I recently attended the Association of Coaching conference on this topic and was pleased to see a recurrent theme emerge which made the link between 360 degree feedback and elite performance, particularly with regard to people in senior leadership roles.

One of the 'bedrocks' of elite performance was self-awareness; a recognition of ones own strengths and 'development opportunities' derived through a 360 degree appraisal process, and coupled with an ability to act upon feedback to improve performance.

As leaders move up the chain of command, the opportunity to obtain this type of invaluable feedback diminishes, but the need for it increases exponentially.

Without it, some leaders remain blissfully unaware of how strengths which helped them ascend have now become liabilities - confidence becomes arrogance and self-esteem becomes narcissism.

360 degree feedback ensures that these 'checks and balances' are in place to harness the strengths of a leader whilst helping them to ensure that they are not overplayed.

John