How to Create A Culture That Prevents Executive Derailment

When you conduct objective benchmark meetings, your company creates a culture that prevents executive derailment instead of trying to correct the derailment. I'm a firm believer that companies should have a 360 process on an annual basis for all of their managers and executives to make sure how they're doing. A 360 degree assessment is like going to your doctor for an annual checkup. The old adage is true that an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.

If a manager can see that an executive is derailing and get help to them early, then there is a higher probability that the behavior without can be corrected without significant damage to the organization, the culture or the individual's executive’s brand. Benchmarking with 360 degree management surveys and Web surveys is not that expensive to do. A company can begin with an outside source and after a while the managers can be trained to give the feedback.

Another pet peeve. Companies have a tendency to change their 360 degree feedback survey test on an ongoing basis. Typically a new HR person comes in or the manager hears of a new 360 and changes it. I'm not a big believer in changing which test you use, but I am a big believer in finding one that really works for the company and using it at least two or three times. Every time you change the 360 degree feedback survey you're starting off with a new baseline. If the managers keep switching the survey tools then the company won’t be getting any longitudinal data.