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Feedback. We all know that feedback can help us improve in any area of our lives. Yet feedback doesn't automatically help us feedback can be short sighted, unbalanced, unhelpful and ill-timed. Any of these challenges can reduce the value of the feedback we receive.

Enter the 360 evaluation or assessment.

The 360 evaluation provides 360 perspective for an individual typically including feedback from a boss, co-workers, direct reports, Customers and others as appropriate. The intent of a 360 evaluation is to reduce the challenges mentioned above; to provide people with a balanced perspective on their performance both what they are doing well and should continue and the areas that would benefit from some improvement.

This feedback process can be an outstanding tool if used intelligently. The rest of this article will help you be more intelligent when using this process.

The Mechanics

Most all 360 evaluations are done with a tool either via pen and paper or increasingly using the web. This approach allows all of the feedback to be summarized, reviewed in a variety of ways and remain anonymous.

While this is the most typical approach, 360 assessments can be done in group settings with or without anonymity. I have both participated in and facilitated these types of sessions and they can be very effective. While the rest of this article focuses on the use of standardized assessment tools, the comments apply to a group approach as well.

Choosing the Tool

There are a variety of 360 assessment tools available. While most all of them are well tested and excellent, you should select one based on your particular needs. Consider the questions and areas of focus in relationship to your participants and their needs. Some tools are designed for leaders at all levels, some are more helpful for executives, some for first-line supervisors, some for team members, etc. Review the questions to make sure they will provide helpful feedback to those who will be using the tool.

Also consider the process (communication approaches, who does the administration of the assessments, etc.) used to make sure it will fit into your culture and resource availability.

Choosing the Participants

Choosing participants means two things: who will be requesting feedback and who will be providing the feedback (they're also called raters').

Those being evaluated should understand the process and the purposes and benefits of it. For example, for people who are not yet supervisors, depending on the tool used, they might

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