Feedback evaluations are nearly always done poorly because most are implemented by people who just buy an off-the-shelf product thinking that one size fits all.

You don’t begin with questions. You begin with what information you’re seeking to learn and validate. Then you back into the questions. The information that you seek has to be tangible and verifiable for it to be worthwhile and be able to be evaluated. For example, “increasing self-awareness and effectiveness” are not clear objectives for behavior change. How will you know when she is more aware or more effective? Objectives must be clear, and only then do you work backwards and develop questions.

Another example:  Objective is to help James become a better leader which would include better delegation and development of subordinates. Questions might include: “What does James do that encourages or discourages subordinate development?” “When delegating, what would you say James does to support or frustrate those he has delegated to?”

The purpose of a 360 is to support personal development goals. Even before executing a 360, there are certain business goals to be achieved. Presumably it has been determined that certain behaviors or skills are needed to satisfy the role of the job or move to the next level. 360 is to elicit evidence and to identify the specific leverage points needed to help this person grow and develop.

If you use a scale of 1 – 10 (I prefer 1 – 5), it must be very clear what each number means or you risk getting invalid answers. One person will give an 8 because James is better than everyone else and another will give a 6 because James isn’t quite as as good as he should be. You need to clearly state what 1 means, 10, and everything in between. My personal preference is to do 360′s in person, interviewing the people one by one. But if that is not possible, by telephone.

So, my seven steps are:

1. Find the critical components of the job, not generalities (e.g. “lead meetings”).
2. Design the questions to elicit evidence of behaviour i.e. What information am I trying to get?
3. Choose the appropriate people to interview (e.g. position, tenure, etc).
4. Be prepared to ask follow-up questions.
5. Look for patterns.
6. Report findings not solutions.
7. Agree on the next steps.

- And, just because nobody is talking about you, doesn’t necessarily mean they aren’t complaining!