Our vision
Why use a 360 review in a Christian church or charity?
Nobody's perfect. That's worldly wisdom, but it's also the gospel we preach. And yet Christian organisations often act as if our leaders are perfect, or we expect them to be. Wary of grumbling about our leaders like the Israelites in Egypt or of pharisaical hypocrisy, we shun giving the kind of feedback our leaders need.
The reality is we are all works in progress. None of us will be perfect this side of heaven. We all long to be more like Christ and to serve the Lord more effectively.
13 Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, 14 I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus. (Philippians 3)
God is in the business of changing us to be more like Christ. This is generally a slow process and so we need to be gracious with each other... & with ourselves.
We are all unique, designed by God with unique strengths. But when a strength is over-played it can become a weakness. Feedback enables us to be aware of how our behaviour impacts others & take steps to become (even) more effective.
Delphic 360 is a tool which facilitates healthy conversations around effectiveness & faithfulness. It enables people to serve well and grow & develop in ministry roles.
Context - caring for team members
360 degree reviews (360s) are only one aspect of caring for team members. It also involves:
- Providing support with their role – clarifying objectives & expected outcomes, helping with problem solving or prioritisation, spotting issues early and jointly identifying corrective steps.
- Caring for them as an individual – ensuring their work / ministry remains sustainable, helping them balance work & life effectively, supporting spiritual growth & their walk with the Lord, offering prayer and simply asking them how they are.
- Supporting their personal growth and development – preparing for future responsibilities or challenges, enabling training or the acquisition of new skills and competencies; adjusting job content or work patterns to enable their continued growth.
These areas can be covered in many ways:
- Informal conversations (for example, quick chats in a corridor or longer talks over coffee, lunch or a walk) are powerful ways to build connections, explore ideas openly and share life.
- Meetings to check in on workload, projects & progress, give encouragement & direction or corrective feedback, provide support or discuss pastoral issues.
- Formal support and development meetings with a set cadence throughout the year to cover essential ground together.
360s fall into this final category (formal meetings). They gather feedback from a variety of perspectives:
- the person they are accountable to e.g. line manager / supervisor / chair of trustees / senior elder
- the people who report to them
- peers / colleagues
- those they interact with on a regular basis (including volunteers)
- those served by their ministry
- the individual themselves.
The resulting breadth of feedback provides a balanced overview of effectiveness & faithfulness with a focus on growth & development.