The Metiss Group's Blog

If you’ve ever embarked on an exercise program, you know after a while your body strengthens and exercises that were once difficult to perform are easy to do.  You then increase the intensity of the exercise by adding more weight or more reps until that becomes easy and then you add more again to challenge yourself.  Continually pushing our bodies is what creates the health improvements we seek.  If we stopped improving, eventually we would lose the gains we made.

The same is true with our work endeavors.  We must continually improve our work or eventually fall behind.  The “A” player who stops pushing for improvement will eventually become a “B” player and if still refuses to grow will become a “C” player and ultimately out of work.  You should insure your direct reports are continually challenged either through internal motivations or through your coaching.

Push your direct reports to improve and they will continue to be successful.

As 360 degree leadership effectiveness tools become better indicators of perceived leadership behaviors, more-and-more companies are embarking on formal 360 degree evaluations of their leadership teams.  These insightful reports help leaders focus on developing the leadership skills those observing them in the workplace see as most needed.

However, prior to conducting 360 degree evaluations and delivering results, the leadership group must identify the leadership practices that are important to the organization.  Everyone should understand the organization’s leadership focus before getting their results.  Once leaders receive their reports their natural tendency is to dismiss the feedback in areas in which they scored poorly.  Having committed to focusing on specific leadership styles before receiving feedback forces them to be more objective and embrace development opportunities.

Empower your direct reports by choosing the important leadership practices before receiving 360 degree feedback and they’ll have a more successful development plan.