Reimagining 360° Feedback: How a Strengths-Based Approach Builds Confidence, Not Fear

Often, the mention of 360° feedback can leave managers looking petrified.

I personally discovered the Strengths approach when, in the corporate world, I was looking for a 360-degree solution that didn’t leave managers looking like they’d been hit by a stick.

What is 360° Feedback?

In short 360° feedback allows individuals to receive feedback typically from their manager, peers, direct reports, and sometimes external stakeholders. This gives them a far fuller picture than more traditionally receiving feedback from purely their line manager.

Why would organisations want to invest in 360° Feedback for their managers?

There are several reasons you may invest in 360° feedback for your people. Here are some of them:

• To support an appraisal process – wanting to provide comprehensive feedback to team members about their contribution rather than basing ratings and feedback purely on the line manager’s perspective.
• To help build a comprehensive development plan for an individual, identifying what’s working for that individual but also where improvements could be made from the whole team’s perspective.
• To boost confidence in an individual who isn’t self-aware, maybe they don’t value their input or aren’t seeing the impact of their input.
• To start initiating a feedback culture within the organisation – creating an initial observation to start feedback conversations.
  

Why choose a strengths approach to 360° feedback?

There are many tools out there to support employers in offering 360 feedback. As I mentioned previously, my experience of 360 feedback was an experience which focused on what wasn’t working for the individual.

There are several elements of the 360 process which are fundamental in the process being a successful and effective experience for the individual.

The debriefing of the feedback to the individual is one of them, making sure the data and verbatim are interpreted and shared with consideration. Supporting the individuals in identifying trends and then in building actions based on the impact of the feedback and the themes individuals identify.

For me, moving away from the traditional approach of identifying what isn’t working is what leads to a 360 process, which boosts energy and confidence rather than draining it.

What does Strengths 360° Feedback look like?

A strengths approach to 360 starts with building self-awareness around the individual’s strengths if this is the start of the individual’s strengths journey, check out our blog on Strengths Debriefs to understand more about the lightbulb moments that come here! Then we move on to look at how often others see their strengths in action and how effective they are at using their strengths to deliver results.

This leads to conversations about whether they are able to use their strengths in their role, whether their peers get the chance to see their strengths and the difference it would make if they stretched their strengths and they were more visible. Then for me, the part of the report which provides real joy (yes joy in 360’feedback!). The answers raters have completed as verbatim, considered and typed into the tool. The area which brings me joy is around what those raters appreciate about the individual’s contribution to the organisation. As someone delivering the feedback, to see the pleasure this brings to the individual and sometimes the relief of getting feedback they have often never heard before. This, alongside the education or for some reflection on strengths, is what provides a visible change in body language reflecting the boost in confidence which brings heads held high and shoulders back.

The other verbatim answer which motivates me as a coach is giving the individual one idea or recommendation that would help them to use their strengths more effectively. This information details options for the recipient of the feedback to select from, to start building an action plan of what they are going to do with the feedback – turning the feedback into tangible actions leading to change for the individual and the organisation. The coaching sessions that often follow these sessions are then based on feedback rather than the individual’s internal perception of where development is needed.

Ready to Unlock the Potential in Your Team?

When 360° feedback focuses on strengths, it transforms from a process people dread into one they genuinely value—and that’s where real growth begins

Let’s book a call and explore the possibilities together.