Hello Kind, Curious, and Talented Human,

I just completed a 360 Review with 19 People.

I cried when I got the results.

Not a little misty-eyed moment. Real tears. The kind that sneak up on you when you think you have it all together.

I had just finished reading verbatim feedback from 19 people. Colleagues. Mentors. Friends. Former direct reports. People who have known me across multiple chapters of my life. This was part of a Leadership Values Assessment I completed this spring. My first formal 360-degree feedback process since leaving the corporate world.

I was not prepared for what I read.

Not because it was painful. Because it was honest. And kind. And specific. And real in a way that polished performance reviews never are.

One person wrote that they often ask themselves a simple question when facing a hard decision: what would Jim do? They said it usually leads to a very straightforward, sometimes unpopular, and actionable next step. Another told me that watching me show up fully as myself gave them permission to do the same. Their words stopped me cold: "I am now me 365, 52, 24, 60."

I sat with both of those for a long time…Here is the honest part.

I write and speak about not seeking external validation. I believe it. I practice it, most days. But I want to be clear about something. There is a meaningful difference between needing people's approval to move forward and welcoming honest feedback from people who genuinely know you.

The first is a trap. The second is a gift.

As a solopreneur, feedback is the hardest thing to come by. There is no annual review. No skip-level. No 360 built into your performance cycle. You navigate by feel, by instinct, by the occasional kind word after a talk or a newsletter reply that makes your week. That can become an echo chamber fast. Or worse, a silence you fill with your own insecurities.

This process broke through all of that.

The top three strengths I identified in myself matched almost exactly what my assessors named. That was genuinely moving. It told me something I needed to hear. I am finally living the most authentic version of myself and it is showing up for other people.

The growth areas were just as valuable. One person put it plainly and I am not going to soften it: "Jim's big personality can fill the room quickly. Continue to give others space to express themselves fully and to shine."

I have heard versions of this before. But hearing it from someone who knows me well, inside a process where 19 people took the time to tell me the truth, lands differently. It does not sting. It clarifies. And it holds me accountable in a way I actually needed.

I also learned I need to rest more. Multiple people said it. My body has been saying it. I am listening now.

Near the end of the feedback, someone wrote this:

"Be truly unapologetic about who you are without any need to justify, rationalize, or explain anything to anyone. You are an inspiration without even opening your mouth."

I read that three times. Then I closed my laptop and just sat there.

Because here is the thing. I still catch myself explaining. Justifying. Making sure people understand the why behind a decision or a choice or simply who I am. Old habits from years of navigating rooms where I did not always feel like I fully belonged.

That sentence was permission I did not know I still needed.

There are some good tools to help you get started. A few worth exploring:

360Reach (reachpersonalbrand.com) is built specifically for individuals, not just organizations. Strong for solopreneurs and executives who want a personal brand and leadership lens.

Leadership Circle Profile (leadershipcircle.com) is one of the most robust assessments out there, measuring both creative competencies and reactive tendencies. Deep and worth the investment.

MindTools 360 Feedback (mindtools.com) is a more accessible starting point if you want a lighter lift version to begin with.

Korn Ferry 360 (kornferry.com) is deeply validated, widely used in enterprise settings, and available to individuals through coaches and consultants.

And if you work with an executive coach or a peer advisory group, ask them to help you build a custom version. The structure matters less than the commitment to actually hear what comes back.

I preach radical kindness. I talk about leaving your corner of the world better than you found it. Reading those 19 responses, I realized I have been doing that. Imperfectly. Inconsistently. Sometimes at a volume that leaves less room for others than I intend. But doing it.

That is not me looking for a gold star. That is me telling you the mirror is worth looking into. Even when, especially when, you think you already know what you will see.

Those 19 people and their honest, generous, sometimes uncomfortable words did not just confirm the path I am on. They pushed me further down it. With more conviction. More clarity. More commitment to leaving every corner of the world I touch better than I found it.

I will not dim my light.

And I hope, after reading this, you will not dim yours either.

If you are navigating this kind of work and want a thought partner, I would love to talk. You can find me at hijimfielding.com.

In Community and Conversation, Jim