Feedback can be a weapon of mass destruction

I love 360-degree feedback – it is powerful, can give valuable insights into skills to be developed, strengths, gaps in perception… but too many get it all wrong.

Michael was an underperforming account manager. His boss knew it, other managers knew it, the sales team knew it, the team that worked for him knew it, but unfortunately Michael didn’t know it. In fact, Michael thought quite highly of his own performance. Sarah, one of his direct reports, was frustrated by Michael’s lack of direction but continually getting great results. Pressure was mounting on Michael’s boss to do something about the situation.

Michael’s boss finally had the idea of conducting some 360-degree feedback. The purpose was to gather feedback from various people that worked with Michael in order to ‘objectively’ evaluate his performance and get some quick and easy evidence. He decided that if the responses were negative (expected to be) then Michael was to be demoted.

Michael received his feedback in writing. It was harsh, unedited and direct. On top of this hurtful information, most of which was being delivered for the first time, Michael was demoted. In order to protect his feelings and dignity the decision was made not to replace him with Sarah, who was promoted to another department while a new account manager was hired. Sarah soon left the company, disappointed at not being given the promotion she wanted, no longer able to use her skills in the area she loved. Michael’s demotion left him demoralised and unproductive. The newly recruited manager, Katie, started her role with a key team member in a very negative mindset, while the team’s previous high performer Sarah, is no longer at the company. Less than three months into her new role Katie is looking for a new job.

Interestingly, it was the person delivering the hard-hitting criticism that left, not the recipient!

There are some lessons in this true story that we can all learn from:

Use feedback constructively:

Feedback is a starting point, not an endpoint: Michael had an inaccurate view of his performance within his workplace. This misperception needed to be addressed directly by the manager and Michael needed to be given a chance to improve himself. A 360-degree feedback assessment should not be used as an alternative because a manager cannot face giving direct day-to-day feedback. It should ideally be used as a development tool not a weapon.

Evaluation sessions should not contain big surprises: If objectives and measures are in place then employees will have a good idea of where they are positioned on a regular basis. Your team members need to know where they stand, what they are striving for and how they will be assessed. There should be ongoing discussions and feedback throughout the year.

Reward high performers: High performers are a demanding group of people. They are particularly sensitive and critical of unfair practices and lack of acknowledgement. These people need challenges that suit their skills, they should be consulted on their career paths. Career conversations should be happening with all staff. Losing high performers is a sign that your company might be mismanaging people.

All staff and managers should be trained in giving and receiving feedback effectively.

Eve Ash has created a large range of 360-degree skill assessment tools and many excellent programs on giving and receiving feedback, available at Seven Dimensions.