In one line: Rate yourself, then have your manager and a peer rate you on the same capabilities. The gaps between the charts show what self-assessment alone cannot.
Core idea
Early in the program each participant rates themselves on the fourteen Engineering Leadership Capabilities and plots a Spider Chart. Near the end, the exercise is repeated “in the round”: the same chart is filled out by the participant, by their manager, and by a peer, ideally one from the sponsoring organization. The point is not the scores but the differences: between then and now, and between how you see yourself and how others see you.
How it works
- Prepare your raters. Share the capability definitions and explain the 0–10 scale, so that everyone is rating the same thing.
- Collect three charts: self, manager and peer. Overlay them.
- Read the gaps:
- Self higher than others: a possible blind spot. Ask for examples.
- Others higher than self: an undervalued strength. Use it more deliberately.
- Manager vs. peer disagreement: you may behave differently up and across. Ask why.
- Compare with the first chart. Growth over the year should be visible; if it isn’t, ask whether the self-ratings were inflated the first time.
- Pick one or two capabilities to work on, with a concrete behavior to practice.
In practice
Asking a boss and a peer to rate you takes some courage, and the conversation is often more valuable than the chart. Raters tend to explain why they scored as they did, and those explanations contain the specific feedback that annual reviews rarely give. Treat the results as data, thank people for honesty, and follow up later on what you changed.
Questions to ask yourself
- Where do I most expect a gap, and why am I worried about that one?
- Do I behave differently with my manager than with my peers?
- What will I do with the feedback, and who will I tell?
Connections
- Built on: Engineering Leadership Capabilities.
- Feeds: Personal SWOT. Complements: Strengths-Based Development.
- The conversation with your manager is also practice in Managing Up.
- Capabilities exercised: Inquiry, Courage, Interpersonal Skills.
Sources
- Program exercise; no public source.