback report?
Do the results seem accurate? Valid?
Is the feedback similar or different for the separate rater categories?
Are the areas perceived (by others) for development relevant to my
current or future position?
GUIDELINES FOR READING ONE’S FEEDBACK
RESULTS
Keep the following guidelines in mind as you review your 360-degree feedback
report:
View the feedback you have received in a positive manner. Assume
that those who have provided you with feedback are generally trying to
be helpful (there may always be some exceptions!).
Recognize that there are going to be differences between your
perspective and those of others. Each rater is providing feedback from
his or her own unique viewpoint (e.g., research suggests that managers
emphasize technical competence and “bottom line” results whereas peers
tend to emphasize relationship and interpersonal factors). This viewpoint
is based not only on the rater’s relationship with you but his or her
perception of your previous experiences with you. This includes the
impressions you have created and the emotional reactions to you. Each
rater represents both an important and unique perspective to consider.
Remember that perception is reality in the eye of the beholder.
© Envisia Learning 20
Try not to let the information contained in your report overwhelm you.
You have a tremendous amount of information to interpret and
understand. It is common to have strong emotional reactions to the
information. Sometimes you will be very pleased with what you learn
and other times you might be disturbed by the perceptions of others who
have provided you with feedback. Keep focusing on what the major
themes are and what you can use to improve your effectiveness on the
job. Try to focus on the “big picture” as you review your 360-degree
feedback report.
Don’t assume that you have to change your personality or style. Focus
on specific behaviors to increase, decrease and modify to be more
effective in your current position. Identifying specific behaviors to target
will require some objective thinking on your part. Most of us are
resistant to major changes in our personality and style even when we are
highly motivated. However, we can modify specific behaviors that can
dramatically effect how others perceive and evaluate us.
© Envisia Learning 21
In this module…
Emotional Reactions to
Receiving Feedback
Navigating Through
Emotional Reactions
Module 4
Reacting to Feedback Results
INTRODUCTION
The long-term goal of 360-Degree Feedback is behavioral change for professional
development and performance improvement. The 360-degree feedback report is
one way to find out what areas might be targeted for this behavioral change. In
reading your Feedback Results, it is only natural to experience a range of
emotional reactions to the information. Some of the information in your report
will come as a surprise to you, other messages will be familiar.
Your initial reaction to your 360-degree feedback results is important. It
provides insight that is useful in interpreting your results and in deciding what
competencies you will target for your development planning efforts.
Learning Objectives
After completing this module, you will be able to:
Describe the four potential emotional reactions to receiving feedback.
List ways to navigate through various emotions.
© Envisia Learning 22
Exercise: Reacting to Feedback
Results
Directions
Take a moment and select a single word or phrase to describe your emotional
reactions to your 360-degree feedback report. Write it in the space below.
© Envisia Learning 23
EMOTIONAL REACTIONS TO RECEIVING FEEDBACK
Participating in the full 360-degree feedback process requires behavioral change.
Change comes in many shapes and sizes, and some changes are easier to manage
than others. It is both important and helpful to acknowledge that there can be a
range of emotional reactions to change.
A common model of managing reactions to feedback is called the GRASP Model:
Grin or Grimace
Recognize or Reject
Act or Accept
Strategize and Partner
Partner
Grin or Grimace
Emotional Reaction: 360-degree feedback results typically uncover some
surprises, and some of these may even come as a shock reaction (“grimace”).
Shock can take the form of “Oh, that’s interesting,” but another common reaction
is “I don’t believe this.” This is an internal, emotional reaction that can
sometimes be emotionally paralyzing or actually pleasantly surprising.
Recognize or Reject
Cognitive Reaction: As we review the results of our 360-degree feedback report
we may begin to question the accuracy of scores, different raters whom we have
provided feedback or “explain away” some of the data. In the end, we either
tend to accept and recognize that the data are really the “perceptions” of others
that we need to at least understand and possibly manage or we can choose to
ignore and reject the results altogether.
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Act or Accept
Commitment Reaction: Resistance sets in as potential negative emotions fade
away: “Why should I change what I’m doing now?” Resistance to change is very
common because people do not want to give up what they know. An element of
fear or anxiety can set in because the future holds unfamiliar ways of doing
things. People may oppose change for weeks or months. This stage revolves
around just how motivated someone is to act on their results and make a
commitment to become more effective in their position.
Strategize and Partner
Behavioral Reaction: This is a positive, future-focused phase when people begin
to see the exciting possibilities that new behaviors produce. In the end, the most
important question is what the person will choose to do more, less or differently
based on the 360-degree feedback results. It is a commitment to action and
exploring how one’s boss or other internal/external development partners can
help facilitate successful behavior change.
NAVIGATING THROUGH EMOTIONAL REACTIONS
Reactions to feedback and to behavioral change are highly individual, and not all
reactions follow the GRASP model. There are, no doubt, messages in your 360-
degree 360-degree feedback report that are encouraging and bolster your self-
confidence. The behavioral change that is recommended in some areas may be
easy to accept and adopt right away.
However, for those messages that come as more of a surprise and that highlight
new areas of development, it is useful to know how to navigate through the
different emotional reactions:
Step 1: Acknowledge that emotional reactions do occur.
By understanding and acknowledging that you may have an
emotional reaction to the messages in your report, you are already
preparing yourself for behavioral change.
© Envisia Learning 25
Step 2: Identify your feelings.
If you can identify the feelings you are experiencing, you will
know where you are in the cycle, and you can start to help
yourself move towards Acceptance.
Step 3: Keep your perspective.
360-Degree Feedback represents opinions of your co-workers, and
their perceptions of your behavior. The messages are designed to
help your professional development. As we stated in Module 3,
“remember that perception is reality in the eye of the beholder.”
© Envisia Learning 26
In this module…
Obtaining Additional
Feedback
Charting Feedback Results
Module 5
Interpreting Your Feedback Results
INTRODUCTION
The process of fully understanding and interpreting your 360-degree feedback
report takes time and several readings of the report. From each category of
raters, you will discover messages about perceived strengths and areas for
development. And, as you saw earlier with the Chris Sample case study, some of
the information may surprise you. You may need to seek out additional
information to help understand your report. Give yourself ample time to fully
interpret the messages from your Feedback Results. Improved understanding
will come from multiple readings of your results.
Learning Objectives
After completing this module, you will be able to:
Interpret your feedback results and chart out the strengths and areas for
development indicated in your 360-degree feedback report
Obtain additional feedback for clarification
© Envisia Learning 27
Exercise: Interpreting Your
Feedback Results
The following questions may help you read your 360-degree feedback results.
Please write your answers in the spaces below.
4. Does the feedback support my own self-assessment?
1. (a) Where are the differences?
1. (b) What are the similarities?
5. What feedback comes as a surprise?
6. What messages do I not understand?
© Envisia Learning 28
OBTAINING ADDITIONAL FEEDBACK
If there are sections in your 360-degree feedback report that are unclear to you,
you may want to collect additional feedback from your raters for clarification
purposes.
Research suggests that 33 percent of leaders who did not follow up with their
managers, direct reports and peers about their 360 feedback results were rated as
getting worse in evaluations about their performance after the leadership
program (Goldsmith, M. & Morgan, H. (2004). Leadership is a contact sport. Strategy
+ Business).
You also may need to gather additional information on specific topics to verify
the validity of some of the messages.
Seek additional information when you are motivated to use the feedback
Don’t try to identify which raters gave you specific feedback
Don’t seek additional information when you are upset
Solicit feedback in a manner that makes others comfortable to express
their observations without the “cloak” of anonymity
Obtain information about specific behaviors that you can change
© Envisia Learning 29
CHARTING FEEDBACK RESULTS
In order to identify and understand the messages from your 360-degree feedback
report, it is helpful to chart out those messages for each rater category. This
provides a very visual breakdown of the strengths and areas of development
identified by each group. You can further break down the information into what
surprises you, and what you already know. Clear identification of the messages
from your Feedback Results is an important part of creating your plan for
performance development.
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Exercise: Charting Your Own
Feedback Results
Referring to your 360-degree feedback report, review the feedback messages
from your Peer category. Look at the chart below and select one quadrant to
chart out one or two messages from your Peers. For example, you may want to
identify the development areas that do not surprise you; write out what those
areas are in box 4 on the chart.
Surprise
1
2
Not a
Surprise
3
4
Strengths
Areas for Development
© Envisia Learning 31
In this module…
Issues Around Behavioral
Change
Module 6
Turning Feedback into Action
INTRODUCTION
Taking the information from your 360-degree feedback results and creating a
successful plan for behavioral change takes more than just personal commitment
to performance development. The more you understand the process of change,
the better your plan will be. If you can identify who and what supports your
initiative, and explore the obstacles you might encounter, you can build a plan
with strategies designed to maximize your overall achievement.
Learning Objectives
After completing this module, you will be able to:
Identify the forces within you and in your workplace which support your
plan for behavioral change
Define the forces which might prevent you from achieving your plan for
behavioral change
Conduct a Force Field Analysis
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ISSUES AROUND BEHAVIORAL CHANGE
Force Field Analysis
Force Field Analysis is a technique developed by Kurt Lewin for diagnosing
situations. Lewin assumes that in any situation there are both supporting and
preventing forces that influence any change that may occur.
To successfully turn your Feedback Results into actions for lasting change, it is
helpful to understand your current environment. A Force Field Analysis can
help you do this.
Supporting Forces
Supporting forces will encourage you to succeed in your identified area of
behavioral change. They tend to help initiate change, and keep momentum over
time. Support could come from your manager and/or peers, but it could also be
your own motivation to succeed in a new endeavor.
Preventing Forces
When considering the Force Field Analysis, Newton’s third law of motion comes
to mind: “To every action there is an equal and opposite reaction.” For each
supporting force, there is likely to be an opposite force, which serves to impede
behavioral change. These preventing forces could come from your work
environment, or could come from within you.
Preventing
Forces
Supporting
Forces
Behavior
Change
© Envisia Learning 33
Exercise: Identifying Personal
Forces Around Behavioral Change
Directions
Take into consideration yourself and your current work environment, and
identify some supporting and preventing forces that could affect the behavioral
change suggested by your assessment results. Write the forces in the analysis
below.
Supporting Forces Preventing Forces
© Envisia Learning 34
In this module…
Development Planning
Guidelines
Development Planning Steps
Module 7
Development Planning
INTRODUCTION
A well-written Development Plan can be your clear path to performance
improvement. You are now ready to start taking the messages from your 360-
degree feedback report and turn them into specific goals and steps that will help
you capitalize on your strengths and address your development needs.
Learning Objectives
After completing this module, you will be able to:
Identify specific skill areas for development.
List various actions and strategies for development.
Create a SMART Development Plan to help you maximize the potential
benefit of your Feedback Results.
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DEVELOPMENT PLANNING GUIDELINES
Developing new skills can be challenging because it almost always means
replacing current behavior with a new pattern of behavior. Research suggests
that desired change is more likely to be successful when:
The desired competency is specifically defined
There is a commitment and motivation to behavioral change
An action plan is shared with others
An analysis is made of reason for potential lack of success
Other people support your behavioral change
The behavioral outcomes are visible and can be measured
Defining a Way to Measure Success
You will need to know how to measure the success of your Development Plan. It
is best to define ways to monitor and evaluate your results so that you can
incorporate these measurements into your Plan. Some ideas include:
Annual Performance Reviews
If your organization conducts annual performance reviews where
performance is rated, you can aspire to better ratings.
One-on-One/On-Going Conversations
You can ask co-workers to give you feedback on your behavioral changes.
Group Feedback
For projects where you are part of a team, you can ask questions at group
meetings that explore the impact of your behavioral change.
Brief Survey
You can create a short, 1-3-question survey that asks for feedback from
co-workers on specific areas you have targeted for improved
performance.
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DEVELOPMENT PLANNING STEPS
SMART Development Plans
The best Development Plans are SMART. Designing your developmental
activities according to the principles described below will assist you improving
your performance over time.
S
Specific
Clear and Concrete
M
Measurable
Easily Observable
A
Action Oriented
Behaviorally Based
R
Realistic
Actions that can be Accomplished
T
Time Bound
Have Starting and Ending Dates
Identify Specific Goals
You will find it easiest to make change in your life if you set clear, specific goals.
If you can visualize a target, you are more likely to get to it, than if your goals are
vague. Your 360-degree feedback report will indicate areas for development and
from this information you will probably find some goals that can be acted upon
very quickly, while others will take time to implement.
Create goals which:
Motivate you
Help you be more effective in your current position and in the future
Leverage your current strengths
Develop your skill areas
Have short, medium and long-term timeframes
© Envisia Learning 37
Choose Areas for Development
Using the recommendations in your 360-degree feedback report as a basis for
your selection, ask yourself the following questions:
Which competencies are most important to my development goals?
Which competencies did others rate as needing development?
Which competencies fall into both categories?
Then, match specific competencies to your identified goals so that you can see a
clear link between what you want to accomplish and what skill area will help
you develop that skill.
© Envisia Learning 38
Exercise: Selecting goals and
Competencies
Using the chart you created in Module 5, look at the messages you identified
from your 360-degree feedback report and identify a short or medium-term goal
and the associated competency. Write each in the space below.
Goal
Competency
Short Term
(I will start to
change my
behavior next
week.)
Medium Term
(It will take 3-6
months to see my
behavioral
change.)
© Envisia Learning 39
Select Clear Actions
Now that you have specified goals and related competencies, the next step is to
determine behavior-based actions that can help you accomplish your goals:
Practice an existing behavior
Observe others who model the change you wish to make
Take a course or seminar
Read a book
Listen to a book-on-tape while you commute
Collect on-going feedback
On a larger scale, you can look for development opportunities in several places:
Existing Job. By looking at your current job and challenges it may
present, you may find learning opportunities that immediately address
your developmental needs.
Role Models and Coaches. You may find a mentor within your
organization who can help you grow and change in ways that will have a
high benefit to both you and your organization. Another possibility is an
external coach who has the business expertise to help you reach your
goals.
New Job Assignments. New assignments can provide the greatest
opportunity for development. You may not be able to find a new
assignment within your organization right away, but if you plan ahead,
you can position yourself for career growth and advancement.
Special Projects. You may have the opportunity to volunteer to
participate in team projects within your organization that are beyond the
current scope of your job.
© Envisia Learning 40
Goal Intentions versus Goal Implementations
The road to unfulfilled goals is paved with good intentions. By April, 50% of the people
who made New Year’s resolutions have failed to keep them. And only half of people
(and this number is likely inflated) translate their good intentions–whether made in
January or any time–into real action. Interestingly, this is the same percentage of times
that the average person is able to resist the 3-4 hours of unwanted desires they
experience each day (Gailliot, Baumeister, et al., 2007).
Nearly 200 studies focusing on leadership, health, and interpersonal relations have
shown that deciding in advance when and where you will complete a task can
significantly increase your chances of actually doing it. Indeed, Practice Plans (Habit
Triggers), as an approach to goal setting, appears to be very powerful and useful way to
help you achieve any goal.
The Mechanics of Practice Plans
A Practice Plan is simply a plan in which you link a situation or context with a response
that will bring you closer to fulfilling your goal. To do this, all you have to do is reframe
your goals as “if-then” or “when-then” statements. The “if “or “when” part is the
situational cue; the “then” part is your planned response or behavior to that cue.
Practice Plans help to facilitate the successful development of new habits. Some habit
triggers will be situation based (e.g., “When I feel anxious, I will practice mindfulness
meditation to calm me down” or “When I notice the other person speaking, then I will
seek to understand what they are saying before I share my own ides”) and others are
time based (e.g., “When it is Monday, Wednesday and Friday morning at 7am for the
next month then I will attend my 50 minute yoga class” or “At each weekly staff
meeting, I will solicit the ideas of my staff and summarize them before sharing my own
thoughts and suggestions”). Both types might be relevant to use depending on the
specific goal being targeted.
Practice Plans help facilitate ongoing practice of new behaviors until they become
somewhat automatic (at least with 90 days of practice) and help to sustain these
behaviors over time. Practice Plans help to facilitate the successful development of new
habits. They work because research suggests that new habits are formed by actually
practicing specific behaviors under situations and conditions that require a new
response.
© Envisia Learning 41
Development of new skills is best supported by on-the-job experiences and
feedback/coaching from others (Note: The 70-20-10 learning model was first proposed
in the 1980s by Center for Creative Leadership authors and researchers Morgan McCall,
Robert Eichinger and Michael Lombardo but there is little research to support this
particular ratio. The model states that learning occurs primarily from on-the-job
experiences --70 percent, followed by learning from others--20 percent and, finally, from
more passive courses /workshops--10 percent).
To support the realization of goal intentions, most people also have a number of action
items defined as single activities or tasks that support their learning and growth. In the
example above (“Stay calm in stressful interpersonal situations”), a number of specific
actions might be linked to this goal intention to support handling such stressors more
effectively. Some examples might include watching a video on mindfulness meditation,
reading an article or book on the topic or attending a class to learn the technique.
© Envisia Learning 42
What is common about all of these action items is that they are not necessarily ongoing
and can easily be “checked off” when completed. However, the successful completion
of these action items does not necessarily equate to the successful learning of a new habit
or ability to realize the goal intention. In combination with Habit Triggers these Action
Items help an individual learn, apply and sustain new habits over time.
Indicators of Goal Progress
The most common trigger for a “best day” is any progress in the work by the individual
or team. A total of 26 project teams comprised of 238 individuals were asked to report
daily on moods, motivations, perceptions of the work environment, what work was
accomplished and what events stood out in their mind (nearly 12,000 diary entries).
Steps forward (progress) occurred on 76% of people’s best mood days and setbacks on
only 13% of those days. Therefore, progress—even a small step forward—is highly
correlated with now many days talent report being in a good mood (Amabile, T. &
Kramer, S. (2011). The power of small wins. Harvard Business Review, 89, 70-80).
Motivation is Minimized in the Middle
When people work toward goals, they monitor their progress in two ways --what they
have achieved so far and how much they have left to do. It appears that individuals
switch between the methods depending on how close they were to reaching their goal.
Research with University students asked to pursue a specific goal (e.g., correcting errors
in an essay) were less motivated halfway through the tasks, which likely reflects the
point where they switch their focus from how much they got done to how much they
had left to do.
Additional research suggested that a shift in attention from the starting point to the end
point occurred halfway through the task so this might be one of the most important
times for coaches to follow up with their clients (BonezziBrendl, & De Angelis, 2011).
Motivation to “do things right” follows a u-shaped pattern, such that it is higher at the
beginning and end of goal pursuit (sometimes called the Zeigarnik Effect) and in the
middle (Toure-Tillery, & Fishback, 2011).
Since beginning and end (vs. middle) positions are often arbitrarily determined, one
thing everyone can do is to reduce the length in the "middle" by dividing long goal
pursuits into sub-goals requiring smaller actions. This should increase the likelihood
that all of us will continue to successfully maintain our efforts towards goal completion.
© Envisia Learning 43
How Long Does it Take for New Habits to Form?
Research by Phillippa Lally and colleagues from the UK suggest that new behaviors can
become automatic, on average, between 18 to 254 days but it depends on the complexity
of what new behavior you are trying to put into place and your personality (Lally, et al.,
2009).
They studied volunteers who chose to change an eating, drinking or exercise behavior
and tracked them for success. They completed a self-report diary which they entered on
a website log and were asked to try the new behavior each day for 84 days. For the
habits, 27 chose an eating behavior, 31 a drinking behavior (e.g., drinking water), 34 an
exercise behavior and 4 did something else (e.g., meditation).
Analysis of all of these behaviors indicated that it took 66 days, on average, for this new
behavior to become automatic and a new “habit” that seemed pretty natural. The range
was anywhere from 18 to 254 days. The mean number of days varied by the complexity
of the habit:
Drinking / 59 days
Eating / 65 days
Exercise / 91 days
Although there are a lot of limitations in this study, it does suggest that it can take a
large number of repetitions for a person for their new behaviors to become a habit.
Therefore, creating new habits requires tremendous self-control to be maintained for a
significant period of time before they become more “automatic” and performed without
any real self-control.
For most people, it takes about 3 months of constant practice before a more complicated
new behavior gets “set” in our neural pathways as something we are comfortable with
and seemingly automatic. So, adopting a new physical workout routine or learning to
become a more participative as a leader might take quite a while with or without
coaching to truly become more natural.
The Power of Deliberate and Challenging Practice over Time
Practice makes perfect according to an old saying. Or at least if you do it enough you
will become an expert. Or does it? There is, in fact, a big difference between “experts”
and those “who are expert” in what they do.
© Envisia Learning 44
In a 2006 book co-edited by Anders Ericcson called “The Cambridge Handbook of
Expertise and Expert Performance“, the authors conclude that great performance comes
mostly from two things:
Regularly obtaining concrete and constructive feedback
Deliberate Practice (Over Time) Makes You Better
Two authors in the Cambridge Handbook (Janice Deaking and Stephen Cobley)
analyzed diaries of 24 elite figure skaters to determine what might explain some of their
performance success (Ericsson , 1996). They found that the best skaters spent 68% of
their practice doing really hard jumps and routines compared to those who were less
successful (they spent about 48% of their time doing the same difficult things).
Having raw talent is wonderful but it’s what you do with it that really seems to matter.
“Only dead fish go with the flow” is an old saying–if you don’t work to get better it just
doesn’t happen naturally. Ericsson and others use the words “deliberate practice” to
mean focused, structured, serious and detailed attempts to get better. That means it has
to be challenging and difficult (i.e., practicing the most difficult tasks).
As it turns out, expert performance requires about ten years, or ten to twenty thousand
hours of deliberate practice. Little evidence exists for expert performance before ten
years of deliberate practice in any field.
What Kind of Practice is Best if You Want to Improve?
A practical test of this “10,000″ rule is being done by Dan McLaughlin who quit is job at
the age of 30 and has been practicing his golf game six days a week, living off savings
and some wise stock picks and by renting his house. He has about 6,000 more hours of
practice to go in order to see if he will get good enough to play in the Masters Golf
Tournament. His results to date–4,000 hours have lowered his handicap to 7 which
means he is better than 85% of the male U.S. golfing public. Dan keeps an interesting
Blog (TheDanPlan.com) which highlights his journey.
Dan is using the latest research on improving skill, motor performance and memory in
how he practices. He uses a training approach called interleaving which is “mixing up”
the things you do instead of deliberately doing the same thing over and over (e.g.,
hitting 100 drives, shooting 50 free throws, giving 100 motivational speeches). Instead
he mixes up his clubs, targets and difficulty of his challenges.
© Envisia Learning 45
Like the research suggests, interleaving causes performance in the short term to decrease
but enhances overall success over time. Therefore, practicing tasks in an interleaved
(random) order generally results in inferior practice performance but induces superior
retention compared with practicing in a repetitive order. So, if you want your kid to
become a better hitter in baseball, having them see a variety of pitches in an hour (e.g.,
slider, fastball, change up, curve) is better than just practicing trying to get the hang of
dealing with one pitch for a prolonged period of time (now I find this out).
New research from a group of UCLA researchers, using brain imaging called functional
MRI that sensomotor connectivity of specific regions of the brain were strengthened
using interleaved practice versus a repetitive condition.2. These results strongly hint
that if you want to develop better skills, memory and psychomotor performance it is
really better to spice up your deliberate practice with variety and not just spend a chunk
of time doing the same thing over and over (e.g., practice a variety of dives in an hour
versus just focusing on one type of dive). Expect your practice sessions to be bad but
over time your performance will actually significantly improve.
If You Slip–Don’t Worry, Be Happy
According to new research, quitting may actually be better for your health.
Psychologist’s Gregory Miller and Carsten Wroshch (2007) have found that people who
are able to feel comfortable quitting when faced with unattainable goals may actually
have better mental and physical health than those who persevere and push themselves
to succeed.
This study was based on their previous research which found that those persistent
individuals experienced higher levels of an inflammatory protein called C-reactive
protein (CRP; an indicator of stress) as well as increased cortisol. They also reported
lower psychological well-being. On the surface, this might not seem like a big deal but
inflammation appears to be an independent risk factor for cardiovascular disease and
other stress related conditions.
Contrary to what we might have been taught, it appears that it might be in our best
interests to “cut our losses” in the face of unattainable goals and life challenges and
actually disengage from the goal to ensure optimum well-being and potentially long-
term health. This appears to be true whether we are in unsatisfying long-term
© Envisia Learning 46
relationships, working for leaders who are toxic or targeting a goal that is beyond our
skill and ability “set points.”
Setting New Goals after Failure Might be Empowering
So, are there any good things for those who persist?
In another study, Carsten Wrosch and colleagues found that in the face of life challenge
and disengaging from unattainable goals, those who redefined and set new goals were
more likely to be able to buffer the negative emotions associated with the initial failure
(Wrosch, Miller, Scheier, & Brun de Pontet, 2007).
© Envisia Learning 47
Exercise: Creating Practice Plans
Choose one goal identified in the previous exercise and create both Goal
Intentions and Practice Plans using the following outline:
Goal Intention
Context/Situation
“If” or “When”
When I achieve this goal, I will know I am
successful because:
Other people will notice the following
difference(s):
Actions
“Then”
What actions will I take? What will I do differently?
© Envisia Learning 48
Reality Checklist
How is this goal achievable?
Why is this goal important?
What resource(s) do I need?
(Funding?)
(Support?)
Timeline
When will I start?
When do I expect to meet my goal?
© Envisia Learning 49
In this module…
Development Plan
Implementation Steps
Issues Around Implementation
The Value of Celebration
Module 8
Development Plan Implementation
INTRODUCTION
To fully benefit from this Leadership and Assessment Workshop, you must
implement the Development Plan you have created. The information collected
through the feedback process is only useful if you do something with it.
Implementation is perhaps the most challenging part of the 360-Degree Feedback
Process. It requires that you stay focused and motivated over time, in order to
achieve your full potential.
This is your chance to model behaviors that are critical to a learning
organization. No one is perfect and feedback is essential to understanding how
you are performing. Behavioral change takes practice and making changes is
hard work.
Learning Objectives
After completing this module, you will be able to:
List and detail the steps necessary for successful implementation of your
Development Plan
Build additional forces to support your Plan
Minimize resistance to your Plan
Celebrate your success
© Envisia Learning 50
DEVELOPMENT PLAN IMPLEMENTATION STEPS
There are three components to implementing your Development Plan.
1. Gain Support
This Leadership and Management 360-Degree Assessment Workshop will give you
many ideas on ways to improve your on-the-job performance. If you seek the
commitment, involvement and support of your manager and others, you will
find it easier to implement your development plan.
Set a time to meet with your manager:
Initiate a conversation with your manager about your
Development Plan
Thank your manager for supporting you so far in your leadership
development
Explain that you have developed a plan for improved
performance
Ask your manager for feedback on your Development Plan
Ask your manager to support you as you develop and grow
Discuss financial resources, if necessary
Explain how you will be taking the initiative for your professional
development
Follow-up with your raters:
Thank each one individually when possible
Acknowledge the value of their feedback
Assure them of the anonymity of their feedback
Share some of your strength and areas for development
Share some insight gained from the feedback
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Share some of your development plan, especially those areas
where you need their help and assistance
Explain how you will be taking the initiative for you professional
development
Ask for their support
2. Implement Your Plan
Once you have the support you need, you will have to fit your action steps into
your everyday activities to make your Development Plan a reality. This is where
time management is critical to your success. You will easily find time to attend
to the aspects of your job and your Development Plan that are “urgent.” But,
“important” goals may easily get overlooked if you do not commit yourself to
the implementation of your Plan.
Review each SMART Plan
Identify your starting and ending dates
Mark your calendar with these dates
Determine any required preliminary activities
Know that your motivation may fluctuate over time
Understand that events out of your control may affect your plan
Be realistic with yourself and your circumstances
Act in your best interests — which means, stick with your plan over time
Don’t give up
3. Collect Feedback and Track Progress
The 360-Degree Feedback Process is an on-going one. As you implement your
plan over time, you will want to collect additional feedback from your co-
workers so that you can track your progress. Using the tools you identified in
© Envisia Learning 52
your Development Plan for measuring success, monitor your efforts to make
sure you are achieving your results:
Annual Performance Reviews
On-going Conversations
Group Feedback
Brief Survey
A valuable and specific way to measure your success is to re-start the 360-Degree
Feedback process after 15-18 months. This strategy is used by many
organizations to ensure on-going development by their employees.
ISSUES AROUND IMPLEMENTATION
The supporting and preventing forces identified earlier in the Force Field
Analysis will affect your implementation success. You can increase the
effectiveness of your Development Plan implementation by establishing ways to
build the supporting forces and minimize the preventing forces in your work
environment:
How to Build Supporting Forces
Follow-through with your raters
Identify a mentor (formal or informal)
Find ways to maintain your motivation
Re-read the strengths identified in your 360-degree feedback report
© Envisia Learning 53
How to Minimize Preventing Forces
Remember GRASP and the emotional reaction to behavioral change
Understand cycles of motivation
Manage your time and resources effectively
Be prepared to re-fine your goals and habit triggers if necessary
THE VALUE OF CELEBRATION
Lasting behavioral change takes commitment and motivation over time and it is
reasonable to expect that some changes will come more easily than other
changes. To succeed, you will need to invest time and energy in the entire 360-
Degree Feedback process, especially the implementation of your Development
Plan. Your ability to recognize and acknowledge your progress will have a very
positive impact on your motivation to keep going to reach your goals.
You are entitled to celebrate a job well done!
As you recognize your successes, provide yourself with positive rewards:
Acknowledge your success to your manager
Go out to lunch with one of your raters
Remind yourself that you are working hard on your goals
Treat yourself. You deserve it.
Every positive step, no matter how small, should be acknowledged and
celebrated!
© Envisia Learning 54
SAMPLE DEVELOPMENT PLAN WORKSHEET
DECIDING WHAT COMPETENCIES TO WORK ON
List three strengths based upon your 360-degree feedback results:
List three development areas based upon your 360-degree feedback results:
The purpose of your 360-degree feedback is to assist you to develop your managerial competencies.
Developing skills can be challenging because it almost always means replacing current behavior with a new
pattern of behavior. This is not easy! Research suggests that desired change is more likely to be successful
when:
The desired competency is specifically defined
There is commitment and motivation to change behavior
An action plan is shared with others
An analysis is made of reasons for potential lack of success
Other people support your behavior change
The behavioral outcomes are visible and can be measured
The action plan worksheet on the next page will assist you in developing one of the competencies you have
identified based on the results of your feedback results. As you begin your action plan, consider the
following:
Focus on being specific
Use the recommendations in your feedback report as a basis for your behavioral plan
Keep your plan simple and put it in writing
Define how to monitor and evaluate results
© Envisia Learning 55
DECIDING WHAT COMPETENCIES TO WORK ON
Summarize your key development area (competency) that you plan to focus on. Target these toward a
specific group and list them in order of importance in the space provided below:
I wish to increase my own general effectiveness in the following areas:
1. ___________________________________________________________
2. ___________________________________________________________
3. ___________________________________________________________
I wish to increase my effectiveness with my Manager in the following areas:
1. ___________________________________________________________
2. ___________________________________________________________
3. ___________________________________________________________
I wish to increase my effectiveness with my Direct reports in the following areas:
1. ___________________________________________________________
2. ___________________________________________________________
3. ___________________________________________________________
I wish to increase my effectiveness with my Team Members or Peers in the following areas:
1. ___________________________________________________________
2. ___________________________________________________________
3. ___________________________________________________________
© Envisia Learning 56
PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT PLAN
360 Competency:
Development Activities:
Target Dates:
Support/Resources Required:
Measures of Success:
Results/Outcomes:
© Envisia Learning 57
Envisia Learning
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Leadership and Management 360-Degree Assessment Workshop
