360 Leadership Assessment
In FY 2018, DFPS took the unique step of engaging the University of Texas to conduct 360 Leadership Assessments of every manager in the agency. This included every frontline supervisor all the way up to the DFPS commissioner and his executive team. In a 360 assessment, each manager is evaluated and scored on five leadership roles by the manager’s direct reports and his or her own manager. The responses are anonymous to encourage candid answers. 360 assessments help managers understand and improve on areas of weakness.
The goal of an agency-wide 360 assessment is to improve the leadership capabilities of all DFPS managers and the performance of the agency as a whole. The results of the assessment are not static, rather they have been used by divisions across the agency as an opportunity to improve and grow their leadership skills. The University of Texas will conduct a follow up assessment in FY 2019 to measure progress.