Doing a 360

What would shift in your leadership if you could see yourself the way others see you?

Last year I had a few coaching clients who were hesitant about doing a 360. I embed 360s into my coaching and team engagements because of the insights they surface.

Yet I understand the resistance and hesitance. The idea of structured feedback from the people you work with can trigger a real fear response.

What if it confirms what I’m afraid is true but don’t really want to acknowledge?

What if it shows me blind spots I don’t really want to see?

A few years ago I worked with a leader who had that exact resistance. The 360 was part of our engagement, so he agreed to it, but he wasn’t excited. Snarky would be a better descriptor of his attitude. That attitude was of course based in fear.

The initial debrief was tough. The feedback wasn’t great, and he had a strong reaction with scads of defensiveness. I held the space and let him have his reaction.

Then something shifted.

He came to our next session in a different place. He told me he’d been afraid the 360 would validate the failures he was already sensing in himself. In many ways, it had, along with highlighting blind spots he was unaware of.

But this was a person who was always up for a challenge, and he genuinely wanted to be an effective leader. So instead of shutting down, he got curious. He saw the feedback as information – and an opportunity to shift.

He did the work. He made real changes. And the feedback at touch points along the way reinforced that those shifts were landing.

So what made this a powerful experience instead of a destructive one?

On his side: courage and curiosity. The willingness to sit with discomfort and then move through it.

On my side: creating a container where he felt safe to have his reaction and work through it. Holding space with empathy for the fear… while also challenging him. And pointing out the positives that our brains’ negativity bias tends to skip right over.

I recognize that 360s can be tough, especially if they’re not managed well. The first one I ever had was an axe-grinding that scarred me for years.

And so many of the tools are either black and white or overly complex. This is why I use the Leadership Circle Profile. It’s not a measure of “good” or “bad.” It’s a reflection of how you’re showing up in your current context – giving you the information you need to shift, if you choose.

Yes, 360s can be scary. But a 360 isn’t a verdict. It’s a mirror. And what you do with what you see is entirely up to you.

More about me HERE.