360

Recently the board of Momentum commissioned a “360” review for those on the top executive tier of the organization. Fortunately and unfortunately, that included me.

What is a 360?

It is a super professional all-around look at how you are performing as a leader. You are sent a survey from an outside consultant, answer a myriad of questions about yourself, and submit names of people you work with, work for, and who work for you, who anonymously answer the same questions about you. You know who you chose, but you won’t know who answered what.

The skilled consultant gathers the data and creates a report that only the consultant and the person being evaluated see. It is up to the person who is assessed what and to whom they want to share this information.
One person I know found out that a 360 was being done on me and how I was looking forward to the results, and said that I was clearly braver than he was because when it was done on him, he was so devastated, he threw up.

Yikes!

And then I got the results. My first reaction was relief in that how I saw myself, both positive and negative, and how they saw me were basically aligned. My greatest fear was that I would see myself differently than they did.

The section on the positives was amazing, and the negatives humbling.
And ladies and gentlemen, beginning tonight, welcome to your 360! For tonight begins Rosh Chodesh Elul– the beginning of the Jewish month of Elul, which leads into Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur. It is the month of self-reflection and assessment in order to really see where you are at and where you want to be. Everything that happened to us this past year was decided at this time last year.

And who is also assessing? Our Creator. And you can fool a lot of people, but never The Almighty.

I have a lot to work on and much to take pleasure in, and I am now formulating a plan of action to try and climb even just a little bit higher.

That’s with my work. And now, with Elul upon us, it’s time to apply that to every other aspect of my life.

Perhaps we should ask those we interact with the most, who have been sent to you from Above, how we can improve. Some things may not be easy to hear, but if it means becoming a better you, then it’s worth it.