Focused 90°

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Focused 90° | A Developmental Feedback Program for Managers

What is this?

Focused 90° is a developmental feedback program for managers that gives leaders an opportunity to receive feedback on enabling their team’s success against the Achievement Criteria of the campus’s Achieve Together Program. The encouraged, optional program gives managers the chance to work in a supportive environment alongside their manager and a People & Culture coach or HR leader to identify a growth plan based on the feedback they receive.

How does it work?

Managers who choose to utilize the Focused 90° Toolkit will invite their employees to provide developmental feedback aligned with UC Berkeley’s 5 Achievement Criteria, using the same scale we use for Achieve Together. Comments will also be invited, allowing employees to share their lived-work experience with their manager.

This data will be collected using a standardized, anonymous survey administered by People & Culture. A People & Culture coach will collect, analyze, and theme the feedback (with continue, start, stop action statements), creating a report summary to share with the manager and their manager. The manager and manager’s manager meet alongside a leadership coach from People & Culture or their unit HR leader, allowing the three to discuss the feedback and what developmental actions could be implemented to help the manager on their developmental journey.

Is this a performance evaluation?

No. Focused 90° is not a performance evaluation and the data should not be directly entered into the manager’s Achieve Together form. The anonymous feedback should instead be used for developmental purposes only. This is a tool for managers and their leader to discover areas where small changes can positively impact the lived-work experience of the team reporting to the manager.

Talk about the program in your department and make a request to administer the process!

Feedback cycles like the Focused 90° are a healthy way for organizations to explore opportunities for growth and ways to support continuing success. As a leader on our campus, you should always feel free to encourage participation in programs like this. It’s easy to make a request to get the process started.

There are four ways People & Culture can explore program initiation with UC Berkeley managers. Check out the options available below to learn more about how People & Culture will follow up to your request. These details are also found in the request form linked above. Use the program toolkit action guide to get a sense of the program experience.

I’m a manager who would like to participate in Focused 90°

Fill out the program’s request form, and the People & Culture coaching team will follow up with an initial planning meeting to go over the program agreements and set the timeline for the process that works for you and your team’s schedule.

In the meantime, use the program toolkit to get your manager involved, as their engagement is required!

I would like to suggest one or more managers I lead participate in Focused 90°

Prior to submitting the program’s request form, use the invitation template to email or discuss the program with the manager(s) you lead.

If the manager(s) you lead have agreed to participate, continue with the program’s request form and complete the required fields.

Then, the coaching team will follow up with an initial planning meeting with you to learn more, review the program agreements, and set the timeline for the process that works for you and your team’s schedule. This will be followed by a 1:1 or group meeting for program onboarding.

I would like to suggest that my manager participate in Focused 90°

While you can speak directly with your manager to encourage them to participate, if an Option 3 request is submitted, the People & Culture coaching team will use this template to invite your manager to participate in the Focused 90° program.

You can attribute your name or remain anonymous.

I would like to invite my manager’s manager to suggest that my manager participate in Focused 90°

While you can speak directly with your manager’s manager, if an Option 4 request is submitted, the People & Culture coaching team will use this template to notify your manager’s manager that you’d like to suggest your manager participate in the Focused 90° program.

You can attribute your name or remain anonymous.

Check out the program resources below

Ongoing coaching support options

After the initial Focused 90° coaching sessions, the People & Organization Development Focused 90° leadership coaches are happy to offer a variety of ongoing support options, including:

Coaching session(s) to fine-tune three actionable goals and surveying the team on progress (thumbs up, thumbs down polling) at the 3 and/or 6 month milestones (1:1 or with the manager’s manager).
A 3 and/or 6 month coaching check-in (1:1 or with the manager’s manager).
Thought partnership or coaching conversations as needed.
Executive leadership coaching for managers’ managers who are empowering those they lead who participated in Focused 90° to continue their growth.

Your commitment to a fully engaging growth experience

This program is most successful when managers commit and hold themselves accountable to the experience. You should decide which of the ongoing coaching support options (above) will enable you to fully maximize this experience. Remember, this program is a focused developmental opportunity for you, which includes growth planning and follow up. By participating, you agree to these key actions as part of your Focused 90°.

Completing and acting upon the Focused 90° Development Planning Guide.
Communicating with your team about what you learned from their feedback, and how you are working to be responsive to their insights through growth planning, doing more of what you are good at, and trying new things where suggestions have been made.
Being open to further inquiry with those you lead to better understand the feedback you receive.
Alongside your manager, keeping the conversations about the feedback and development planning open and ongoing – continuing to further explore maximizing your leadership potential and success.
Being proactive about what you need. Choose one of the ongoing coaching support options (above) to get the developmental support you need!

We have train-the-trainer option for HR and talent Leaders

While People & Culture will hold responsibility for administration of the feedback survey and report generation, we are happy to offer a train-the-trainer model for the program. If you are a talent and/or HR leader supporting a team, or you are a manager of managers and would like to facilitate the coaching process on your own, review the training model below and reach out to Colin Gerker-Junsay (colinje@berkeley.edu) for an initial consultation!

HR leaders/manager of managers first observe a People & Culture coach.
People & Culture consults/coaches HR leaders/manager of managers as they prep their 2:1 coaching sessions.
HR Leader/manager of managers conducts the 2:1 coaching on their own.