The Unexpected Benefit of Being a 360 Stakeholder: Your Own Transformation

What if being interviewed as a stakeholder doesn't just help your colleague grow — it actually makes you more effective in your own work?

When organizations implement the Shift Positive 360^® process, they usually focus on the leader receiving feedback. But here's what often goes unnoticed: the stakeholders experience their own profound transformation. The stakeholder interview is not just an act of giving — it's an opportunity for personal and professional development that ripples far beyond a single conversation.

A Shift in Perspective

The Shift Positive 360^® interview begins by intentionally placing stakeholders into a slightly positive emotional state. When we're in a positive affective state, our cognitive processing broadens. We see more possibilities, notice connections we might have missed, and become less rigid in our thinking and more creative.

You're not approaching the interview with criticism or judgment. You're stepping into a mindset that allows you to see your colleague completely — their strengths, potential, growth trajectory. This broadened perspective becomes a lens for viewing others in your organization, creating a more constructive approach to collaboration.

Their Success is Your Success

One powerful moment comes when you're asked why this person's professional development matters to you — concretely. How does their success help you reach your goals? How does their effectiveness make your work easier, more enjoyable?

This shifts the entire frame. When your colleague develops stronger communication skills, your meetings become more productive. When they're more decisive, projects move faster. When they succeed, you succeed.

This transforms relationships from transactional to developmental. You're invested in their growth because it contributes to your own effectiveness and satisfaction.

Learning to See and Articulate Strengths

The interview trains you to identify strengths specifically. Not just "good at communication" but exactly what makes their communication effective: "She engages through questions that keep the focus on the other person, using true curiosity, creating insights; never defensiveness."

This is harder than it sounds. We're generally much better at spotting problems than articulating strengths because of our negativity bias. But as you practice during the interview, something remarkable happens: you take this perspective with you. You start noticing strengths in others more readily. You become more specific in your reinforcement and recognition.

From Concepts to Behaviors

The interview trains you to move from vague feedback to specific behavioral observations. Not "executive presence" but behavioral detail: "She pauses before speaking, makes strong eye contact, and is selective in what she says. She talks about the impact of decisions and invites others to challenge her thinking." This specificity is a gift to the person receiving feedback — they know exactly what to keep doing or what to try differently.

It's equally valuable for you. You become more observant of actual behaviors rather than general assessments. You notice what people do, not just form impressions of who they are. This behavioral focus makes you a better coach, a clearer communicator, and someone who can give feedback that actually helps people grow — because you're pointing to concrete actions they can take, not abstract qualities they should embody. You exercise more of a growth mindset and are priming yourself to see what you want, rather than what you don't.

From Evaluation to Development

Traditional feedback processes create an evaluative mindset — assessing, judging, measuring against standards. The Shift Positive 360^® moves stakeholders from evaluation to development. It doesn't "measure"; it creates dialogue and understanding.

An evaluative mindset asks, "What's wrong?" A developmental mindset asks, "What's possible?" You're not cataloging deficiencies — you're envisioning potential. You're not documenting problems — you're identifying what's next in that person's development.

This changes how you approach development conversations with everyone in your sphere. You see people through a developmental lens, making you a more effective coach, mentor, and collaborator.

Your Perspective Matters — And They Need to Know It

Here's something that is a relief and excites many stakeholders: unlike traditional anonymous 360s, the Shift Positive 360^® is transparent. The leader knows who said what. And this transparency creates an entirely different dynamic — one that's more powerful for everyone involved.

Why? Because feedback is relative and relational to the person providing it. It's not objective truth — it's your perspective shaped by your context, your priorities, your personality, and your working relationship. When the leader knows this is your perspective, they gain crucial insight into how to work more effectively with one person — you.

For example, what the board chair wants from the CEO may differ from what the CFO wants. Or, if you're introverted and analytical, you may wish the leader paused after statements or asked for your opinion when you're ready.

This transparency is liberating. You're not rendering a verdict — you're sharing your needs. You're teaching them how to be successful with you, helping them become more versatile in their approach and thereby more effective.

This changes how you give feedback everywhere. You become comfortable sharing your perspective directly, knowing transparency builds stronger relationships than anonymous criticism.

Mastering the Reframe

Perhaps the most useful skill is reframing feedback from problem-focused to solution-focused. Shift from "what I don't want" to "what I do want." Not "stop being abrupt" but "bring your natural curiosity by asking questions that draw out different perspectives."

This is the art of reframing, and it's transformative. When you articulate what you want rather than what you don't want, you're direct and constructive — even with tough issues. You address real problems without triggering defensiveness because you're pointing toward a solution, not dwelling on the failure.

You practice this skill during the interview, and it becomes a habit. You begin to reframe automatically in your own feedback conversations. You become the person who can address difficult topics in ways that feel constructive rather than attacking.

Problems Aren't Always Problems

The interview invites stakeholders to recognize something essential: you've been successful together before. Whatever challenges exist now, there's a foundation to build on. This realization is freeing. It reminds you that problems are not permanent and leads you to envision a better working relationship and future.

The Ah-Ha Moment

Often, when offering feedback, you have an ah-ha moment a realization that your behavior impacts their behavior. When you cancel one-on-ones without rescheduling, they do too. Yet, when you ask them to critique your recommendations, they come more prepared. You gain insights into what you're contributing to the success and challenge of working together.

From Stakeholder to Ally

Here's where something profound happens. You're asked to commit to do "One Thing" to support your colleague's development, you're no longer a stakeholder — you become an ally. You're identifying what you can uniquely do to help your colleague develop — even if it is as simple as looking for, recognizing and reinforcing their efforts toward something new.

Why? Because we don't change by ourselves. We change through the interactions and reinforcements of others — a smile, a nudge, a comment. So, you learn to reinforce what you want, rather than primed to see what you don't. You're not a passive observer in someone else's growth story — you're an active agent with something meaningful to offer.

This is the transition from stakeholder to ally: from someone who has an interest in the outcome to someone who is actively invested in creating that outcome.

The Ripple Effect

When multiple stakeholders go through this process and become allies for multiple leaders, something remarkable happens at the organizational level. The skills that allies develop — strengths recognition, solution-focused feedback, behavioral detail, developmental mindset, reframing, self-discovery, allyship — permeate the culture.

People give feedback differently. They approach challenges constructively. They invest in each other's growth intentionally. The organization becomes more developmental, strengths-based, and collaborative. They support growth while being much more adept at addressing crucial issues constructively and in the moment.

The Truth About Being an Ally

Being a stakeholder in the Shift Positive 360^® process is not a favor you're doing for someone else. It's an investment in yourself, your relationships, and your effectiveness. You learn skills that make you better with people. You develop habits that make you more constructive in difficult conversations. You build or re-build connections that make collaboration more productive and satisfying. You teach someone crucial to your own success how they can work best with you. Through this, you continue to grow and develop yourself.

The unexpected gift is this: when you help someone else you help yourself.