Back in episode 57 of the Enterprising Minds podcast, Alex brought up the anecdote that after carefully crafting personalized, actionable 360 feedback for colleagues, a coworker casually admitted they use ChatGPT to write every 360 response they receive. Not one. Not some. Every single one.

While this episode came out a while ago, I can’t stop thinking about how much that story bugs me. It’s not that the person used ChatGPT—it’s that by using it for this activity, it has rendered the activity completely useless. It’s the signal that development and feedback is not worth their time, so they outsource the effort. The task is done, the box is checked, the point is completely missed.

So, let’s unpack this agitation a bit together.

What Is a 360 Review?

A 360 review is a feedback process where colleagues from across your working relationships—managers, peers, direct reports—weigh in on your performance. When done well, it offers a panoramic view of how you're perceived, how you collaborate, and where you can grow. It helps individuals build self-awareness, gives managers a richer context for support and coaching, and contributes to a culture of accountability and transparency across the team.

These types of reviews are typically heavy lifts and happen only once or twice a year, depending on your workplace culture. They should also happen in addition to your 1-on-1 meetings, because unlike your 1-on-1 meetings, the 360 Review is about you and your performance with your peers. Getting feedback on how you’re perceived by your peers and workplace is invaluable for becoming a better marketer and teammate.

Be a Good Hang

When I was a musician and I was auditioning players to join the band, being able to perform the parts was not the most important part of the audition. It was assumed you could. It was table stakes.

The two most important parts of the audition were:

1. Reliably communicating and being able to reach you when I need to.

2. Are you a good hang?

If you failed either one of these parts of the audition, you didn’t get the gig.

I think about this a lot in the corporate environment. I honestly don’t care if you do a fantastic job—if you’re a jerk, you’re fired.

I’ve gravitated toward 360 Reviews because they are the closest equivalent in the business world to the band audition. By outsourcing this to AI, you are losing the personal feedback on whether or not you’re a good teammate and if you communicate with your organization well. It puts too much emphasis on the to-do list tasks of a role, rather than the holistic view.

Don’t Let AI Close the Conversation

I totally understand leveraging AI to check the tone of your response, or making sure you’re not being too harsh—but you should be the one to write the feedback in the first place.

Performance reviews should open conversations, not close them off with templated outputs. If AI becomes a shortcut to sounding polished but saying nothing, we’ve lost the point. These moments should be about surfacing tension, unblocking ambition, and aligning on what matters—not building a prettier resume slide.

Try This Instead

1. Use AI to Design, Not Decide. Let it help you draft thoughtful, context-aware questions. But keep the interpretation human.

2. Spot Patterns, Not Proof. Use AI to highlight trends across emails, docs, or goals—but make time for 1:1s to understand them.

3. Measure Insight, Not Output. More slides or longer blurbs don’t mean better reviews. Prioritize clarity and impact.

4. Watch for the Bluff. Before presenting anything AI-assisted, ask yourself: do I stand by this? Would I say it, mean it, own it?

Why It Matters

Marketers are increasingly at the intersection of data, leadership, and storytelling. We shape narratives internally as much as externally. If we fall into the trap of letting AI do the talking, we risk losing the human cues that make teams thrive.

AI can crunch. It can summarize. But it cannot care. That’s your job.

Let AI handle the admin. When it comes to people? Be present. Be clear. Be human. And for the love of god, don’t confuse your to-do list with the work that actually drives value. Never let tech replace trust.

Over to You

Have you run into this in your own team or company? What’s your take on using AI for performance reviews, especially 360 feedback? Are you seeing it used well, or are people just checking a box?

Drop a comment, share a story, or shoot us a message—we’d love to hear how this is showing up in your world.

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