A senior leader I coached was on the verge of quitting after receiving his 360-degree review. For most of his career, he’d been praised and promoted for having a strong voice, challenging others, and “breaking things” so the organization could rebuild better.

But the most recent feedback from his boss and peers suggested that he wasn’t working effectively as a team player in the executive group. Initially hurt and angry, he eventually mustered the courage to speak directly to his colleagues about what they’d collectively shared in the 360, even if the anonymity of the process kept him from knowing who exactly had said what. Through these interactions, he discovered that he had far more support than he realized. His fellow executives weren’t resisting his ideas or the changes he wanted to make; they simply wanted him to be less oppositional and more collaborative.

Once they talked openly, his peers aligned around his suggested transformation, and he gained momentum and credibility.

The 360 itself didn’t change anything. The follow-up conversations were what made the difference. Indeed, research shows that the biggest predictor of increased leadership effectiveness after a 360 is whether you discussed the feedback with the people who gave it to you. So how do you do that effectively? The following strategies can help.

Start with gratitude.

Before you do anything else, thank the people who took the time to give you feedback. When you express genuine appreciation, you signal that you value their perspective and that you’re taking the process seriously.

Be sincere and specific: “I appreciate the thoughtfulness everyone put into this. Although the feedback is anonymous, I learned what people appreciate about me and where I can continue to improve.”

For example, one leader I know confessed to his direct reports that their positive comments about the support he’d given them through cutbacks and restructuring nearly brought him to tears. He then acknowledged that he also valued their constructive feedback on a few other things that he could be doing better.

Once you have shown your appreciation, let people know you’ll share more specific takeaways once you’ve had time to process: “I’ll come back to you later to talk about some things I want to work on in each area and ask for your help.” This sets the stage for deeper conversations to come.

Move from assumptions to conversations.

When you read your 360 report, you’ll naturally draw assumptions about what people meant. But the worst thing you can do is stay in your own head, interpreting feedback through your own lens and never testing whether you got it right.

Take Michelle, a senior leader preparing for a future C-suite role, whose 360 indicated that people questioned her decision-making ability. Because she’s a reflective leader, she assumed the issue was speed, so she pushed herself to make faster choices. But this felt stressful, chaotic, and unsustainable.

When she finally opened a dialogue with her team, she learned her teammates weren’t frustrated with the pace of her decision-making. They were upset about the lack of transparency in her process. When was she gathering input? When could they influence the outcome? When would the final decision be made?

Armed with these insights, she began to better communicate how she would operate with the involvement of others.

It’s critical to test your assumptions with colleagues. If not, you may be focusing your attention in the wrong direction.