What is a 360-degree assessment?
A 360 is a structured survey about one leader, completed by people all around them: above, alongside, and below. The leader also rates themselves. The report shows where others’ experience of the leader matches the leader’s self-view and where it does not. Those gaps are usually the most valuable part.
A 360 used for development differs from one used for evaluation. Development 360s are confidential to the leader and coach, raters are anonymous within groups, and results are not used for pay or promotion. That protection is what makes raters candid.
What is the Leadership Circle Profile?
The Leadership Circle Profile (LCP) is a 360 instrument developed by Bob Anderson and published by Leadership Circle. According to its publisher, it is designed to measure two primary domains:
- Creative Competencies, shown in the top half of a circular graphic. These reflect how a leader achieves results, brings out the best in others, leads with vision, and acts with integrity and courage. Higher scores are associated with higher rated leadership effectiveness.
- Reactive Tendencies, shown in the bottom half. These are self-limiting patterns that emphasize caution over creating results, self-protection over engagement, or aggression over partnership. They tend to rise under pressure.
The left side of the circle concerns relationships and the right side concerns tasks, so a leader can see at a glance whether they lean toward people or results, and whether they lead from a creative or a reactive stance. The publisher describes 29 dimensions around the outer circle plus summary scales.
Why do coaches use it?
Most competency surveys tell a leader what to improve. The LCP also suggests why a pattern persists, by linking visible behavior to the underlying habit of thought. For example, a leader may score low on delegating not because they lack the skill but because a strong controlling or perfectionistic tendency keeps pulling work back.
That connection between inner assumptions and outer behavior is why the instrument is common in executive coaching, which works on exactly that link. See The inner game of leadership.
How should results be used?
- Debrief privately with a certified practitioner. A raw report without interpretation can be misread or feel bruising.
- Look for two or three themes, not twenty scores.
- Thank the raters and share one or two commitments. This builds trust and creates accountability.
- Turn themes into observable goals for the coaching engagement.
- Re-measure, formally or informally, after six to twelve months.
What a 360 should not be used for
Leadership Circle states that the profile is a development tool and is not designed for performance appraisal. More generally, using development feedback to make pay or employment decisions teaches raters to stop being honest and undermines every future 360 in the organization.
Frequently asked questions
Is a 360 assessment anonymous?
Peer and direct-report ratings are normally combined so individuals cannot be identified, and a minimum number of raters per group is required. The manager’s or board chair’s ratings are usually shown separately because there is only one.
Who sees the results of a leader’s 360?
In a development-focused engagement, the leader and the coach. The leader decides what to share with their board, manager, or team. This should be agreed in writing before the survey launches.
How many raters are needed for a 360?
Typically ten to twenty in total, enough in each group to protect anonymity and to show patterns rather than one person’s opinion.
Can a credit union CEO do a 360 with board members as raters?
Yes. Board members commonly rate the CEO as the “boss” group, alongside executive team members and sometimes external stakeholders. Agree in advance that it is for development, separate from the board’s formal CEO evaluation.
How Syntrina Leadership uses it
Syntrina Leadership includes the Leadership Circle Profile in its six-month one-on-one executive coaching engagement.
Sources
- Leadership Circle Profile — publisher’s description of Creative Competencies, Reactive Tendencies, and intended use.
This page is educational and general in nature. It is not legal, regulatory, or clinical advice. Questions or corrections: coaching@syntrinaleadership.com.