Our 360 Degree Feedback software tool provides an unsurpassed insight into the behavioral or personality traits of your leaders. Our evaluation software measures the effect of those qualities on the surrounding workforce. An anonymous 360 Degree feedback platform accumulates candid responses from co-workers, including subordinates, peers, and upline managers. Results give the insight to help create performance development plans for leadership going forward.
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Management Development
Management development is key to making a manager successful.
A massive Gallup study underscores that the highest performing companies are those with top-quality managers. Gallup calls it “the single most profound, distinct and clarifying finding” in its history, claiming that strong managers account for a shocking 70% of the variance in employee engagement.
Building Strong Managers
Building strong managers starts with selection. We promote successful line employees to management positions without considering whether the skills in their current job will translate to success as a manager. Start with a strong job fit assessment test in the selection process, even for existing employees. See our pre-employment assessment page for ideas.
How Can You Encourage Success?
Often, a new manager is simply given a pat on the back and an encouraging word rather than training for his/her new responsibilities. Doesn’t the level of responsibility of a supervisor/manager exceed that of their current position? Is it surprising that these managers are not effective with our top performers?
A good “Management Development 101” program is best for new managers, but many of us have an existing staff of poorly trained and, to some degree, ineffective supervisors and managers. In most cases the managers have varied strengths and weaknesses. We don’t want to waste time and money providing management development for specific managers in competencies they have already mastered. Instead, we need to identify areas of weakness and maximize the return on training by focusing on those areas that can offer the highest return.
Identify Strengths and Weaknesses for Management Development
The most effective approach to developing management skills in your existing management team is to first identify their individual strengths and weaknesses. Don’t be fooled into thinking that you know, or that their managers know what these are. The people who know best are their direct reports and their peers (in that order). The best way I have found to identify management strengths and weaknesses is through implementing a good 360 Degree Feedback survey tool.
A good 360 degree feedback survey should measure competencies that are appropriate and important to performing effectively as a manager in your organization. It should include feedback from the self (targeted manager), his/her boss, and anonymous feedback from direct reports and peers. The results should be presented in a fashion that facilitates identification of the manager’s strengths and weaknesses and is oriented to development versus evaluation. Depending on the number of managers you have, online administration and management tools may be important in order to contain the time and effort spent to implement the surveys.
360 Degree Feedback Benefits
360 Degree Feedback Features
Creating a 360 Degree Development Plan
Once you have the 360 degree feedback survey results, each manager should meet with HR and/or their manager to agree on a development plan. This plan should consider the relative weaknesses identified in the 360 and the importance of those competencies in effectively performing their job responsibilities. A plan that focuses on developing 1 to 3 competencies over a 12 month period has proven to be the most reasonable.
Selecting development activities now becomes the challenge. You will want to consider options that specifically address the competencies identified as focus areas for the specific manager. You may have internal or external training that will fit the bill. Recommended development activities and guidance to “coaching” are included with our tool. Other alternatives may include online training, self paced reading, and coaching or mentoring with someone strong in that specific competency.
Follow Through On Your Management Development Plan
The key to success in the development phase is follow-through and accountability. Follow through from the standpoint that managers with identified training needs (weaknesses) are encouraged to take action to improve. Accountability generally stems from executive management buy into the program, giving priority and emphasis to follow through. Contact us to explore a comprehensive 360 Degree Feedback system that focuses on developing stronger management skills.
