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By Timothy Bentley

I didn't get a moment's sleep. And I was furious.

Two weeks ago we moved to our new offices. A very cool location; three coffee shops at the nearby intersection. Subway only a block away. Fresh paint, new Cat-6 cables throughout, plenty of space for expansion.

I thought I'd planned this move meticulously.

The movers arrived on time, and nothing broke. Then, at 6 p.m. Sunday evening, a sole technician showed up, with no helper, to connect our computers and phones.

Turns out I'd made a disastrous assumption. Because it's so important to us to be well-staffed and organized, I figured our new IT providers would be too.

As the night passed, I helped him where I could. But by sun-up on Monday, as the work week began, nothing was working: no phones, no internet, no intranet. I was powerless to make any significant difference.

He was bleary-eyed, and I was desperate for my bed.

Why do I tell this tale of woe?

As a reminder of how critical it is, when planning a new enterprise, to make sure everyone is capable and well-prepared.

360-degree feedback, for instance. With today's excellent technology, there's just one potential weak link: human beings.

Administrator

Make certain that the person who administers your 360 program day-to-day is well-trained, careful, and above all, known to keep confidential matters confidential.

Loose lips sink ships, as the wartime saying goes. This individual will be handling very sensitive information, so if there's any doubt in people's minds about her/his integrity, it could poison the trust you need.

Responders

People who respond to 360s know they are taking a big risk.

If the person they are assessing isn't committed to skills development, their response effort will be wasted.

Worse still, if their confidential responses are leaked, their jobs are at risk.

So make sure they understand how to respond in a way that motivates their assessees to make changes, and know that the system will protect their identity.

Assessees

People are often scared stiff about what they will read in their 360s.

Train their supervisors to be supportive, and make coaching available where needed, so their anxiety doesn't degenerate into apathy.

Mad, Sad, and Glad

If you've made sure the participants are well-prepared, it will be a fine feedback experience.

Back here at the office, it took two frustrating weeks, but I'm happy that our systems are functioning.

Still, I remain angry with myself. I brought these problems on by not checking more carefully whether the key providers were ready to undertake our crucial project.

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