Be open-minded

While the process can highlight your skills and achievements, it can also shed light on some negative aspects perceptions your teammates or managers have about your performance, skills, or personality.

These revelations can be shocking and unpleasant. It takes a growth mindset and open-mindedness to be open to feedback. These create cognitive dissonance as they bring about truths about ourselves that are contrary to your beliefs or your self-image.

We have 2 ways of dealing with it: ignore or accept. Both are valid, but you need to understand when to let go of the new information and the feelings it’s caused, and when to accept or take action.

Choose your battles

The good news is, you don’t have to react to everything.

If the feedback doesn’t clash with your values or your sense of integrity, is not a recurring issue, or isn’t a flaw in your leadership skills, it’s most likely not worth taking action.

Instead, focus on actionable steps you can take to improve on specific issues that are affecting your team’s performance.

Needless to say, don’t react to any comments that were made in bad faith or that comment on things about yourself you cannot change.

By freeing up mental and emotional space for small, high-impact actions, you take the first step toward growth.

Develop a growth mindset

Speaking of growth, it’s important to see all feedback as an opportunity to gain a better understanding of yourself and your leadership skills.

For example, perhaps you see yourself as a friendly, kind leader. While your team agrees, they also feel that you’re not challenging them or pushing them to perform better.

Instead of seeing this as criticism of your leadership style, see it as an opportunity to work together with your team to

It helps to see any potential weaknesses or failures, not as flaws, but as opportunities. In business, overcoming weaknesses and failure can be an excellent teacher.

Reflect, don’t react

Before you take any action, take some time to reflect on the feedback you’ve received. It can be quite a shock, so pausing for a short time to let emotions cool off will help you distinguish what needs acting upon and what doesn’t, and where to go next.

Setting up a meeting with a supervisor, a trusted colleague, or a mentor to share your thoughts about it and gain additional insights.

Also, it’s normal to wonder who left specific feedback, especially when it’s negative feedback. As the saying goes, if you seek revenge, you should dig two graves. Trying to get back at someone for the feedback they shared, even if you feel was unfair, will only make the underlying issue worse.

Celebrate the wins

While focusing on the blind spots is useful to start working on them, don’t forget to celebrate the positives. Thank your team for sharing and take a few moments to let their positive words resonate within you.

Acknowledging your progress within the company and as a professional, and knowing your efforts have not gone unattended, increases your motivation and gives you a great idea of what’s working so far.

So, before you start with the hard work, take a few moments to appreciate all you have achieved and contributed to your organization.

Commit to change

Finally, now that your team has spoken about the aspects of your leadership they’re not pleased with, they will expect some changes. Make sure that the actions you take have a visible impact on your behavior and performance in your workplace.

What’s important here is not a score or the feedback you’ll receive at the next review.

Start with one or two of the most pressing issues brought up in the review, and focus on small actions that bring the most change. Change takes time, keep your expectations realistic–start by modifying habits or implementing new procedures gradually, especially if they involve other members of the team. Focus on results instead of increasing a score.

In the end, you are at the center of the whole process. Not even a perfectly executed 360 review will work without a growth mindset, commitment, and desire to take action. Of course, with the right coaching and mentoring, it becomes a lot easier to translate the results into actions.

Have you received a 360 review before? What did you find most helpful about it?