Are You a Leader or Boss?

So, take a look at the differences between being a boss vs. being a leader in the graphic on the right. If you are a manager  or supervisor of employees, take time to consider how you approach the precious commodity of human capital in your organization. It is not easy to know our blind spots or even how we are viewed…..unless we ask. There are tools for leaders to understand how they are perceived. One of these is the 360 evaluation.

360-questionnaire includes direct feedback from all stakeholders under your management including subordinates, peers (colleagues), and supervisor(s), as well as a self-evaluation. The results from self and others are scored and compared to look at the match between self-perception and other perception of leadership, communication, carrying the mission, values, administrative, creativity and general sense of trust and leadership. Finding the blind spots, closing the gap on the problem areas is a benefit of the 360. This can be a scary for some managers and a difficult process to risk negative or unwanted feedback. The 360 evaluation is contrasted with “upward feedback,” where managers are given feedback only by their direct reports, or a “traditional performance appraisals” where the employees are most often reviewed only by their managers for an end of the year evaluation related to meeting performance goals.

A 360 needs to be strictly confidential, offer constructive feedback, have a follow-up plan for improvement, provide an accountability system with coaching to address identify “gaps” in awareness. Conducting a pre and then post 360 evaluation with a structured improvement plan after a three month period is a great way to stay focused on specific goals. The 360 evaluation can be a valuable tool to help you be the a better, more effective leader.

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Dr. Mike Klaybor

Dr. Mike Klaybor

Dr. Mike Klaybor brings thirty years of experience in practicing counseling psychology with individuals and couples. His approach is cognitive behavioral therapy or CBT. Specific specialties include; anxiety and stress management, chronic pain & chronic illness management, depression, substance abuse evaluations, employee assistance and executive coaching for workplace performance and leadership.