As a Consultant and a Fractional CMO, it’s crucial that I over-deliver on expectations and prove myself indispensable. The last thing I want is for my CEOs to feel like they’re being taken advantage of.
But outside the structured review process of a corporate job, is there an accurate way to assess the performance of a startup leader or startup consultant? How can we tell if we’re on the right track in these amorphous early-stage jobs that so many of us find ourselves in today?
Instead of waiting passively for my CEO or manager to express dissatisfaction, I’d rather proactively uncover what they might be too polite to say aloud. This gives any negative feedback they might have a sort of a release valve that you can control. It helps that actively asking for feedback often disarms people and makes them feel like their opinion truly matters.
So when I was the Head of Marketing at Codecademy around four years ago, I decided to take a more hands-on approach to my performance review. I was inspired by Google’s data-driven approach to human resource management—In 2008, they came up with Project Oxygen, which was an internal effort to determine what makes a manager great. I looked at sample surveys, studied Project Oxygen, and read up on the best ways to get feedback as an executive.
It was also at Codecademy where I first encountered the concept of a 360-degree review. I was lucky enough to participate in two 360-degree reviews performed for our CEO, Zach Sims, by Reboot.io founder Jerry Colonna. I thought it was a brilliant way to assess one’s performance, and I decided to conduct one for myself with my team.
It went pretty well: I got really helpful feedback, and the other department heads at Codecademy started doing it for their teams as well.
(Shameless plug: the other department heads later ran similar surveys, but I still scored highest.)
Fast-forward to October 2021: I’m now a very hands-on advisor to three different startups, and it’s been years since I’ve received substantial feedback. It was the perfect time for another 360-degree review.
How I Conducted My 360-Degree Review
In October 2021, I sent a survey to employees across the three startups that I worked with as a marketing consultant this past year. I conducted the survey to gauge my performance across my clients and see how I could personally improve.
To get a comprehensive picture of my performance, I also took into consideration the results of the survey I did four years with the Codecademy marketing team. This one was more team-oriented and focused on improving my team’s performance.
In both surveys, I asked questions such as “How would you describe Prasid?” to get raw data about how I’m being described. I also used the common feedback framework of “stop, start, and continue”—inquiring about what I should stop doing, start doing, and keep doing.
The 2021 survey had eight questions and a sample size of 11—almost double the number of questions in the Codecademy survey, and about thrice the number of respondents.
The Results of My 360-Degree Review
Over the two surveys, the reviews I received were fairly similar. However, there were some notable differences.
My affinity for numbers and tech seemed to be a key driver of satisfaction. “Analytical”, “data-oriented”, “strategic” and “goal-driven” topped the list of my traits that were most appreciated.
I juggle multiple companies at once, so I have to make every meeting count. As a result, I sometimes wonder if I come across as aggressive. It was interesting to see descriptors like “direct” and “blunt,” confirming my fear, but also “kind,” “respectful,” and “thoughtful,” giving me hope that I was moderating my aggression.
I also constantly worry about missing valuable context. As an outsider who spends just 10-20 hours a week per team, I often feel like I might be too outspoken or that I might be overstepping. So it was really gratifying to read over and over in the survey suggestions like “keep pushing!”, “keep asking the tough questions!”, and “be more assertive in your ideas.” These were things I really needed to hear.
Through the survey, I also learned my teams needed more from me when a few folks used terms such as “unreachable.” This is exactly the sort of feedback that, if I hadn’t asked for it, might bubble below the surface and never get corrected.
I likewise received different feedback regarding the way I would conduct meetings. While my first survey suggested I simplify the agendas for meetings to avoid covering too much content at once, the second survey reflected my clients’ desire to discuss more long-term goals and gain insight into my personal work process and stream.
My NPS Analysis
I also included an NPS survey at the end of my 2021 survey. The NPS, or Net Promoter Score, is a market research metric that measures the likelihood of your customers referring your business or product to others. Marketers use NPS to set benchmarks across different companies. For example, if everyone in the airline industry has NPS scores, then we can take a look at them to compare their performance at a glance.
The logic behind the NPS system is that if you ask the exact same question consistently across products, or if you ask the same question consistently across time, then you can benchmark against other businesses and you can benchmark over time.
Now, there aren’t really a ton of examples of anyone doing an NPS survey about a human being. However, since I’m now running a consulting business, I figured I’d least try and benchmark my performance.
So at the end of both my surveys, I asked my respondents about the likelihood of recommending me to their friends or peers.
My NPS Results
Here’s how my respondents rated me:
NPS survey respondents are classified according to the scores they gave. Those who gave a score of 0 to 6 are considered Detractors, 7 to 8 are Passives, and 9 to 10 are Promoters. To calculate my NPS, I subtracted the number of my Detractors from that of my Promoters and divided the difference by the total number of survey respondents.
NPS = ( Promoters - Detractors ) / Total responders
= 7 - 1/ 11
= 6 / 11 = 0.541 OR 54.1 % NPS
Thus, my Net Promoter Score is 54.
If you’re using the NPS system, you should note that your sample size will largely affect your score. The lower your sample size, the greater the difference between the scores you could get.
What I Learned From My 360-Degree Review
We all have a preconceived notion of how we manifest ourselves to others. Conducting a 360-degree evaluation is a great way to get unbiased information about how others perceive you. For example, one of my respondents said I’m patient even if I personally don’t think I am. This exercise effectively reconciled how I think I am and how I actually am.
I also realized that it could be difficult for people to give constructive criticism and negative feedback. Anonymity is important for surveys like this: It empowers people to be more honest and give their unfiltered opinions since you wouldn’t really be able to figure out who’s saying what.
As a consultant, I’m spending a lot less time with a company per week than anybody else it employs. Everybody else would be living inside the business for 50 or 60 hours a week, while I’m only spending around 10 hours or so a week. So I tend to feel like I’m on a ledge; like I don’t have as much context as everybody else does.
That’s why it was encouraging to get a lot of positive feedback about the way I work: “You ask good questions!” “Keep pushing us!” “Keep us honest.” “Continue to challenge us.” “I want leadership to listen to you more.” These words made me feel like I was on the right track and that I’m bringing tangible value to the company, and that it’s okay to be more assertive because I’m here for a reason.
Try It Yourself
We all deserve the opportunity to get better. But sometimes, the feedback processes in our companies aren’t really designed to help us learn and improve. The feedback you get during your performance evaluations is usually very filtered: Your manager might solicit feedback about you from your peers, and they would process that information and only give you the synthesized version. You wouldn’t be getting all the raw information that’s crucial to help you grow.
Personally, as a people manager, I’d be super impressed if someone on my team ran a 360-degree review process. Taking such initiative shows you prioritize self-improvement, making you an asset to any team.
That’s why I open-sourced my 360-degree review survey—just hit the link below, click on the three dots on the upper right corner of the screen, select “Make a copy”, and edit it to fit your needs and goals. Let me know if you end up using it. I’d love to know how it worked for you!