The Metiss Group once had a client whose eyes welled up with tears from the effectiveness of the Strategic Leadership 360 program.
This client was late in his career and had decades of experience as a successful salesman. But because he was so successful as a salesman, his colleagues wanted to avoid messing with his mojo through the years, and no one told him he lacked key leadership skills.
Through the Strategic Leadership 360 program, he received feedback from his colleagues and direct reports, and it revealed the blind spots in the ways he led other people.
“This is an incredible gift,” he said after receiving his results. “I just wish it could have been given to me sooner. I could have been such a better leader and could have developed other great leaders had I known this decades earlier.”
What is Strategic Leadership 360?
Strategic Leadership 360 is a leadership development program that ties back to a company’s strategy.
For example, if a company identifies that its overall strategy requires a leader who is innovative, empathetic, and controlled, then this program will assess how well a leader fits within those categories.
Then, behavior experts like those at The Metiss group can use those results to show leaders how to grow in the areas where they lack these qualities.
The “360” model takes these results further. Instead of asking individuals to self-report their leadership qualities, they will also receive feedback from their direct reports, their boss, and their peers. This gives leaders a 360-degree view of their strengths, weaknesses, and blind spots.
How does Strategic Leadership 360 collect feedback?
If you simply sent out an email to your direct reports asking for feedback, you probably wouldn’t get the actionable data you need to become a better leader. It’s difficult to tell bosses they aren’t a great leader – maybe you’re worried about retaliation, or maybe you’re struggling to identify the areas of leadership from which they could improve.
As shown in the example at the top of this blog, some people will go their entire career without ever receiving this kind of feedback from their direct reports.
That’s why The Metiss Group uses an assessment tool from the Management Research Group called the Leadership Effectiveness Analysis 360.
Instead of measuring traits on a scale of 1-10, the assessment uses comparative statements. For each question, the person taking the assessment selects one statement that most fits the leader, then one statement that fits the leader second best.
Here’s an example assessment question:
I see this person as
Lively and dynamic
Valuing my opinions
A helpful associate
The assessment doesn't ask individuals to point out a leader’s flaws – but by describing their leadership style, the tool can deduce which qualities a leader possesses or lacks.
Pros of a 360 model in Leadership Development
One quote we like to remind ourselves of often at The Metiss Group is this one by Steven Covey:
“We judge ourselves by our intentions and others by their behavior.”
What this means for leaders: some actions may be perceived as negative by direct reports, even when the leader’s intentions are pure.
For example, a leader who decides to cut back on team resources might be viewed as unsupportive or disconnected by their team, even though their intention was to ensure the organization's stability.
So when you’re assessing your own leadership qualities, you have your intentions in mind. When others are assessing you, they only see your actions. Either side on its own would have blind spots. But combine both sides, and you have a full 360-degree view of where you are and where you need to be.
All in all, those who go through the Strategic Leadership 360 program will receive:
a session for setting a strategic direction for the organization’s leadership
Strategic Leadership 360 assessments and results
one-on-one coaching
an actionable development plan for growing in areas identified by the company’s strategic direction
Challenges with a 360 model in Leadership Development
The 360 model provides insights that can completely change the way you lead other people – but it requires an investment in time and money.
Investment in time
The assessment has 66 questions and typically takes 45 minutes to complete. So if you’re a CEO with six direct reports, that’s seven people taking the assessment. Which means your team is dedicating over five hours to taking assessments.
Then if all your direct reports are also going through the Strategic Leadership 360 program, they’ll also need to send the assessment to their direct reports.
The Metiss Group recommends only having one level of the company go through the program at a time – then you can focus on work instead of assessing all of your colleagues.
This extends the length of the process, though.
Investment in money
This is a sophisticated tool created by behavioral scientists, which means it’s going to be more expensive than creating a quick survey and emailing that to your direct reports.
But as with anything, you get what you pay for. With a cheaper tool, you lose the expert insight. You might ask the wrong questions in the survey, or you might make the wrong conclusions from the data you collect.
The cost of the Strategic Leadership 360 program is in the range of $15,000-30,000, depending on which leadership tier is being assessed (C-suite, upper management, etc).
It also takes courage
The Metiss Group cannot share the results of your assessment with your organization as required by law, so the results won’t be used to make any decisions in hiring, firing, or demoting. We do recommend sharing your development plan with your boss, though, so you can get feedback on the plan’s effectiveness over time.
Even though the assessment results are confidential, it takes courage with any 360 tool to ask your direct reports to help you identify your strengths and weaknesses. Plus, you have to be open to the feedback you get in your development plan. If you’re someone who struggles with being coached, this part of the process may feel difficult.
Despite these challenges, though, clients like the one mentioned at the beginning of this blog have called this process a gift that all leaders should experience.
How to get started
The Strategic Leadership 360 process takes a lot of work, but the insights gained will be invaluable during your leadership development. This is especially crucial for leaders who have struggled to collect honest, actionable feedback from peers and direct reports.
Ready to become a better leader and make a difference in the lives of others? Contact The Metiss Group about the Strategic Leadership 360 program.
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