360-Degree
Evaluation and Growth Plan
Ahneka
Valdois
Azusa
Pacific University
360-Degree Evaluation and Growth Plan
Fifteen people completed my 360 evaluation
survey. Seven of those people are
colleagues who teach the same course in my department. Five of them were
colleagues in different department whom I have had the opportunity to work with
on various projects, and three of them are former colleagues, one who used to
work in my department and two whom I worked with in other capacities and knew
well. From the feedback that they have given me, I have created a SWOT analysis
as a method to create a growth plan for my leadership capacities in the future.
The SWOT analysis is a popular and useful planning tool in many business
contexts, which can be used to clarify a situation (Siciliano, 2016). The SWOT
analysis reveals my need to work on being braver to act on my ideas and my need
to work on including others in my creative thinking process.
Strengths:
There were ten items for which I was rated outstanding by more than half of the
respondents: “Displays energy and drive to accomplish personal or work goals,”
“Actions and behaviors are consistent with words,” “Is trustworthy,” “Improves
the educational environment for students,” “Keeps the focus on fixing problems
rather than finding someone to blame,” “Protects confidentiality,” “Treats
everyone with respect and fairness,” “Doesn't criticize those who are not
present,” “Presents ideas or information in a well-organized manner,” and
“Writes in a clear, concise style.”
These comments reflect some of my most
deeply held values. My integrity is very important to me. I believe in being
honest. I also believe that every person should be treated with dignity and
respect, which includes protecting confidentiality and not criticizing people
who are not present. I believe that my days are limited and I need to make the
most of the time I have, and being an effective communicator is a skill that I
have spent a lot of energy developing and now teach. As someone with
“restorative” as one of my top five strengths, my focus on problems is always
attended by the goal to fix them. Blaming others is giving away power and
making oneself a victim. Taking responsibility creates hope and the opportunity
to build a better system. I am really happy and touched that others recognize
these qualities in me.
However, it is interesting that none of
these items address the areas of strength I most see in myself: my ideas. I
think there may be a very simple reason for this. One of the responders made
the comment: “Ahenka (sic) shows great leadership qualities but may sometime
hesitate to assume a leading role because she doesn't want to appear pushy or
‘like things done her way.’ She makes
sure everyone has a voice, but needs speak up for herself at times.” I do not
usually get this kind of feedback regarding my leadership style and this
comment does not match the areas that most people commented that I need to
improve in. However, this is a real area of tension for me because this person
is correct about my fear of being too pushy. I try so hard to keep my naturally
dominant personality in check and still people comment that I am not
open-minded or willing to listen.
Weaknesses:
Six items were marked as “needs improvement” by at least one person. One of
those items: “Willing to change his/her position when presented with compelling
information” was marked as “needs improvement” by two people. Other items included “Demonstrates a
willingness to take the lead,” “Shows genuine concern for team members,”
“Considers the impact of actions and decisions on other departments before
implementing,” “Allows others to finish what they have to say,” and
“Demonstrates that you've been heard and understood.” In all of these areas,
there were more people who said that I was outstanding, but I do not think that
is any reason to dismiss the minority report. All but one of these comments
indicates that I am too aggressive.
I think my greatest weakness as a leader
is also one of my greatest strengths. I am very dedicated to my ideas. I think
having well-crafted ideas is very important. As a result, I can come across as
very persistent in my own way of thinking. Although I create this impression,
the reality is that I am very open minded to others’ ideas. The problem is that
few people have really thought through their opinions to the same degree that I
have, and when I find them unable to address issues that I have already
considered, I tend to dismiss what they are trying to say and move on. This tendency
reflects an impatience regarding bringing others along with me in my vision and
train of thought. I am too oriented toward ideas and not enough toward people.
I struggle with the fact that others value
courtesy over content in regard to ideas. I believe that an idea must stand on
its own merit and should not be treated as an extension of the person who
developed it. Because I tend to think this way, I sometimes do not give people
the respect they feel they deserve for an idea just because they thought of it.
I respect and value them as people, but their ideas must earn their own respect
based on different criteria. However, leadership is more than having a good
idea. It is also a matter of bringing others into that idea.
My strong orientation toward ideas is not
always an effective practice in a leadership team. I think people with
personalities similar to mine are not bothered by my dominant communication
style and zeal for the best ideas. However, there are those who need more space
and time to develop and express their ideas. If I am caught up in expressing my
own ideas, they do not always have the opportunity to contribute, and their
contributions are important also. I need to work on being more aware of these
people, giving them space in the conversation, and encouraging them to
contribute. I also need to slow down and find ways to encourage others to reach
the same conclusions that I have reached instead of just insisting that they
take my word for it.
Opportunities:
According to Strengthfinders (Rath, 2007) and the VIA instrument, my strengths
are primarily those regarding thinking and ideas. However, the strengths that
others notice is me most closely coincide with my sense of justice and desire
to honor the dignity of people I meet. Although I think that these strengths
are vitally important, I wonder if they reflect my true strengths or just my
effort to build and enforce the strengths that I know others will value in me.
In my life experience, I have found that being a good team player and respecting
those around me in my leadership are always acceptable behaviors. My ideas, by
contrast, are not always welcome. Because I care so much about people and
really value harmony and cooperation, I have coped with this rejection by
trying to withhold my ideas. I say that I “try” because my ideas are such an
intrinsic part of me that they always come out. Perhaps they just do not always
come out in the most productive way.
An opportunity that I see for the future
is to find more productive ways to lead through my ideas. One piece of this
process is to gain some credibility through listening to others and gathering
information. This strategy is something I can practice in group conversations,
but my focus needs to shift from withholding my ideas (which I try to do in an
effort to protect myself and respect others) to working harder to incorporate
others’ ideas into my own vision. I hope that learning how to be a capable
researcher will assist me in this area. The research process is a matter of
listening to others and allowing their discoveries to shape one’s own inquiry
which is a time honored process for leading through ideas.
Threats:
Leading through my ideas is one area in which I can really be challenged as a
leader. So many of my ideas come from my own observations of life, but these
observations are often not enough to really lend my ideas the credibility they
need to influence others. Also, because I spend so much time developing my
ideas, I can be critical of ideas that do not appear to be as well thought out
as mine. The problem with this tendency, especially in terms of leadership, is
that others do not have much access or ability to contribute to my vision if I
do not actively incorporate their ideas into my process. Slowing down and
listening to others may or may not give me better ideas (which tends to be my
preoccupation), but it will help others to buy into my vision.
Also, another tendency I need to guard
against is the tendency to withdraw in the face of criticism. Although it is
important to respect everyone’s perspective, avoiding negative feedback leads
to withdrawal and passivity, especially in my case. I have recently been
convicted in this area and am trying to make a change, but I can still grow and
be willing to take more responsibility for my community. Quinn (2008) says of
many managers, “They have chosen short-term personal survival over long-term
collective responsibility” (location 227). This statement strikes very close to
home, and I do not want it to be said of me.
I want to be willing to take personal risks for the sake of the
community because I think that is Jesus’ example to us.
Based on the feedback that I gained from
my colleagues, I believe that I have the potential and ability to grow in two
main areas. I need to work harder at making others part of my creative thinking
process, and I need to be braver about holding to my values and not just
withdrawing. These two areas intersect. I think implementing this plan will be
a matter of growing in my openness to collaborating on my ideas. Not fearing
criticism, I should trust others enough to engage their ideas and believe that
they will really care about mine.
References
Quinn,
R.E. (2008). Deep Change: Discovering the Leader Within [Kindle Edition].
Retrieved from http://www.amazon.com/
Rath,
T. (2007). Strengths Finder 2.0. New York: Gallup Press.
Siciliano,
J. (2016). SWUF analysis: A new way to avoid the "opportunity" error
of SWOT. Journal of the Academy of Business Education, 17, 201-208. Retrieved
from
https://0-search-proquest-com.patris.apu.edu/docview/1874622475?accountid=8459
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