360 Degree Feedback
As an employee interested in career and personal growth, I have come to realize the importance of obtaining feedback not only from my supervisors but also from my subordinates and the people I worked with. Only the individuals that I interact with on a daily basis can provide me with a holistic view of my performance and character traits. When working at Four Seasons Hotel Riyadh, it was my privilege to obtain the input of Abdi Rahman, the head of the hotel’s operations. I was also fortunate to get feedback of my performance from Hamdi Hassan and Hamza Ali, who served as hotel cleaners during my time there. Additionally, I got the feedback of the accountant, Rajesh Ambani as well as the security guard, Hussein Asmani. Abdul Mohamed, the hotel chef, also provided insights on my performance. I moreover got the feedback of Hafsa Mohamed, who served as the hotel’s receptionist. I will first highlight the key points that I gathered from their feedback. I will then state the specific goals that I have set and the action plans that I am developing to improve my efficiency in response to the feedback.
Most of the respondents of the 360-degree feedback indicated that they were pleased with my insistence on strict compliance to professionalism when they were performing their daily duties. They confirmed that I had the relevant academic qualification and was always eager to attend and learn from seminars which were regularly organized to help workers sharpen their skills. Additionally, most of the employees pointed out that I understood the importance of teamwork and how it boosted coordination as all the staff members worked toward providing better services to clients. Lastly, the employees indicated that they were impressed with my leadership qualities. The workers explained that whenever a client had a complaint or request for assistance, I did not hesitate to take charge of the situation by helping or directing them to the relevant person who would assist them.
However, I was not without faults. Most of the employees who took part in the 360-degree feedback exercise cited that I needed to improve my communication skills. Specifically, the cleaners complained that their working hours were extended because there was little communication from my office informing them which rooms were occupied. Moreover, the staff stated that I was too reserved, even in events organized to entertain the employees, so much so that they felt that they could not relate to me on a personal level. The staff members also pointed out that I was occasionally late in discharging my duties. This delay stalled the operations in the hotel till I arrived. However, the fact that the delay was caused because I was the newest member of staff and as such was expected to carry out additional roles including those that were not part of my job description was an extenuating factor.
Through this 360-degree feedback, I realized that one of my major weak points is my lack of communication skills. Effective communication is essential for running customer-oriented service businesses like hotels. According to Seyitoğlu and Yüzbaşioglu, conditions for effective communication include quick decision making, good corporate culture in an organization, initiative from members of staff, and network-based structure in a team (127). In the hotel industry, gaps in communication occasion a failure of individuals to make a clear distinction between work and friendship (Seyitoğlu and Yüzbaşioglu 134). Therefore, my resolve is to work on improving my communication skills by taking a course on soft skills which will help me to better interact with colleagues and strangers.
Furthermore, I will take more leadership classes to improve my leadership skills. This rationale is drawn from Sharma and Jain’s proposition that great leaders are not born but made (1). The study further suggests that for an individual to be an effective leader, he or she has to have the desire and willpower to learn through formal education, training, engaging in self-study, and through life experience.
Professionalism is a much-sought characteristic in any industry. According to Evetts, professionalism entails subscribing to a normative value that promotes a particular way of conduct which improves the productivity of workers in an organization (6). It is my intention to take up professional courses to boost my level of competence and in turn, increase my productivity. I believe that these courses will develop my management and governance skills as well as my expertise in my specialty.
Lastly, I will try and teach myself to critically analyze my responsibilities so that I can better manage the expectations of my colleagues regarding the workload, only taking up work that I can efficiently complete without delay. An assessment of my obligations will ensure that I am better prepared for the tasks ahead.
I believe that through proper work scheduling, honing my communication and leadership skills, and maintaining a high level of professionalism, I can be more efficient and productive in the work environment.
Work Cited
Evetts, Julia. “The Concept of Professionalism: Professional Work, Professional Practice, and Learning.” International Handbook of Research in Professional and Practice-Based Learning. Springer Netherlands, 2014, pp. 29-56.
Seyitoğlu, Faruk, and Nedim Yüzbaşioglu. “The Role of Strategic Communication in Hospitality Industry “The Case of Antalya”.” Journal of Social Science Studies, vol. 2, no. 2, 2015, p. 16.
Sharma, Manoj Kumar, and Shilpa Jain. “Leadership Management: Principles, Models, and Theories.” Global Journal of Management and Business Studies, vol. 3, no. 3, 2013, pp. 309-318.