FAQs on SIPA Instrument

What is a 360° assessment?

A 360° assessment provides a participant with feedback from a variety of sources, from all directions, (hence the term “360°”). You see your responses, as well as those from supervisors,from peers and from those people that report to you.

So how do I get candid feedback from people working with or for me—won’t they be afraid to tell the emperor he or she has no clothes?
The 360°assessment instrument that the Succession Institute uses provides total anonymity for responses. Not even the consultants from the Succession Institute can determine who provided what answers to the assessment questions. So we don’t know who said what, and you shouldn’t try to guess, either.

What does this assessment measure?
This particular assessment measures managerial and/or professional behaviors, as applicable, in twelve broad areas that research shows are important to professional success:

What is the benefit to me of going through this 360° assessment?
We all need feedback in order to understand our strengths that we can leverage, and our weaknesses to be able to improve ourselves. Typically, the higher up you go in an organization,the less feedback you get—less in volume, less in relevance, and probably less accuracy as well.No matter where you are in your firm, this instrument gives you an incredible opportunity to take a look at what you’re doing well, and where you can become even more effective.

Who should evaluate me?
You should pick people from each category, (boss, peers, or direct reports), with whom you work frequently, if not routinely, in whose opinion and judgment you have confidence.

Having said that, avoid stacking the list with “golfing buddies.” The point of this tool is to get good, objective evidence that you can use to grow professionally, not to stroke your ego.

You need to have at least three to four responses in each category to get the best composite view of your leadership behaviors, so it’s a good idea to ask five to seven people in each category to complete the instrument if possible. That way, if someone fails to do so, you still have enough responses for the report to be meaningful to you.