18 Effective Manager Performance Review Examples

It’s that time of year again. As companies wrap up their projects, performance review season is around the corner. 

If you’re an employee, you’re likely thinking about what feedback your manager will deliver to you at this time. What if we told you that, with the right approach, performance review season is also a great opportunity to supercharge your manager’s professional growth?  

Read on to learn about performance reviews, explore different types of reviews you can conduct with your manager, and view how different types of reviews can help your manager refine their own style and reach new heights. 

• What is a performance review?
• The anatomy of a performance review for managers
• Manager performance review examples

What is a performance review?

A traditional performance review is a formal assessment in which a manager evaluates an employee’s work performance. In a manager performance review, employees evaluate their managers by offering clear, action-oriented feedback. The purpose of a review is to assess an individual’s strengths and areas for improvement so they can develop and reach new professional goals. 

Reviews can help individuals view how their work fits into the organization’s big picture and set goals for the future. Employees and managers participating in performance reviews also tend to be more engaged and motivated!

The anatomy of a performance review for managers

Employees should provide their managers with regular feedback to offer insight into how they can improve their leadership skills. 

Fellow’s feedback tool makes it easy to send great feedback questions to the right individuals before each performance review, with pre-built templates to leverage. You can customize questions for each individual, send out requests, and compile all the feedback in one place. Send out batch requests in little to no time, leaving more space in your calendar for meaningful feedback conversations. 

There are a few different types of reviews employees can conduct for their managers. These include self-assessments, 360-degree feedback, behavioral evaluations, and outcome and results measurement feedback. In the next section, we’ll review each type and take a look at some example phrases employees and managers can use today! 

Manager performance review examples 

• Self-assessment examples
• 360-degree feedback examples
• Behavioral evaluation examples
• Outcome and results measurement example

Self-assessment examples

In a self-assessment performance review, individuals assess their own work, abilities, challenges, and goals. Employees helping their managers conduct self-reviews can ask questions like, “What do you think you’ve done well recently?” or “What areas of your performance do you believe you could improve?” to prompt reflection. 

Here are some examples of self-assessment review phrases managers can use to communicate their own strengths and areas for improvement:

Positive self-reflection examples:

• “During this review period, I’m proud that I got to know and work closely with each team member. As a manager, I believe I served as a resource for the team and guided new colleagues. I consistently promote a respectful atmosphere where everyone on the team feels comfortable sharing their ideas and collaborating on large projects.”
• “I was proud of how I led our team in taking ownership of the biggest client last quarter, which resulted in a sales increase of 15% across the company.”
• “I’ve shown resilience these past few months. As I led our team in completing Project X, I had many conflicting priorities. My work ethic allowed me to consistently meet my own deadlines while guiding the team in meeting project goals.” 

Constructive self-reflection examples:

• “In the future, I want to do a better job encouraging clear communication within the team. This past quarter, I noticed that my lack of organization led to a breakdown in communication on Project X. Moving forward, I want to work on clearly managing team expectations, supporting colleagues, and investing in digital tools that help us better communicate about tasks and projects.”
• “As a manager, I believe I could benefit from improving my strategic planning skills. As our team grows, I want to make confident decisions about our objectives and develop new strategies for measuring the group’s performance.” 

360-degree feedback examples

360-degree feedback is a method of performance review that offers each employee or manager an opportunity to receive positive and constructive feedback from a supervisor or direct report, a group of peers, coworkers, and, in some cases, clients and customers. 

Here are a few examples of feedback that employees, teammates, and other stakeholders can deliver to managers as part of 360-degree performance reviews:

Examples of feedback from employees:

• “I think it would be beneficial to have more regular check-ins with you. Hosting recurring one-on-one meetings with myself and other team members could help us better understand what you look for in final projects and set us on a path to professional success.”
• “Thank you for helping me set clear objectives for myself this year. Your guidance has kept me on the right track, and I’m grateful for your ongoing encouragement and support.”
• “I appreciate the clarity you provide for project tasks. Each time you delegate work, you offer clear deadlines and expectations, making it easy to deliver a final product you’re happy with. I’m especially grateful that you’ve sold our team on digital solutions that have only improved our efficiency.”
• “You regularly empower me and other team members to take on new responsibilities, which creates opportunities for skill development within the team.”
  

Examples of feedback from teammates: 

• “I appreciate how you made it a priority to highlight my report. I spent many weeks preparing the documents and presentations, and it meant a lot that you were willing to recognize my efforts in front of everyone during our weekly team meeting.”
• “It’s apparent that you’ve felt overwhelmed these past few months. Moving forward, I believe it would be beneficial for you to assess your weekly workload and delegate tasks that aren’t a priority for you. As teammates, we’re here to support you!” 
• “When faced with a challenge, your adaptability shines through. You always use setbacks to allow team members to come up with new ideas, showcase their strengths, and contribute effectively.”

Behavioral evaluation examples

A behavioral evaluation involves evaluating how well an individual’s work aligns with and contributes to the company’s mission, values, and culture. 

Here are some examples of feedback that employees can deliver to their managers about how their leadership style falls in line with the organization’s mission:

• “As a leader, you embody the company’s values. You demonstrate a keen understanding of and appreciation for diversity and inclusion, which falls in line with our team’s commitment to creating an inclusive environment.”
• “Recently, your handling of challenges facing our team demonstrates how committed you are to fostering a positive workspace and creating a culture where challenges are viewed as opportunities for growth.”
• “You regularly address problems with empathy and fairness. This directly contributes to a positive culture where teammates feel excited to grow and learn as a part of the team.”

Outcome and results measurement example 

Outcome and results measurement feedback is constructive and positive feedback that you can deliver based on previously outlined targets and key performance indicators (KPIs) that an individual has set for themself. 

Here are some examples of feedback phrases that employees deliver to your manager if they’ve set specific goals for themselves:

• “I’m proud of you for setting SMART goals for our team this year and then developing a clear plan to achieve them. Because of your diligence, we exceeded our sales target by 15%. This made everyone on the team feel excited for the future.”
• “This past month, it was evident that the KPIs you set for the team were too ambitious. You asked the team to improve our number of leads generated by 10%, but we lacked a detailed plan to move forward and achieve this goal. In the future, I think it’s important to set realistic goals and work with the group to determine their bandwidth ahead of time.”
• “You set a goal at the beginning of the year for our company to improve its brand awareness on social media. With the KPIs and action plan outlined in our team’s social media strategy, you’ve successfully helped our team improve our brand mentions on TikTok and Instagram.”

Parting advice 

Performance reviews shouldn’t have you feeling stressed out and overwhelmed. As an employee, you should be prepared to receive feedback, as well as deliver some. Not sure where to begin? Chat with your manager about the benefits of conducting a performance review to help them improve in the same ways they plan to help you. Use an all-in-one meeting tool like Fellow to foster a healthy feedback culture and incorporate opportunities for feedback into your team’s day-to-day experience.