feedforward analysis™ for:

Lidia Hadley
XYZ Ltd - manager services
respondents: 21

Insight into the most important leadership and management qualities that
form the basis of high performance individuals, teams, and organizations!

1
Table of Contents
INTRODUCTION 3

WHY FEEDFORWARD INSTEAD OF FEEDBACK? 4

THE RESPONDENTS 5

THE QUALITIES THAT MAKE YOU AND YOUR ORGANIZATION SUCCESSFUL 7

BEFORE YOU GO TO YOUR RESULTS 8

QUALITIES OF LIDIA HADLEY 9

HOW ARE THE QUALITIES DEVIDED AMONG THE 3 PILLARS 13

MANAGER AND/OR LEADER? 19

HARD VERSUS SOFT QUALITIES 21

INDIVIDUAL VERSUS RELATIONAL QUALITIES 22

ACTIONS BASED ON YOUR QUALITIES 25

WHAT NOW? 26

Appendices
1. Remarks from your feedforward respondents on your qualities (anonymous)

2. The 48 qualities of successful leaders and managers

3. Scientific responsibility

2
Introduction
This individual feedforward report was drawn up on the basis of your feedforward analysis™. This analysis
portrays the most important leadership skills of the future and is structured in a positive and growth-
oriented way. Respondents provide feedback by indicating which of the qualities - that are truly important
for successful leadership / management - they recognize in you. The analysis searches for your strengths
and subsequently looks at the possibilities for further development and reinforcement of these strengths.
You can use this report to compare your own analysis with how others perceive and experience your
qualities. Do these correspond? Or are there major differences? How do you really want others to see
you? What qualities are essential for the successful performance of your position or role and function?
This report provides insight into the management and leadership qualities that you already show and
gives a detailed analysis on:
The 3 feedforward pillars: Being authentic, People-oriented managing, Entrepreneurship
Management and leadership qualities
Hard and soft qualities
Individual and relational qualities

3
Why feedforward instead of feedback?
It is often the case that participants experience many instruments - that are intended to be positive - as
negative, as a threat. This means that the instrument has less of an impact than hoped for.
Leading research1 on how our brain influences our leadership qualities shows that it is very difficult, for
example, for our brain to receive feedback. This is certainly true concerning feedback on less positive
characteristics, qualities and conduct. A brain perceives a threat much more strongly than it perceives
pleasure. Fear has an immediate effect on people, even if they are able to hide this. The feeling of a threat
is perceived faster, stronger and more directly, and is difficult to ignore. Once awakened, it is also not that
easy to put it at ease. It prevents people from being creative, from working together, from making
balanced decisions and from listening to feedback openly with the objective to learn.
Whether or not you are able to manage people well, is mostly a matter of self-knowledge and self-
reflection. It starts with knowing yourself well and understanding how the fear button in your brain works,
also with knowing how you respond to attention and compliments. Like Somerset Maugham2 already said,
“People ask you for criticism, but they only want praise”. If you want to change behavior, it would be best
to consider the options availableand to reinforce behavior by way of compliments.

‘The main idea is that people need a safe basis, in order to deactivate the
defensive nature of the brain, so we don't allow ourselves to be driven by
fears and threats, but instead allow ourselves to be inspired by
opportunities and possibilities.’

George Kohlrieser - IMD Business School

People who know themselves well and convey a consistent image to others, come across as authentic
people. These individuals are easy to read and understand, and therefore gain trust more easily. With
these individuals, the other person's brain is not set to the ‘fear alert’ ahead of time.

Complimenting others also seems like the best way to inspire people to grow and to learn new skills. The
brain is elastic and therefore able to create new neural pathways, and through that the person learns new
behavior. However, the brain is much more inclined to do so in a positive environment, where attention
is paid to training new skills.

You have already taken a positive first step by opting for this analysis. You have asked your environment
to provide feedback on your behavior and attitude in a positive sense, instead of feedback on points in
need of attention. This analysis will provide you with a better understanding of your leadership strengths
and how to further reinforce and utilize these strengths for yourself, your people, your team and your
organization. You discover how, with your qualities, you can make an even bigger difference in your
organization.

1Phil Dixon, Dr. David Rock and Dr. Kevin Ochsner (Neuro Leadership Journal)
2William Somerset Maugham (1874 - 1965) was a British citizen born in France, a writer of many romance novels, collections of short stories,
plays, travel stories and essays.

4
The respondents
Firstly, we asked you and the group of respondents to select the positive qualities that you possess. Based
on all these qualities, the respondents then made a subsequent selection of qualities that describe you
best, and arranged them by order of applicability (1 – 10).

The feedforward report was prepared based on this information.

Respondents
The exact number of respondents who provided you with feedforward is listed below:

1. Employees: 10
2. Colleagues (equal job level): 8
3. Superiors (higher job level): 1
4. External contacts: 2
5. Private contacts: 0

If only one respondent repersents a specific group, this respondent will have given his or her approval to
have his or her feedforward incorporated in this report.

5
TIP
All respondents have received an email to express thanks and gratitude for the time they

invested. However, it might be a good idea to thank them in person as well. Please don't

hesitate to contact them, if you still have questions for the group after the analysis or if you

would like to share the results. Expressing appreciation, asking questions and showing that

you actually want to take action following the feedforward analysisTM, displays strength..

The resepondents might also be able to support you in showing discipline and actually taking

action following the analysis!

6
The qualities that make you and your organization
successful
Various studies indicate which leadership and management qualities are important within profit, non-
profit and government organizations, in order to perform better in an ever-changing environment. The
feedforward analysis™ is based on the latest insights by leading leadership thinkers and institutes. See
more about this research in the Appendix.

3 feedforward pillars
By pulling together and comparing the aforementioned insights, we
have arrived at 48 qualities of successful leaders and managers,
subdivided into 3 feedforward pillars:

Being authentic
People-centred management
Entrepreneurship
The aim is to discover which of your qualities contribute to a
successful organization. With these qualities, you can also further
develop and reinforce the qualities that are not quite as developed in you yet, but that you certainly
have in you.
No mention is made of the optimum distribution, and therefore there is no better or worse distribution.
Only when you compare the task that you and / or your team / organization are responsible for, to your
(or your team's) analysis, will you be able to make mention of a more or less successful profile of
qualities. The qualities that your team members have in them and are asked to utilize, also determine
the success of the entirety, in part.
The 48 qualities that are included in the three pillars will be described later and you will also encounter
them in your personal results.

Various respondents
You have asked various groups of respondents to provide feedforward: colleagues on the same level with
you, superiors, employees under you, external contacts and private individuals. This means that we are
also able to link the feedforward back to these various groups of respondents and can provide feedback.
Do all of these groups view you and your qualities similarly? Or do the perceptions vary widely? The
various groups and their feedforward are presented to you in a comparative format.

Comprehensive analysis
Apart from the 48 qualities and 3 pillars, you are also given insight into your distribution in terms of:
Management and leadership qualities
Hard and soft qualities
Individual and relational qualities
The named distributions are referred to frequently as essential combinations of qualities that determine
sustainable success. Here it also applies that, in addition to having insight into your own strengths, the
solution is often found in the qualities, and in reinforcing the qualities, that you already possess but that
are not quite as developed yet. Also, it is good to get the team members involved in pinpointing the key
strengths that need to be developed.

7
Before you go to your results

Before you view your results on the following pages, please start by answering the following question:

Which three qualities, in your opinion, are essential in order to fulfill your current position / task / role
within the organization?

There is no need to refer to the feedforward qualities. You can do this simply based on feeling.

1. ____________________________________________________

2. ____________________________________________________

3. ____________________________________________________

With these three qualities in mind, you will be more focused when you view your personal results and
decide where you actually want to focus your efforts. Remember that you picked these three qualities
thinking about your position. This report generates so much information that focus truly does help.

Now look at which qualities the feedforward respondents assigned to you.

8
 Qualities of ##NAME##
Qualities according to you and all respondents:##barchart3##

Displays ownership Your 2nd choice

Is reliable / honest
Is focused
He / she does what he / she says and says what…
Pro-active
Is people-centred and asks questions
Displays decisiveness
Self-assertive Your 1st choice
Is decisive Your 3rd choice
Has passion / positive ambitions
Constantly improves Your 8th choice
Understands decision-making and the context of…
Is humorous
Stimulates connection and cooperation Your 4th choice
Has a long-term vision and strategy Your 6th choice
Conducts a dialogue
Communicates clearly
Focused on results
Delegates based on strengths
Gets others involved
Is prepared to take risks Your 5th choice
Displays learning potential
Can handle stress
Is optimistic
Welcomes feedback
Is modest
Focused on diversity
Is disciplined
Is self-confident
Expresses appreciation
Broad range of interests
Puts things into perspective
Shares knowledge
Puts the collective interest first
Formulates and acts in line with common values
Mobilizes people
Is creative
Coaches Your 9th choice
Is efficient
Is flexible
Accepts the faults of others Your 7th choice
Conveys a sense of timing Your 10th choice
Monitors
Motivates and inspires
Geeft feedback
Is resilient
Focuses on the immediate vicinity
N = 21
Is client-oriented N = 21 9
 Qualities according to all respondents:
##barchart1##
Displays ownership
Is reliable / honest
Is focused
He / she does what he / she says and says what he…
Pro-active
Is people-centred and asks questions
Displays decisiveness
Self-assertive
Is decisive
Has passion / positive ambitions
Constantly improves
Understands decision-making and the context of…
Is humorous
Stimulates connection and cooperation
Has a long-term vision and strategy
Conducts a dialogue
Communicates clearly
Focused on results
Delegates based on strengths
Gets others involved
Is prepared to take risks
Displays learning potential
Can handle stress
Is optimistic
Welcomes feedback
Is modest
Focused on diversity
Is disciplined
Is self-confident
Expresses appreciation
Broad range of interests
Puts things into perspective
Shares knowledge
Puts the collective interest first
Formulates and acts in line with common values
Mobilizes people
Is creative
Coaches
Is efficient
Is flexible
Accepts the faults of others
Conveys a sense of timing
Monitors
Motivates and inspires
Geeft feedback
Is resilient
Focuses on the immediate vicinity N = 21

Is client-oriented 10
 Qualities according to you:
##barchart2##

Self-assertive
Displays ownership
Is decisive
Stimulates connection and cooperation
Is prepared to take risks
Has a long-term vision and strategy
Accepts the faults of others
Constantly improves
Coaches
Conveys a sense of timing
Is creative
Mobilizes people
Understands decision-making and the context of the…
Formulates and acts in line with common values
Gets others involved
Conducts a dialogue
Delegates based on strengths
Is people-centred and asks questions
Pro-active
Focused on diversity
Welcomes feedback
Displays learning potential
Is modest
Is humorous
Broad range of interests
Focuses on the immediate vicinity
Puts the collective interest first
Focused on results
Is client-oriented
Has passion / positive ambitions
Shares knowledge
Is efficient
Geeft feedback
Expresses appreciation
Monitors
Communicates clearly
Motivates and inspires
Can handle stress
Is optimistic
Is resilient
Displays decisiveness
Is flexible
Puts things into perspective
Is disciplined
He / she does what he / she says and says what he /…
Is reliable / honest
Is self-confident
Is focused N=1 11
Analysis tips
How many of the 48 qualities were selected by the respondents as qualities that you
possess? If many qualities were selected, then you can assume that most of the qualities
have been observed in you. A fabulous compliment! Or are you a chameleon, and does
every respondent observe different qualities? If the selection only includes a few, then
this could possibly say something about how pronounced you are in expressing these
qualities. The qualities that were marked in this case are unanimous with the strengths
that are observed in you.

The first 10 qualities are those that others feel are most applicable to your performance.

Are these fewer than 10 qualities? This could say something about how
pronounced you are in expressing these qualities.
Does the number of qualities selected by you differ strongly from the qualities
selected by the respondents? This indicates that you look at yourself differently
compared to the respondents.
Which ‘image’ does the feedforward bring about in you? Do you see a central
theme? With respect to the qualities that you selected for yourself, and the
qualities that others observe in you? What is the difference?

Before you proceed to think about what you would like to do better and more effectively:
first compare your strengths to the three qualities that you marked down before, which,
in your opinion, are essential in order to fulfill your current position:

How can you utilize the 10 selected qualities even more effectively and more
successfully?
Also look at the qualities that are just outside the range of the 10. These qualities
can often be made even stronger with relatively little effort!

Talk to the respondents so you can arrive at the same perspective and / or to ask for
support when you want to utilize certain qualities more effectively. What could account
for the differences? What do we understand under the various qualities and how is this
expressed in specific behaviour? Where, in the opinion of the respondents, could you
make an even greater difference?

Talk to your superior to determine the possibilities for support in terms of your learning
and development process and how this also corresponds to the collective goal and the
team development phase. You could include the points for development in the existing
development talks.

12
How are the qualities devided among the 3 pillars
We have subdivided the 48 qualities into three feedforward pillars, based on the latest insights.

Can one be authentic, people-centred and an entrepreneur, all at once?

There are very few individuals who can be classified as Authentic, People-centred and an Entrepreneur,
all at once. Despite this, these are the three pillars with which to optimally contribute to the success of
your organization.

Being Authentic is appreciated. Authority is awarded when you are honest and fair. Optimistic people are
the ones who improve individual and team performances and build trust. They look closely at themselves
and at other individuals and are reflective by nature. Authentic leaders are decisive and result-oriented.
For them, long-term result takes precedence over short-term profit.

People-centred management gives employees energy. Colleagues feel heard and valuable. They see and
feel that they are being involved in the decision-making and efficiency in the workplace. By stimulating
feedback, sharing knowledge and experience, and constantly maintaining contact with others, this
manager stimulates the development of new ideas and creates an environment of continuous
improvement. This results in a greater mutual understanding as well as in better, more efficient decisions.
A people-centred manager is also able to establish unequivocal boundaries and is able to make individual
decisions.

In order to innovate and improve, entrepreneurship is essential to an organization. An Entrepreneur

within an organization is able to link outside developments to internal actions. He or she is able to mobilize
ideas and to utilize them efficiently in the interest of the organization. A successful entrepreneur
encourages internal entrepreneurship amongst employees. This manager dares to take risks, but keep the
context and structure of the organization in mind during the process.

A successful leader is able to link innovative ideas to internal actions and

can mobilize people and stimulate entrepreneurship for this
purpose. He or she dares to make decisions that will contribute to
the long-term success of the organization, even though success
is not always guaranteed. A successful leader that he or she
must create a support basis amongst colleagues and
employees, by linking these decisions to the assigned
meaning, but also has the decisions carried out effectively in
collaboration but under his or her responsibility. In other words,
this is a type of a super (wo)man!

And super (wo)men are scarce…

13
How are your qualities distributed between the 3 pillars?
The 48 qualities are divided into the three pillars below according to the responses of the entire
feedforward group, whereas beneath it the distribution according to your own selection has been given.

We emphasize once again the fact that the threefold division includes essential combinations of qualities
which determine long-term success. However, here it applies that, in addition to having insight into your
own strengths and the qualities that are currently essential based on your role and position, the solution
is often found in the qualities and in reinforcing the qualities that you already possess (some slightly more
developed than others) and in getting team members involved in pinpointing the strengths that are not
as well developed in you.

Distribution between the 3 factors according to

the entire group of respondents:
Being Authentic - 45% People-focused leadership - 28% Enterprising - 27%

27%
45%

28%

N = 21

Distribution between the 3 factors based on your

personal selection:
Being Authentic - 33% People Centred Management - 41% Entrepreneurship - 26%

26%
33%

41%
N=1

14
The qualities that were assigned to you most

Assigned most often under Authentic, by all respondents

Takes responsibility for the development of the organization / the task. Feels
Displays ownership
a sense of involvement and ownership.
Is reliable / honest This individual is reliable and credible.
He / she does what he /
This individual is congruent in word and deed. Verbal and non-verbal
she says and says what
behaviour correspond.
he / she is doing.

Assigned most often under People-centred management, by all respondents

Is people-centred and
Attempts to get to know the other person better by asking open questions.
asks questions
Is resolute in terms of choices and decisions. Sets unequivocal boundaries
Is decisive
through decisions. Dares to make choices, independent from others.
Establishes synergy in a group of involved parties, stimulates mutual
Stimulates connection
involvement in the group and motivates the involved parties to achieve
and cooperation
effective collaborative efforts. This applies internally and externally.

Assigned most often under Entrepreneurship, by all respondents

Is focused Sets and abides by priorities.
Has passion / positive
Believes in and is enthusiastic about reaching and achieving a positive goal.
ambitions
Understands decision- Understands how and when to successfully exert influence in the relevant
making and the context work context. Is familiar with and has an understanding of the interests of
of the organization others in this regard.

15
Analysis tips
Your profile is likely to contain qualities from all three pillars. It is also possible that the

majority of your assigned qualities are classified under just one pillar. Read through the list

of qualities again. Everything is possible and nothing is wrong or right. What is important, is

that you recognize and acknowledge your own qualities that contribute to the success of the

organization. Perhaps you were assigned qualities that you had not thought of before? Or

perhaps others observe qualities in you, classified under a specific pillar, which you thought

you do not really possess? It would also be interesting to analyze which qualities would be

easy for you to reinforce and spur on and / or utilize more effectively and with more vigour.

You can also go in search of colleagues that supplement your qualities and vice versa, in

order to perform even better together!

16
 The qualities that were assigned to you most
Total Yourself Employees Colleagues Superiors (higher External Private contacts
respondents (equal job level) job level) contacts
(n = 21) (n = 1) (n = 10) (n = 0)
(n = 8) (n = 1) (n = 2)

Displays Self-assertive Is reliable / honest Displays Is focused Is reliable / -

ownership ownership honest

Is reliable / Displays Displays Is reliable / Self-assertive Understands -

honest ownership ownership honest decision-making
and the context
of the
organization

Is focused Is decisive Is people-centred He / she does Is reliable / honest Is people- -

and asks what he / she centred and asks
questions says and says questions
what he / she is
doing.

He / she does Stimulates He / she does Is focused Displays ownership Self-assertive -

what he / she connection and what he / she says
says and says cooperation and says what he
what he / she is / she is doing.
doing.

Pro-active Is prepared to Has passion / Stimulates Is humorous Gets others -

take risks positive ambitions connection and involved
cooperation
Pro-active

Is focused

17
Analysis tips
Are the qualities that were assigned to you by the groups of respondents similar, or do

these actually vary widely? And did others observe the same qualities as you? What are

the actual differences?

Perhaps opinions were very similar, perhaps very different.Either way – is this effective in

view of your work? Or would it be more effective to incorporate a greater degree of

diversity, or perhaps more homogeneity?

18
Manager and/or Leader?
You need both management and leadership qualities in order to make your organization successful.
Both are essential if your goal is excellent performance. For this, we use the various classifications for
Management versus Leadership, formulated by Harvard, HPO Center, Forbes and Business Insider,
amongst others.

Qualities that constitute a successful leader are, among others, displaying learning potential, welcoming
feedback, being focused on diversity, having a long-term vision and being able to inspire people. Such
leaders perform on the basis of trust; they are who they say they are. They are also people-centred and
entrepreneurs by nature, and they combine these aspects with resilience and continuous improvement.

Qualities that make a manager successful are, for example, being task-oriented, displaying discipline,
conducting a dialogue, approaching others in connection with behavior, displaying decisiveness and the
ability to monitor. Both roles are different and essential for the success of an organization. An
organization needs leaders as well as managers.

This is your distribution according to the opinion of the entire group of respondents, if the 48 qualities
from the feedforward analysis™ are divided between what is characteristic for leaders and managers:

Leadership - 47% Management - 53%

47%
53%

N = 21

Leadership - 61% Management - 39%

39%

61%

N=1

19
Analysis tips
Were you mostly assigned the qualities of a manager or a leader? Or were you assigned a

combination of both, equally? And how does this differ from the distribution that you

assigned yourself? When you compare the distribution of management and leadership

qualities to your position or role, how effective does this distribution make you in actual

practice?

Possible coaching talks (on an individual or team basis) will focus extensively on your

distribution and on how to make this more effective in relation to the task that you or your

group should fulfill. If desired, these talks can also focus more extensively on the qualities

that are specifically considered as management qualities and those that specifically

constitute a leader.

20
Hard versus Soft Qualities
In order to make your organization successful, you need ‘hard’ and ‘soft’ qualities in equal proportions -
inspired by George Kohlrieser, and now referred to by us as ‘daring’ and ‘caring’ qualities. Here, we must
consider that one is not considered better than the other. Both are essential if your goal is excellent
performance. Therefore, when specific qualities are not that well developed in you, you can get your
colleagues involved for these specific qualities. The challenge in this case is to further develop and
reinforce these qualities in you.

Example: By spurring your ‘hard’ qualities on to a slightly greater extent, you provide your ‘soft’ qualities
with even more strength, allowing you to utilize the latter more effectively. For example, when you are
very focused on the other person (people-centred), gladly take care of the other person, ask questions
and coach (soft qualities), you will be more effective if you also simultaneously dare to address the other
person about issues, or if you dare to talk about conflicts (hard qualities). This is naturally true when
applied in combination with your soft qualities, namely based on the contact and relationship with the
other person. This way there is no need for ‘nasty’ wounds, but issues are dealt with based on contact,
which actually results in greater clarity and harmony.

This also applies the other way round. It will not suffice to merely provide a rational ‘hard’ explanation
and to show discipline. It is this combination with the soft side that makes people want to truly get
involved and go with your flow naturally. Even when setbacks are experienced, this will make others
want to go the extra mile with you. This is your distribution according to the opinion of the feedforward
group, if the 48 qualities from the feedforward analysis™ are divided between soft and hard qualities:

Distribution based on the qualities selected by the respondents:

Hard qualities - 53% Soft qualities - 47%

47%
53%

N = 21

Distribution based on the qualities selected by you:

Hard qualities - 68% Soft qualities - 32%

32%

68%

N=1

21
Analysis tips
Were you assigned mostly ‘hard’ or ‘soft’ qualities? Or were you assigned a combination

of both, equally? When you compare your distribution to your position or roleto the same

by the team members that you would like to lead successfully, how effective does this

distribution make you in actual practice? What do your employees need from you to a

greater or lesser extent?

Possible coaching talks (on an individual or team basis) would focus extensively on your

distribution and on how this can be made more effective in relation to the task to be

fulfilled by you and the specific team members that you lead. If desired, these talks can

also focus more extensively on the qualities that are more ‘daring’ and more ‘caring’.

22
Individual versus Relational Qualities
You need both individual qualities and relational qualities in order to make your organization successful.
Individual qualities are qualities like: Are you self-assertive? Are you focused? Do you take responsibility
/ ownership? Do you have passion / positive ambitions? Do you show discipline?

Under relational qualities we talk about qualities that shape you in your relationship and coordination
with others, such as: coaching qualities, delegation based on strengths, the ability to give feedback,
expressing appreciation, conducting a dialogue, creating a support basis, sharing knowledge, being client-
oriented.

In this case both qualities are essential, if your goal is excellent performance and being a good role model
for your colleagues. If the qualities are not distributed equally in your analysis, you could try and display
specific qualities to a greater or lesser extent in certain situations; also, you could get another person with the
specific strength involved.

This is your distribution according to the epinion of the entire group of respondents, if the 48 qualities
from the feedforward analysis™ are divided between ‘individual’ and ‘relational’ qualities:

Individual qualities (me) - 68% Relational qualities (we) - 32%

32%

68%

N = 21

Distribution based on the qualities selected by you:

Individual qualities (me) - 64% Relational qualities (we) - 36%

36%

64%

N=1

23
Analysis tips
Were you assigned mostly individual qualities or relational qualities? Or were you assigned

a combination of both, equally?

When you compare your distribution to your position and role, and to the team members

that you would like to lead successfully, how effective does this distribution make you in

actual practice? What do your employees possibly need from you to a greater / lesser

extent?

Does the signal call for more visibility from your side, and that you need to be heftier, or

should you display more focus towards the group or the organization and what you could

possibly mean to it? Are you motivated and focused on your own (individual) interests?

Or do you always put the collective interest first and consider your own interests after

that?

Possible coaching talks (on an individual or team basis) would focus extensively on your

distribution and on how this can be made more effective in relation to the task to be

fulfilled by you and the specific team members that you lead.

24
Actions based on your qualities

In your opinion, what are the three most valuable points that come forward in the report, regarding your
personal analysis?

And which actions will you undertake in this respect (make sure you keep it small and manageable)?

1. _____________________________________________________________________________

2. _____________________________________________________________________________

3. _____________________________________________________________________________

25
What now?
You have gained more insight into how your qualities are viewed by you and by others.

What would you like to do more effectively?

The first step is to decide for yourself or with your team, what kind of change you would like to encourage
in yourself or in the team. Perhaps you want to utilize a strength that has been observed in you or in the
team, with more vigour and and in a clearer manner. Or do you want to further develop or reinforce a
strength? As said, each individual and team has all the studied qualities, but the analysis shows how much
attention is paid to a particular quality.

However, a mere intention to change is not sufficient. Look at and discuss what you need if you are to
show the discipline to truly take action in terms of your individual points or the points for your team.

What is needed in order to show discipline?

Perhaps you could find a friend to support you with this. In that case, make sure that your buddy
has a good understanding of your point for development, so he or she can be the right sounding
board for you and can complliment you when you truly achieve the goal! You and your team
discipline one another. However, make sure that a proper open dialogue culture is in place when
you choose this option.
Perhaps you or your team want to reinforce a specific quality by following a training program or
taking a course on a specific quality or theme, in order to gain a better understanding of and
practice with this skill.

Perhaps you and your team want to further reinforce a quality by attending coaching sessions. After all,
there is a reason why you do not always express the quality clearly, although you feel that this quality
shold actually be utilized in certain situations. The same applies to the team.

Getting others involved based on their strengths

It is also possible that you arrive at the conclusion that it would be best to get others involved in the
subsequent step based on their strengths. You acknowledge the importance of different perspectives for
better decision-making and would like to get more involvement from another person based on his or her
strengths. This goes beyond merely putting people with different perspectives together in one room or in
one (project) team. You also truly need to take advantage of these different perspectives! This is not easy
either, because we often have many ‘opinions’ about people who view the world differently.

If it is difficult to get a specific quality of another person involved because you have many
‘opinions’ about the quality, then it might be a good idea to first search for people in your own
environment, who actually do utilize this quality in a positive fashion. Learn from this and
investigate which facets of this quality you can actually exhibit yourself.
A team session, for exploring the options together and making it suitable, is useful if you want to
learn to utilize one another more effectively as a team, based on your strengths.

26
 Appendices
1. Remarks from your feedforward respondents on your qualities (anonymous)
2. The 48 qualities of successful leaders and managers
3. Scientific responsibility

27
APPENDIX 1: ANONYMOUS SUMMARY OF THE COMMENTS GIVEN ON YOUR
QUALITIES

- Is focused
o xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
o xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
- Self-assertive
o xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
- Is self-confident
o xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
- Is reliable / honest
o xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
o xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
- He / she does what he / she says and says what he / she is doing.
o xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
o xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
o xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
- Displays ownership
o xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
o xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
o xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
o xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
- Puts things into perspective
o xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
- Is modest
o xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
o xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
o xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
- Is humorous
o xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
o xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
- Displays learning potential
o xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
- Welcomes feedback
o xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
- Displays decisiveness
o xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
o xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
- Pro-active
o xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
- Constantly improves
o xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
o xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
- Can handle stress
o xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
- Is people-centred and asks questions
o xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
- Communicates clearly
o xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

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APPENDIX 2: THE 48 QUALITIES OF EXCELLENT MANAGERS A ND LEADERS

Being authentic

An Authentic person is rewarded with authority and is appreciated for honesty and
fairness. This manager is an optimistic individual who builds trust and focuses on
improving individual and team performance. An authentic manager looks closely at
oneself and at others, and is reflective by nature. Such individuals are decisive and
result-oriented. For them, long-term result takes precedence over short-term profit.

Is aware of his or her person, of own emotions, of own behavior and of

Self-assertive
the impact thereof.
Is self-confident Is confident in terms of his or her own skills and competences.
Is reliable / honest Is reliable and credible
He / she does what he / Is congruent in word and deed. Verbal and non-verbal behavior
she says and says what correspond.
he / she is doing.
Takes responsibility for the development of the organization / the task.
Displays ownership
Feels a sense of involvement and ownership.
Is disciplined Takes action, is devoted to it, and truly finishes what has been started.
Puts things into Able to put things into a broader perspective. Looks at situations in a
perspective relative manner, in proportion to other things.
Does not place himself or herself, or own personal ambitions in the
Is modest
forefront.
Has an active, good-natured attitude in order to deal with situations.
Is humorous
Herewith brings lightness and positivity.
Displays learning Finds new information, acquires new experiences and applies this on a
potential daily basis.
Is open to receiving feedback on own behavior and actively seeks out
Welcomes feedback
acknowledgement (and recognition) of the feedback.
Actively seeks out the strength and added value of people with a different
Focused on diversity
perspective. Gets different opinions and perspectives involved.
Displays decisiveness Carries plans out fast and with vigour.

Thinks a few steps ahead, signals problems at an early stage, and takes
Pro-active appropriate measures immediately. Often takes the initiative instead of
just following others.
Actively explores possibilities for dealing with a problem / negative
Is resilient
experience and for getting back on track.
Constantly takes stock of the situation and is always aimed at improving
Constantly improves
the work.
Is optimistic Frequently displays a positive attitude.
Continues to perform calmly when work pressure is immense or in the
Can handle stress
event of unexpected setbacks.
Is able to adapt to unexpected or uncomfortable situations with relative
Is flexible
ease.
Formulates and acts in Is familiar with the common values of the organization and converst these
line with common values into actions.

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People-centred management
People-centred management gives employees energy. Colleagues feel heard and
valuable. They see and feel that they are being involved in the decision-making and
efficiency in the workplace. By stimulating feedback, sharing knowledge and
experience, and constantly maintaining contact with others, this manager
stimulates the development of new ideas and creates an environment of
continuous improvement. This also results in a greater mutual understanding as
well as in a better, more efficient decisions, in most cases. An individual with a
people-centred management style is also able to establish unequivocal boundaries
and to make individual decisions.

Attempts to get to know the other person better by asking open

People-centred and asks
questions.
questions
Assigns responsibility to the other person, where appropriate, based on
Delegates based on
the individual's potential and development.
strengths
Conveys information, ideas and objectives clearly and specifically.
Communicates clearly

Is resolute in terms of choices and decisions. Sets unequivocal

Is decisive boundaries through decisions. Dares to make choices independent from
others.
Is receptive to the other person involved in the dialogue (is a good
Conducts a dialogue listener) and follows the discussion with action.

Assesses (evaluates) whether the right direction is being followed.

Monitors

Emphatically appreciates the involvement and added value of others.

Expresses appreciation Gives compliments.

Gives regular and direct feedback on the other person's behavior.

Gives feedback

Coaches others to reach better performance levels. Looks for the

Coaches potential in people and stimulates them to improve their performance
levels.
Inspires, motivates and stimulates others to perform exceptionally well
Motivates and inspires and to do more than they ever thought possible.

Gets others involved and allows them to contribute based on their

Gets others involved strengths.

Establishes synergy in a group of involved parties, stimulates mutual

Stimulates connection and
involvement in the group and motivates the involved parties to achieve
cooperation
effective collaborative efforts. This applies internally and externally.
Accepts the faults of others, learns from mistakes, and in so doing,
Accepts the faults of others stimulates progress and innovation.

Actively shares knowledge and in so doing enables the individuals and /

Shares knowledge or teams to apply the acquired knowledge at a later stage, in their own
work situation.

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Entrepreneurship
Entrepreneurship is essential within an organization in order to innovate and
improve. A successful entrepreneur is able to link external developments to
internal actions and promotes entrepreneurship amongst employees. This
manager is able to mobilize ideas and to utilize these efficiently in the
interest of the organization. A successful entrepreneur dares to take risks,
but keeps the context and structure of the organization in mind during the
process.

Sets priorities and abides by these.

Is focused

Believes in and is enthusiastic about reaching and achieving a positive

Has passion / positive
goal.
ambitions
Keeps the eye clearly on the ball / converts the objective into an
Has a long-term vision and
appropriate strategy.
strategy
Always puts the client's interests first (instead of own interests).
Is client-oriented

Converts goals to results and focuses on achieving these effectively.

Focused on results

Employs an effective working method. Utilizes time, individuals and

Is efficient resources properly.

Puts the collective interest first, even ahead of own interests.

Puts the collective interest first

Understands decision-making Understands how and when to successfully exert influence in the
and the context of the relevant work context. Is familiar with and has an understanding of
organization the interests of others in this regard.
Actively gets people into movement.
Mobilizes people

Has a good sense of when to act and when not to act.

Conveys a sense of timing

Calculates the potential for risk and / or loss and makes a decision,
Is prepared to take risks also when success is not guaranteed.

Has a creative capacity, is imaginative and inventive.

Is creative

Knows the sector well and keeps knowledge up-to-date.

Focuses on the immediate
vicinity
Observes and actively learns from other branches / disciplines,
Broad range of interests societal developments and economic indicators.

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Appendix 3: SCIENTIFIC RESPONSIBILITY
There are plenty of 360-degree feedback tools that collect information about various competencies of
managers and employees. But how to be sure that those competencies are crucial leadership and
management qualities that can facilitate High Performance Teams and Organizations? And how to know
whether the feedback tool, which you apply to collect information, including the accompanying report,
actually brings about improvements? You don’t.

This was the kick-off for a comprehensive research on feedback tools. Together with her team, Muriel
Schrikkema MSc developed the brain-friendly 360-degree feedforward analysis™ tool. The literature
review was conducted by Dr. André de Waal MBA.

Brain-friendly 360-degree feedback tool

literature review

Phase 1. Brain-friendly 360-degree feedback tool

Many organizations hire external companies to conduct feedback interventions. For that purpose,
numerous 360-degree methods have been developed that aim to improve employees’ performances by
means of feedback from colleagues.

However, more and more research disproves the idea that designating weaknesses leads to the
improvement of performance. These studies form the basis for a new generation of brain-friendly tests,
in which the latest insights into how motivation, fear and dedication work, have been taken into account.

A new vision on 360-degree feedback

One of the studies that show the deficiencies of traditional feedback methods is the “Turn the 360 around:
why feedback doesn’t work and how to do it better” by P. Dixon, D. Rock, and K. Ochsner (2010,
NeuroLeadership Institute). The researchers showed that traditional feedback interventions threaten a
person’s sense of status and a security. That is, as a result of certain behavior, one has achieved a certain
position. Now, that exact same behavior is being criticised ant the person’s autonomy is at stake, whereas
his or her relationships are being threatened: friends from whom feedback is received can turn into
enemies as feedback is seen as critizism. Finally, being reasonable is threatened: ‘Why do I have to be in
the spotlight?’ is something one could ask oneself when receiving feedback.

Feedback can even have an adverse effect on teams that are already subjected to (communication)
problems. It can cause people to switch to an odd mental state; the people become blocked or start
making counterproductive moves which prevent feedback from ‘landing’. Only very few people would
say: ‘You are right, I did not handle that very well, I am going to do it differently.’

This has been proven to be caused by the dominance of our limbic system, the most primitive part of our
brain. This part of the brain wants to experience as little fear and as much pleasure as possible. When
experiencing danger or threat, the brain reacts by producing stress hormones that make one less alert
and active (Mesulam M-M (2000), “Principles of behavioral and cognitive neurology”, Oxford University
Press). This also might happen when receiving negative feedback. Hormones influence behavior: they
make the person less efficient, which negatively affects concentration and the ability to take in new
information. A negative comment regarding a person’s behavior will, therefore, be forgotten more easily.
A study by Naomi Eisenberger (Eisenberger, Naomi I (2011), “The pain of social disconnection”, Nature
Reviews Neuroscience) shows that negative feedback has the same effect on the brain as physical pain; it
causes stress.

Whenever the feeling of threat is sparked, it’s not easy to put it back to rest. It hinders people from being
creative, from working together, and from making balanced decisions.

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Over 90 percent of our behavior is controlled by our subconsciousness. Therefore, we are not able to
consciously indicate the underlying reasons of our behavior. This causes a discrepancy between what we
think, do and feel: what we say we will do, think or prefer does not coincide with what we actually do and
prefer. When we, based on feedback, claim to start doing things differently, there is a big chance that we
are not really going to do it. Thus, feedback does not bring about the aspired effect.

New neural connections

Complimenting people works differently. In “Scientific explanation to why people perform better after
receiving a compliment” (2012), Japanese researcher Dr. Norihiro Sadato shows that the brain
experiences complimenting as something positive. When a person is paid a compliment, his or her brain
produces dopamine. As a result, that person will perform better. Giving compliments appears therefore
to be the perfect way to encourage people to grow and learn new skills.

The idea that leaders should focus on strengths instead of weaknesses has been supported for quite some
time now. American writer and researcher Tom Rath is one of the pioneers of this line of thought. Rath
wrote several books and works as an advisor at management research institute Gallup. According to Rath
and Gallup, a good leader knows their own qualities, makes sure that their team consists of people with
the right qualities, and invests in the qualities of others. As a leader, one should focus on talents instead
of what is not working as well. Extensive research by Gallup shows that the same applies to employees: if
you focus on the qualities of an employee, he or she will be much more engaged in the organization and
will do a better job (“StrengthsFinder 2.0”, by Rath & Tom, 2007).

George Kohlrieser, clinical psychologist and professor at the IMD Business School, expressed the same as
follows: “The central thought is that people need a safe basis in order to eliminate the defensive nature
of the brain. This enables us to be inspired by chances and opportunities, instead of being guided by fear
and thread.”

Inadequate 360-degree feedback tools

Positive psychology is gaining ground. Although it is applauded for in theory, the emphasis often still
remains on weaknesses instead of qualities. This is due to the fact that the instrument is not yet adjusted
to recent studies that prove the importance of positive psychology, causing organizations to fall back into
old-fashioned feedback interventions.

This triggered us to think about new 360-degree feedback instrument with which the qualities of people
are emphasised. First, we had to determine which qualities are relevant to good managers and leaders.

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Phase 2. Literature review
The feedforward qualities and the three feedforward pillars were developed by means of a research
project that consisted of two phases for determining key qualities of managers and leaders from High
Performance Teams and Organizations. The project included an extensive literature review.

The literature review included the collection of available studies on excellent managers and leaders. The
criteria that were applied were:

1. The study is specifically designed to determine management and leadership qualities within High
Performance Teams and Organizations or best practices.
2. In order for the results to be generalized, the study has to include a questionnaire that is
completed by a sufficient amount of respondents or comprehensive case studies from various
organizations. The results should not be based on a single organization.
3. The study makes use of triangulation; applying more than one research method.
4. The study covers comprehensive documentation including a description and justification of the
selected research methods, the research approach, and selection of the research population as
well as a detailed description of the analysis and identifiable results and conclusions. Through
that, the quality of the study can be assessed.

The literature review covered 112 studies that met one or more of the mentioned criteria. These studies
formed the basis for determining potential management and leadership qualities within High
Performance Teams and Organizations. Subsequently, these qualities formed the basis for the
questionnaire that was applied in Phase 2. The studies were ranked according to thoroughness of
research, ranging from ‘fully scientific’ to ‘based on my own experience’. The process of determining the
qualities consisted of the following steps. Firstly, those qualities that were indicated as highly important
to excellent leaders and managers by the researchers were selected. Secondly, these qualities were placed
in a matrix. Not all authors use the exact same terms, which is why first similar elements were looked for
in the studies which were subsequently translated into overarching categories. These categories were
then translated into three feedforward pillars. A matrix was put together for each factor with its
corresponding qualities. Ultimately, 48 qualities were found.

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Disclaimer and Copyright
The validity of this report is in line with NIP guidelines for up to two years, because
people can change over time.

This automated report gives a description of qualities which result from the selection
of qualities given by the respondents. The subjective nature of assessments should be
taken into account in the interpretation of the data. Direction Europe BV can not accept
any responsibility for the accuracy of the results and descriptions.

In the interpretation of this report, the properties of the feedforward analysis™ should
be taken into account. Using the accompanying software is only permitted to persons
who in the opinion of Direction Europe BV (owner of the feedforward analysis™)
demonstrate the right expertise. Direction Europe BV is not liable for the consequences
of improper use of this report, this responsibility lies with the organization that makes
the report available to the candidate. This report has been automatically generated.

No rights can be derived on the information in this report. Direction Europe BV

therefore excludes all liability for damages resulting from using this report.

©2017 Direction Europe BV. The ownership and copyright of all names, images, logos
and photos in the feedforward analysis™ and reporting rests with Direction Europe BV.

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