Leadership in today’s volatile and complex world requires more than just authority and expertise. It demands adaptability, innovation, collaboration, and self-awareness. For leaders to thrive, they need to understand not only their strengths but also their blind spots, and be equipped with the right tools to navigate dynamic, unpredictable business environments. When it comes to leadership development, there are numerous 360-degree feedback tools available. However, the x360 Leadership Survey stood out to me as a transformative tool for the following five key reasons. But first, let me outline what it is.
What It Is
The x360 Leadership Survey is a fully online, comprehensive feedback tool designed to help leaders operating in a global and rapidly changing world. Developed by leadership experts Deborah Ancona at MIT and Henrik Bresman at INSEAD, in collaboration with Thomas Malone, Wanda Orlikowski, and Peter Senge from MIT Sloan School of Management, the model draws on decades of rigorous research and real-world leadership practice.
Why I Chose It
In a crowded market of 360-degree feedback tools, I chose the x360 over others for the following reasons:
1. MIT’s 4-CAPS+ Leadership Model
The foundation of the x360 is built on MIT’s 4-CAPS+ Leadership Model, which as you can see in the image above focuses on three core building blocks: Adaptability (who you are), 4-CAPS+ (what you do – centred on the four key leadership capabilities of: sensemaking, relating, visioning, inventing + building credibility), and Effectiveness (the impact you have). Anyone who has completed the Creative Leadership programme with me will be familiar with the 4-CAPs+ model.
This holistic approach enables the model to identify a leader’s strengths and areas for development in a way that is targeted, evidence-based, and forward-looking. While many 360-degree tools focus solely on providing feedback about the leader’s current style, the x360 focuses on helping leaders develop the necessary behaviours that drive high performance in a rapidly changing world – behaviours such as developing resilience, creating meaning from uncertainty, making tough decisions and innovation effectiveness to name some. In a world of ever increasing leadership models and theories, MIT’s 4-CAPS+ model provides a strong and tested leadership compass.
2. A Strengths and Authenticity-Focused Approach
Another crucial factor that influenced my choice was the model’s focus on strengths and authenticity, in particular it’s ability to enable leaders identify their leadership signature. Unlike other 360-degree feedback tools that often highlight weaknesses without much context, the x360 identifies a leader’s strengths and helps them build on these, while also highlighting blindspots, and areas for growth.
This strengths-based approach fosters a mindset of authenticity and confidence, helping leaders stay true to who they are while continuously improving. It enables leaders to double down on their unique abilities and create teams that complement their shortcomings. Authenticity is a key element of long-term success, and I found that the x360’s emphasis on this resonated deeply with my personal philosophy of leadership.
3. Behaviourally Focused and Backed by Decades of Research
As mentioned above, the x360 isn’t just based on generic leadership theory; it is a leadership model with innovation and change at its core. It is built on decades of research and real-world application and is used globally today by top executives and academic leadership programmes, including those at MIT and INSEAD, to name a few. From this rich and diverse database of users, the model continues to be tested and refined, ensuring its continued effectiveness.
The behavioural focus of the model also ensures that it provides feedback that is immediately actionable. Leaders aren’t just told what they are doing wrong; they are provided with specific strategies and behavioural steps to take in order to improve their visioning or innovation skills, for example. This level of detail and practical application really makes the x360 stand out as a superior developmental tool.
4. Promotes Distributed Leadership and Collaborative Networks
Another unique aspects of the x360 is its promotion of distributed leadership. In today’s complex and interconnected business environment, no single leader can possess all the answers. Instead, the x360 encourages leaders to identify their own limitations and seek out colleagues and collaborators whose skills complement their own. This distributed leadership approach is critical in fostering innovation, building dynamic teams, and creating a collaborative culture.
By promoting the development of intentional networks of collaboration and execution, the x360 allows leaders to be more externally active and encourages cross-functional teamwork. This holistic, systems-thinking approach to leadership development was a significant factor in my choice of the x360 over more traditional, top-down feedback tools.
5. Applicability Across Industries and Organisational Settings
Finally, whether you are leading a multinational corporation, a startup, or a nonprofit organisation, the x360 is incredibly versatile and is designed to be used across various industries and organisational contexts.
This broad applicability of the model, combined with its ability to uncover blind spots and highlight leadership potential, ensures that leaders from all sectors can benefit from the insights it provides. Many other 360-degree tools are limited by industry or leadership level, but the x360’s flexibility ensures it can be used to develop leaders at all levels and in any sector.
With all the above in mind, I am pleased to share that, in conjunction with our partners at xLead, we are delighted to add the x360 Leadership Development Programme to our existing suite of offerings. The programme is ideal for one-to-ones and groups and includes an individual x360 leadership development report, a debriefing session, and an action development plan.
To learn more, please get in touch.
Best wishes,
Carolanne
If you liked this post and want to receive more valuable tips on how to accelerate your leadership impact, sign-up today to Carolanne’s newsletter.
