What do 360-Degree Surveys assess?

A 360-Degree Survey is a questionnaire that assesses a candidate from multiple angles, asking the opinion of not only the candidate themselves, but also people who work alongside them (peers), under them (direct reports) and above them (their line manager) within an organisation. The Leader 360-Degree Survey is specifically geared for senior leaders, providing an in-depth analysis of observable behaviours, and providing leaders with a solid assessment of their leadership competencies. For clarity, the top & bottom 5 rated behaviours are presented on a separate page in the report to quickly identify feedback patterns.

Typical roles that would use our leader 360-degree survey are:

• - Supervisors
• - Managers
• - Leaders

Overview of the Leader 360-Degree Survey

Our leader 360-degree survey presents candidates and their raters with a series of short statements about the candidate’s behaviours. They are then invited to rate their level of agreement with the statement on a scale, with answers ranging from ‘Strongly Disagree’, to ‘Disagree’, to ‘Neither Agree Nor Disagree’, to ‘Agree’ to ‘Strongly Agree’. Additionally, raters and the candidate are given an opportunity to comment on both the strengths and development areas of the candidate.

As with all our 360-degree surveys, the leader 360-degree survey is untimed but typically takes 5-10 minutes to complete.

Our 360-degree survey measures 12 leadership competencies:

1. Communication - To get one’s ideas across clearly and persuasively

2. Building Teams - To build a high-performing team in support of one’s goals

3. Setting Expectations - To set and uphold clear expectations of others

4. Building Trust - To build a rapport and maintain trust with one’s colleagues

5. Collaboration - To work consensually with others to achieve goals

6. Sustainable Change - To achieve changes in a sustainable manner

7. Inspiring Commitment - To inspire others to commit to one’s plans

8. Diligence - To carry out one’s work with care and attention to quality

9. Customer Relations - To maintain good relationships with the client

10. Resilience - To be calm and confident in the face of setbacks or challenges

11. Organisational Commitment - To be a dedicated organisational citizen

12. Commercial Thinking - To consider commercial impact in all decision-making

These 12 leadership competencies can be rank-ordered by the boss for better focus, and, due to normative data, scores in these competencies can be compared with other senior leaders. 

Example of a Leader 360-Degree Survey question

How to do well in your Leader 360-Degree Survey

To do well in a 360-degree survey, it is good to implement the following tips…

1. Pick a representative sample – If you get the chance to choose your raters, then, to get an accurate 360 assessment, it is crucial to pick a representative sample of peers and direct reports to give you well-rounded view.

2. Be honest – As you will not be the only person rating yourself, try to be as honest and transparent as possible when answering the questions, or else your results may result in large discrepancies between how you see yourself and how others see you.