Case Study: Aligning Leadership Performance with Organizational Expectations

Assessments International, globally recognized for its iconic 360-degree assessment, partnered with a US-based, non-profit organization, whose mission is to help make evidence-based social and emotional learning (SEL) an integral part of education from preschool through high school. It reports annual revenue up to approximately $18 million and has approximately 50 employees. 

The Challenge: Identifying Performance Challenges with Leadership Insight

The last few years have been challenging from a funding and revenue generation standpoint. The Board had concerns about the ability of the organization’s leadership to turn this around. Thus, the Board was interested in having the organization’s top leaders participate in a 360-degree assessment process, identify the strengths and development areas for the leaders, and clarify action plans for the individual leaders and for the team as a whole.

In addition to the individual feedback and coaching sessions that the individual leaders would receive, the Board wanted a summary of the CEO’s 360 feedback to support the CEO in working on the key objectives. 

4-Step Assessment Process

The Solution

The organization worked with Assessments International to implement a 360-degree feedback process for the leadership team, including the CEO. The first year, an Assessments International consultant facilitated a feedback/coaching session with the CEO. The VP of HR facilitated feedback sessions for the rest of the leadership team. The first-year process included nine members of the leadership team. The consultant and CEO also planned to facilitate a debrief session with the Board to help them understand the CEO’s strengths and development areas, and to align with the CEO's development action plan. There was also a group aggregate feedback report completed that identified strengths and development areas for the leadership team as a whole. These group themes were also discussed with the Board, including how they can best leverage the strengths and improve the development areas. The Board was advised that 360-degree feedback processes are for the purpose of development. They agreed to work with the CEO in implementing a plan for growth. 

A year later, the CEO and the leadership team participated in a second 360-degree feedback process. The feedback/coaching sessions were managed in the same way that they were facilitated in the first year, and a second session with the Board was conducted to discuss CEO and leadership team group feedback. Sometime later, the CEO resigned for personal reasons, and the Board brought in an interim CEO. 


The following area summarizes key challenges this organization faced and how they were managed:

Funding and Revenue Performance Challenges
The last few years, the organization faced funding and revenue generation difficulties, raising concerns about its ability to achieve sustainable growth and fulfill its mission. A comprehensive 360-degree feedback process was implemented for the executive leadership team to identify leadership strengths, developmental needs, and opportunities to improve organizational performance.
CEO Development and Board Alignment
The organization and its Board worked with Assessments International to clarify a process that would help the CEO make the necessary improvements and inform the Board on how to best support the CEO’s development efforts. The process extended over two years and supported the CEO, the remaining leadership team members, and the Board in realizing desired outcomes.
Sustaining Post-Assessment Development Momentum
The organization did not have the funding to support external coaching with the exception of a few meetings with the CEO and Board each year. The head of HR was to support the other leadership team members, which was not an easy task given the other priorities.
Limited Knowledge of 360-Degree Processes
The CEO, Board, and HR leadership had limited experience with effectively implementing a 360-degree feedback process. Assessments International provided education, guidance, and best practices to ensure all stakeholders understood the purpose, methodology, and developmental value of the process.
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360-Feedback Implementation Outcomes

By implementing the processes described above:

  • The CEO had much needed feedback and a clear idea of what to focus on for development and growth.

  • With the CEO’s collaboration, the Board better understood the CEO’s needs and how to provide the best support.

  • The additional leadership team members also received much needed feedback and support from the head of HR.

Assessments International has maintained a relationship with the transitioning interim CEO who continues to support 360-degree feedback processes. 

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