The Metiss Group's Blog

The United States Navel Special Warfare Development Group (DEVGRU) is an elite team of Navy SEALs that hunted and killed Osama Bin Laden in 2011. Navy SEALs represent the best of the Navy and DEVGRU represents the best of the SEALs.  To graduate to DEVGRU the SEALs must pass a nine month long grueling training and testing program called Green Team. Only the best of the best survive Green Team and are challenged constantly by the Navy’s best leaders.

Mark Owen author of “No Easy Day: The First Hand Account Of The Mission That Killed Osama Bin Laden,” recounts his Green Team experience where he and other team members were asked regularly to make an anonymous list of the five best and worst performers in the class. The instructors compared these lists to their own lists when evaluating talent and deciding who would be promoted or removed.  The instructors know to create high-performing teams capable of accomplishing difficult feats, all aspects of the team members’ performance must be considered including how they are viewed by their teammates.

Though you may not be developing a team capable of hunting and killing al Qaeda fighters, receiving feedback from team members about each other can help you make better decisions.  The common approach in business to getting this feedback is from 360 degree tools.  A well designed 360 degree questionnaire, one that does NOT use Likert scale questions, is a great way for you to learn more about your direct reports and for them to create personal development plans.

Empower your direct reports with 360 degree tools and your organization will experience much success.

This entry was posted on November 10, 2012 at 12:56 pm and is filed under Leadership, Performance Acceleration. You can subscribe via RSS 2.0 feed to this post's comments. You can comment below, or link to this permanent URL from your own site.