The Wicked Truth About Feedback, Fear, and Leadership Fallout
360 evaluations promise insight but too often deliver confusion, politics, and diluted truth. Leaders are told the results are “just for development,” yet I’ve seen them quietly surface in succession planning and promotion decisions. Employees are promised anonymity, but in low-trust cultures, fear of retaliation keeps the truth buried.
The real problem? We’ve outsourced truth to surveys and consultants. But great leadership doesn’t come from sanitized feedback. It comes from courageous conversations, strategic coaching, and environments where truth is safe to speak.
I’ve been through the 360 process more times than I can count. Never saw it done right. Don’t think I ever will.
If your culture fosters open, honest dialogue, you don’t need the anonymity of a 360 survey. But if your culture is clouded by fear, favoritism, or toxicity, anonymous feedback becomes distorted, either falsely positive (because people are afraid to speak up) or bitterly negative (because they’re seeking revenge).
If your feedback system requires anonymity, your culture doesn’t need a survey, it needs a reset. My advice? Ditch the surveys. Build a culture that invites real conversations.
- Replace fear with trust. Create environments where truth isn’t just safe. it’s valued.
- Stop outsourcing insight. Invest in strategic coaching and courageous dialogue. Grow leaders with real skills.
- Focus on outcomes. Feedback should drive clarity, alignment, and measurable growth.
Leadership deserves better than anonymous noise. It deserves truth, courage, and accountability. If you want real feedback, build a culture that can handle it.
And that’s the Wicked Truth!