Is 360 Feedback Right for Your Leader?

360s Are Powerful—When the Soil Is Ready 

I see 360 feedback processes being used in organizations with the best of intentions—and yet, too often, they cause harm.

The harm isn’t just to the leader receiving the feedback. It can extend to the people giving it—employees and colleagues who may feel discouraged, dismissed, or disillusioned by how their feedback is used or ignored.

Let’s Start with Intent

Most of the time, the people initiating 360 feedback are well-meaning. Their intent is noble.
But even good intentions can go awry when they’re paired with fuzzy thinking.

The problem isn’t the tool—it’s that the purpose behind using it is often unclear.

Are you trying to support someone’s development?
Measure progress?
Identify team challenges?
Create a wake-up call?
Diagnose culture issues?

360s can’t solve all these problems. In fact, they’re only effective under certain conditions. So, let’s clarify what a 360 can and cannot do.

What 360 Feedback Can Do:

• Help a leader see how others experience their leadership.

• Illuminate strengths, developmental areas, and potential blind spots.

• Build confidence when the feedback affirms growth.

• Support someone already on a developmental path to refine their impact.

• Help a self-aware leader become more consciously competent.

A well-respected leader went through a 360 after about a year of working 1:1 with a coach. She was already reflecting on how she shows up as a leader, asking deeper questions, and noticing her impact. When she received the feedback, it helped her see where she had shifted, what was landing well, and what still needed some attention. It gave her clarity. She emerged more confident and grounded, and people felt more connected to her after the process.

What 360 Feedback Cannot Do:

• Create self-awareness in someone who hasn’t begun that work.

• Overcome defensiveness or deeply rooted self-protection patterns.

• Repair psychological safety on a struggling team.

• Compel someone to change if they’re not open or curious.

• Replace performance management or stand in for accountability conversations.

A senior manager known for lashing out at people was pushed into a 360 by HR. The person was terrified and walking on pins and needles throughout the process and was completely taken aback by the feedback. A coach was brought in—but only after the person had already reviewed the results, because she was so upset and hurt by what people said.

One of her first questions was: “Why didn’t my manager ever give me this feedback?”
Why was she hearing this—like this—and now?

For several months, she walked on eggshells. She believed she couldn’t trust anyone. That everyone was out to get her—including her manager. She didn’t just need coaching. She needed therapy, and serious mental health support. Ultimately, she left.

What she needed was far more than what a 6-month coaching engagement or a 360 tool could offer.

When Not to Use a 360:

• As part of a performance management or disciplinary process.

• When previous feedback has been ignored or met with defensiveness.

• As a “last resort” to try to get through to someone.

• To outsource uncomfortable conversations you or others are avoiding.

Sometimes a 360 becomes a substitute for something deeper: direct feedback, clearer boundaries, or performance conversations. We outsource to 360 feedback hoping it will do what we’ve been unwilling or incapable of doing.

What’s Required for a 360 to Work:

• A genuine desire to grow as a leader.

• A baseline level of self-awareness.

• The ability to be with discomfort without lashing out, shutting down, or deflecting.

• Curiosity about how others experience them—and openness to letting that shape them.

• A growing understanding of how they self-protect and how that impacts others.

This doesn’t mean someone has to be perfect or fully “ready.” But they do need some level of willingness. Some stretch in their nervous system. Some capacity to receive without reacting. And they need to be committed, not just compliant.

If you’re having to convince someone to do a 360, pause. That’s a flag.
When someone is just going through the motions, the process tends to backfire.

But when someone is truly curious—when they want to learn, improve, and see more clearly—360s can be powerful. They can spark insight, validate growth, and create meaningful momentum for change.

Invite Reflection Before You Proceed

Before you implement a 360, ask yourself:

• What outcome are we truly hoping for?

• Is this leader ready and resourced to receive feedback with presence?

• Are we using this process from alignment—or from hope and avoidance?

• Is the environment psychologically safe enough to support real feedback?

• Will this create clarity and connection, or confusion and harm?

And perhaps most importantly:

• Are there conversations that need to happen before we launch a 360 process?

What Presence, Courage, and Partnership Look Like in 360 Feedback

A good 360 process is relational, not mechanical.

It works best when a leader is present with themselves and with others.
When they have the courage to feel the sting without armor.
When they are open to partnering—with their colleagues, with the data, and with their own development.

Presence isn’t a checkbox. It’s a nervous system capacity.
Courage isn’t performance. It’s the ability to be changed by what you learn.
Partnership isn’t compliance. It’s collaboration and co-creation.

These aren’t just outcomes of the process. They are preconditions.

Final Thought

The goal isn’t to use a tool—it’s to support transformation.
Sometimes that means starting smaller, slower, and more human.

Need help deciding if a 360 is right for your leader? Let’s talk.