Leaders need healthy feedback to lead well. An excellent process, a 360 assessment, has helped me grow in several areas. Simply put, a 360 assessment seeks input from your peers, your supervisor, your subordinates, and a few others. I’ve had two 360’s done on me, one very extensive, and one very simple that I recommend to other pastors and spiritual leaders. I’ve described the process below.

The simple assessment gave each of our staff pastors 1 to 3 growth areas on which to focus. One of mine was to make sure that when I talked to other leaders, I would put myself in their shoes and ask, “Would I feel loved at this moment.” I’m a task guy, and this simple learning has helped me focus more on building relationships.

Here’s the process I’ve used in the simple 360 assessment.

1. I asked each pastor to give me the names of a few of their leaders from whom they’d want to receive constructive input.
2. I compiled this list and added a few more.
3. We sent three questions to each of these people and asked them to honesty answer the questions.
4. We kept them anonymous by sending the responses to one leader not on staff who compiled the responses.
5. I and one of our elders compiled themes out of the responses. We also culled any hurtful comments or those that had no true bearing on leadership growth.
6. I met with each pastor and shared the themes we discovered (usually 1-3 areas on which to focus).
7. Each pastor then selected 2 people in his ministry orbit with whom he would share his growth areas and ask for regular accountability.

The end result? A way to address growth areas in a positive and proactive way.

Below you’ll find the email we sent to those we asked to evaluate.

Dear name,

As part of our annual review process we are collecting information about the potential and performance of our staff pastors. You are one of several chosen either by the pastor being evaluated or by me.

Would you please help by giving us your candid feedback, with truth and love, to the questions below?

The answers you give will not be presented verbatim to the pastor, nor will the pastor know who made any specific comment. The responses will be kept anonymous.  After the responses are received (around six respondents per pastor) one of our elders and I will group them into themes.  Then I will perform the annual review with that pastor along with a self-review each pastor will do on himself.

We want to serve our church with our best.  I will also participate by having the pastors and elders anonymously answer the same questions about me.

Here are the questions:

• What’s going well under name’s leadership?
• What’s not going well under name’s leadership?
• What’s missing under name’s leadership?

Please respond with your answers to the email address below within the next five days. Name (the objective leader) will receive them and remove your name to keep them totally anonymous.

Healthy evaluation and feedback can become a tremendous tool to lift our leadership game. I encourage you to use a 360 assessment with your staff. It may feel a bit scary before it’s done. But if done well, you and your leaders will profit from the experience.

Related posts:

• 7 Neuroscience Keys to Effective Performance Reviews
• Staff Performance Reviews: a Help or Hindrance