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Writer's pictureJonno White

400 Performance Review Phrases For Evaluation Of Leadership Skills

Updated: Nov 17, 2022

1. Expect others to finish incomplete tasks.


2. Keep all stakeholders up to speed on projects’ status.


3. Treat everyone with respect.


4. He has received good feedback from both his team and his managers.


5. She demonstrates setting a high bar for ethical behavior.


6. Not see the point of focusing on productivity.


7. He is a top performer and leads a team of high performers. His leadership has contributed to very high productivity from this department.


8. Focus on the job at hand and avoid excessive multi-tasking.


9. Jane does not show a sense of urgency in meeting deadlines and delivering work of a high standard. Work is often left unfinished and of poor quality. Her timekeeping is somewhat haphazard, and she seems reluctant to follow procedures.


10. Set both achievable and ambitious expectations.


11. Leave work before all agreed tasks are completed.


12. Willing to embrace new opportunities and take on additional tasks.


13. She took over the worst team of the company, but She managed so well that She has developed every member to be one of the most effective employees in the company.


14. Strive for excellence in everything they do.


15. He works toward an organized and comfortable working environment.


16. Accommodate and listen to other people's perspectives about how to resolve issues.


17. Gets defensive if questioned or given constructive feedback or criticism.


18. She avoids knee jerk reactions, and collects all relevant facts before making a decision.


19. He fails to plan for the future.


20. Her team performs well and all speak highly of her.


21. Not stay up to date with industry trends and developments.


22. Unwilling to talk to customers who have a problem.


23. Tom has demonstrated the value he adds to the team and consistently exceeds expectations in all aspects of his job performance.


24. He ignores the company regulations prefers to work on his own.


25. She rarely shows appreciation for good performance.


26. He fails to resolve conflict among subordinates.


27. Encourage idea-sharing and initiative.


28. Able to work smarter, not harder.


29. Her employees consistently complain of unreasonable expectations.


30. Solve team conflicts in a calm and mature manner.


31. She fails to create a working environment meeting her subordinates’ expectation.


32. She is in a difficult situation: She inherited a team that frankly was a mess. She quickly turned the team around to one of our best performers.


33. Structure tasks and projects to further strengthen teamwork among members.


34. Take full responsibility for any problems of their assigned tasks


35. Always meet project deadlines.


36. Be highly truthful and honest in all dealings.


37. She provides constant coaching and guidance to employees.


38. She provides sufficient information on guidance and feedback to her team.


39. It is recommended that Jane engage in some training and mentoring support to assist her in building the skills and capabilities she lacks.


40. Inspire others with their levels of productivity.


41. He shows attention to detail and delivers work of an exceptional standard. Tom is a strong team player and has gained the respect of both his colleagues and senior stakeholders.


42. He has found it hard to becoming a manager after being a staff member. He has difficulty in distinguishing his personal relationships and working ones.


43. Offer workable solutions to any problems faced by the team.


44. He demonstrate a management-by-crisis style, which means a responsive style.


45. He is an excellent manager and he knows how to lead his staff to satisfy his expectations.


46. Apply expertise creatively.


47. She is responsible for her own staff.


48. She appreciates the performance of staff and appreciates their loyalty.


49. Ask questions and shares information with the rest of the team.


50. Translate technical information into user-friendly language.


51. She sends mixed signals to her team regarding goals and day-to-day activities.


52. He sets expectations that are too high for his team.


53. He manages his team well and receives good performances from them.


54. She demonstrates good organizational and planning skills.


55. He organizes and gives direction, guidance and feedback to his subordinates and colleagues.


56. Never betray their principles and company's core values


57. Monopolize the conversation during meetings and does not invite team members’ ideas.


58. He understands how to manage personalities similar to his, but has not worked very hard managing other types of personalities on his team. He needs to better understand personality types and how they interrelate.


59. Set the bar low for own output goals.


60. Flexible approach to accommodate shifting priorities.


61. She needs to establish an effective system for communication and information retrieval.


62. Cannot cope under pressure or adjust to new or unfamiliar tasks or circumstances.


63. She is not very effective at managing her staff to a high performance level.


64. Does not meet expectations


65. Fail to respond to colleagues’ requests or customer complaints.


66. Invite ideas and suggestions from team members to solve challenging problems.


67. Tackle problems in a creative and analytical way.


68. Monitor the process by frequently meeting with each member to show concern about their performance.


69. Spend time on social media sites or playing with their mobile phone during working hours.


70. She has received a lot of positive appraisals from her subordinates and other line-managers.


71. Answer questions using confusing, overly technical language.


72. He fails to keep confidential information secret.


73. She fails to show a frequent appreciation of her subordinates’ performance.


74. Ignore opportunities to expand expertise.


75. He is expert in training his employees. He provides good management of them.


76. She is an excellent coach and regularly receives maximum performance feedback scores from her direct reports.


77. He displays unfairness with his team and favors certain individuals.


78. She praises the staff who take responsibility for their performances.


79. Regularly engage with customers directly to hear their thoughts and feedback.


80. Despite operating in a demanding and high-pressure environment, Tom has proactively sought opportunities to grow and learn new skills.


81. She does not understand how to set team goals and manage her team to achieve them. She seems to always be in survival mode without focusing on the goals necessary to move her team forward.


82. He does not understand the intricacies of managing a high performance team and has yet to perform.


83. Be level-headed when assessing situations and suggesting solutions.


84. She consistently recognizes her team for a job well done.


85. She encourages employees to take responsibility for their performances.


86. Display a professional demeanor even when under pressure.


87. Facilitate conversations with team members that bring out new ideas and solutions to problems.


88. Communicate aggressively and through reprimands.


89. She fails to manage her staff to gain effective performance.


90. Deal with customer-related issues in an unprofessional manner.


91. Adhere to lunch schedules and breaks.


92. He has responded admirably to changing and sometimes challenging situations, always retaining his professional demeanor and positive attitude.


93. Avoid office gossip.


94. She does not understand how to set team goals and manage her team to achieve them. She does not focus on the goals necessary to move her team forward.


95. Run behind schedule causing meetings to start late.


96. She leads her team to be the best team despite the difficulties that go with it.


97. Despite being a good supervisor, he does not know how to lead his staff to achieve a perfect performance.


98. She is plans and organizes work in timely manner.


99. She is often impatient and unhelpful.


100. Management Style and Supervision


101. He shows sound judgement in critical decision making.


102. He is a good supervisor, but he is not expert in this field. He does not have a good connection with his staff and this affects the team’s performance.


103. Not engage in illegal or unethical business practices.


104. She expects everyone to know the regulations and procedures but never gives them any mentoring.


105. Often offer weak excuses for arriving late.


106. Book vacation time well in advance.


107. Take credit for other people’s work.


108. Does not meet expectations


109. Fail to monitor progress to ensure that they deliver the desired outcome.


110. She understands how to handle difficult employees and manage difficult staff. We continue to have above average turnover on her team. This year, we need to focus on what issues are causing such high turnover.


111. She provides the information and knowledge beneficial to the general development of the staff.


112. He is a good manager and he leads his team to perform their assignments well.


113. Find new, creative ways to overcome challenges.


114. Does not meet expectations


115. Be decisive when making decisions and then stick to them.


116. He is an capable supervisor but does not excel. He does not always relate well with his employees and this shows in the group’s work effort.


117. Bring people together to create a high-functioning team.


118. Does not meet expectations


119. Not listen to other team member's ideas and feedback


120. Lie to other members of the team.


121. Neglect to accept or decline email meeting invitations.


122. Demonstrate trustworthiness.


123. He recognizes staff for a job well done.


124. Interrupt people when they are talking.


125. Break the rules.


126. Does not meet expectations


127. He managed a flawed team In difficult circumstances, and developed it to be one of the best in our organization.


128. She actively listens to her team’s feedback and comments.


129. Unwilling to collaborate with others to brainstorm solutions to problems.


130. His team performs well and all of them speak highly of him.


131. He is unable to persuade people to get the job done.


132. She tries to be both a manager and friend. She finds it hard to distinguish between her personal relationships and work relationships.


133. Let personal biases influence important business decisions.


134. She has received good feedback from her team and her managers.


135. He fails to resolve problems until they becomes conflicts.


136. Committed to producing the very best work at all times.


137. She understands people and the different ways to motivate them to get the job done.


138. She takes charge of directly dealing with problems.


139. She has not made the transition from co-worker to manager very well. She has a difficult time separating her personal relationships with professional ones.


140. Not learn from previous successes or failures.


141. He distributes resources in an appropriate manner depending on the priority of assignments.


142. Only worry about their own needs and happiness.


143. Open to collaborating with peers to explore solutions to problems.


144. He had a difficult beginning but he and his team achieved the best performance of all groups in the company.


145. Not follow the company's procedures and policies.


146. He gives structure, feedback and direction to his team.


147. Assignments are poorly thought through and often full of errors.


148. Over-sold capabilities in job application/interview.


149. There have been a few issues with his team that must be resolved. These issues could be detrimental to the performance of the department and should be the focus of the next few months.


150. She had a rough start but ended the year well with her team turning in the best performers of all the groups.


151. Communicate with all stakeholders to ensure the job gets done.


152. Ensure that everyone understands the goals of a specific project and shares regular updates.


153. She seldom compliments staff on an excellent performance.


154. She has not yet found a way to deal with situations in a group. her team produces poor results for the company..


155. She is a good supervisor but She is not expert in this field. She is unable to manage her team well and her team’s performance is not good.


156. Polite and professional in every way.


157. Turn in work that is below par.


158. Willing to put in long hours to get the job done.


159. Unwilling to recertify with up-to-date qualifications.


160. He has received good remarks from his team and his managers.


161. She has had a difficult situation with the team She manages, yet She has turned them around in excellent fashion.


162. Apply skills to boost the company’s quarterly revenue numbers.


163. Have an excellent work ethic and an engaging personality.


164. She fails to resolve problems in a timely manner.


165. Remain physically distant from employees.


166. Resolves customer complaints professionally and promptly.


167. Become angry and emotional in stressful situations.


168. In the sections that follow, we’ll look at some of the most common areas in which employees are frequently evaluated. For each, we’ll offer some sample phrases that you can include and/or customize.


169. He understands that good leaders improve themselves through study, training, and experience. He is willing to commit the hours necessary for these pursuits.


170. She acknowledges the accomplishments of employees and recognizes their contributions.


171. Saved project X from failure by proposing a new technical approach.


172. He is not very effective at managing his staff to high performance.


173. He manages his team well and elicits good performances from them.


174. Be a positive influence on all team members and leads by example, which improves the team’s morale.


175. She does not perform very well in creating an honest and open environment for the employees She supervises.


176. Quality of work exceeds expectations on every occasion.


177. She is a decent task manager, but falls short when it comes to setting a vision.


178. Unwilling to offer technical help to less-experienced team members.


179. Often be the first to leave the office at the end of the day.


180. Reluctant to work or share ideas with others.


181. Show empathy to people experiencing personal or professional challenges.


182. She balances the overall strategy of the organization with tactical day-to-day tasks.


183. She seldom takes part in discussions or meetings.


184. Frequently arrive late at work.


185. Use technical knowledge creatively to solve problems.


186. Follow ethical business practices and company's policies


187. Be disrespectful to leadership behind their backs.


188. Do as little as possible to get by.


189. He is very professional with his employees and manages them well.


190. Withhold important information from the manager to avoid disciplinary action.


191. Does not meet expectations


192. She understands how to take daily tasks and motivate employees to meet a long term goal.


193. She allocates tasks appropriately based on the prior assignments.


194. He leads the team in the difficult environment of customer service to success, meeting all objectives.


195. He is a good supervisor, but he has failed at managing his staff to high productivity.


196. Often start projects without thorough upfront planning.


197. Frequently unavailable for extended periods.


198. Always leave early even if the rest of the team is working late.


199. Too introverted, which impacts effective teamwork.


200. Another area that you may be asked to reflect on is integrity. Integrity involves consistently upholding strong moral and ethical business values. Employees that do the right thing and are honest contribute to an organization’s ability to build a strong reputation in their marketplace. Below, we’ve listed some useful phrases to consider using when evaluating people’s integrity:


201. Fail to keep team members updated on important project developments.


202. Can take theoretical concepts and apply them to practical challenges.


203. He lacks communication at work and is reluctant to support or offer assistance to those that need it.


204. Does not meet expectations


205. Does not meet expectations


206. She sets unreasonably high expectations for her team.


207. Monitor their productivity and implement improvements.


208. He gets frustrated easily with new team members and fails to offer any support.


209. Never ask for help.


210. She designs action plans and deadlines needed for each subordinate to accomplish their tasks.


211. She does not know how to set targets and lead her team to reach them. She feels confused when setting goals and leading her team forward.


212. The quality of the results delivered has contributed to the company’s reputation and bottom line.


213. She is an effective manager and understands how to supervise her employees to meet expectations.


214. He works as an advisor, friend, and boss for his team. He plays these three roles well to manage his team.


215. Evaluate challenges from all angles before deciding on a way forward.


216. Publicly criticize team members and make them look bad.


217. Build the team’s knowledge base by sharing expertise on technical issues.


218. Invest extra time in projects to ensure that all deliverables are of a high standard.


219. Stay calm even when required to resolve a problem under high pressure.


220. Take pride in completing projects on time.


221. Use up all their sick leave days without being genuinely ill.


222. She creates a culture of dialogue.


223. He rarely shows any recognition to his team.


224. He has difficulties in understanding the strategy of the company or narrating a conceptual ideal to managers.


225. Detail-oriented and results-driven.


226. Become overly intimidated if asked to make a presentation or speak in front of the team.


227. He is rarely prepared to participate in discussions or meetings.


228. Sow discord and disharmony within previously well-functioning teams.


229. Not spend excessive amounts of time on personal phone calls or chatting in the coffee area.


230. Welcome challenges and work on them diligently.


231. Seek out ways or tools to automate manual tasks


232. Take setbacks in their stride.


233. Offer inaccurate technical information or specifications.


234. She is expert in managing staff. She knows how to use their strengths to make their performances better.


235. She does not use her leadership skills appropriately to manage staff.


236. She gained the respect of the employees.


237. Complete tasks thoroughly and beyond expectations.


238. Take and share notes and updates regularly.


239. He is quick at finding information.


240. She started the period with a very poor performance. However, she finished it amazingly with her team performance being the best of all the groups.


241. Always ask what the team is doing to ensure everyone is engaged.


242. Arrive at work looking refreshed and in a positive frame of mind.


243. She is poor at managing a high performance team. She does not know how to perform this task.


244. Be unwelcoming to new team members.


245. Cultivate a culture of fear.


246. Does not meet expectations


247. Require constant supervision, or else specific tasks do not get completed.


248. There have been a few issues with him as a leader and his team that must be resolved. These issues could be detrimental to the performance of the department and should be the focus of the next few months.


249. Find solutions to longstanding issues through their technological insights.


250. Be able to set goals and priorities and accomplish them.


251. She is able to bring out the best out of those in the team.


252. She is very helpful when mentoring entry-level staff getting used to their jobs.


253. She needs to know when to step back and let the team work.


254. He is very good at managing his team to perform their tasks excellently.


255. Work well without any supervision.


256. Regularly take more frequent or longer breaks than permitted.


257. Looking for more examples? We created the largest list of performance review phrases for different skills. You can find it here (click to open 2000+ Performance Review Phrases: The Complete List)


258. Offer no recognition or rewards for a job well done.


259. Allow technical details to overshadow the customer’s business problem.


260. Energetic and creative.


261. She confuses the employees through different directions and guidance.


262. Shy away from making decisions.


263. She is able to set clear objectives and requirements for her subordinates.


264. Get flustered when facing a tough decision and lashes out at peers or subordinates.


265. Not listen to other people's ideas and opinions.


266. She is not effective at leading her team to high performance.


267. Not follow established processes.


268. Proactively seek out new tasks to work on.


269. Does not meet expectations


270. Be committed to always finding new ways to deliver better value.


271. Deliver high volumes of work that often exceed expectations.


272. Settle only for delivering services of high quality to customers.


273. Hard to inspire to take on new challenges.


274. Usually go offline on communication channels when working from home


275. Does not meet expectations


276. She demonstrates high level of knowledge of internal policies and standards, which is a key requirement for an effective mentor.


277. Resist learning any new skills or improving existing ones.


278. She has not made the transition from co-worker to manager very well. She has a difficult time separating her personal relationships with professional ones.


279. Excellent work ethic.


280. Avoid conversations with management and superiors.


281. Approach technical challenges with a skillful eye.


282. Be able to articulate complex, technical concepts in plain language.


283. He has a difficult situation with the team he manages, yet he has turned them around in excellent fashion.


284. Written communication skills are sub-optimal.


285. Instigate arguments with others.


286. Make excuses to leave work early.


287. She finds it difficult to delegate tasks which makes the team’s achievements entirely reliant on her.


288. Not take action to improve their performance.


289. He is very adept at managing difficult employees and turning their energies towards higher performances.


290. He fails to meet schedules.


291. Encourage and motivate even the most reluctant team members.


292. She is ready to share information and knowledge for the common development of all staff.


293. He allows just enough differences to find the best outcome.


294. She supervises and care about the performance of her subordinates.


295. An effective listener and takes time to understand what others are saying.


296. Listen to others without interrupting.


297. The department they manage is recognized for its excellent performance.


298. Rush to make decisions without thinking things through.


299. Always congratulate team members who do well.


300. Articulate issues clearly and concisely that everyone can understand.


301. He is very good at training employees. He directs them use their strengths to better their performances.


302. Fails to fully focus on their projects.


303. She does not anticipate complications when managing a high performance team. She does not know how to perform well.


304. Proactively minimize distractions to ensure they can focus on specific tasks.


305. Understand the link between individual productivity and overall company performance.


306. She creates an atmosphere in which creativity and innovation is both rewarded and encouraged.


307. Always on the lookout for new ways to improve and deliver value.


308. He is very adept at managing difficult employees and turning their energies towards higher performances.


309. Be indecisive when it comes to coming up with solutions.


310. Always call ahead if they are going to be late.


311. Start and end meetings on time.


312. Hypocritical: does not set a positive example through their actions and words.


313. Distract co-workers, thereby impacting their productivity levels.


314. He has a tendency to play favorites and not treat all employees fairly.


315. Respect the ideas and input of other team members.


316. Rarely add value to projects beyond the basics of what is required.


317. Delivers an inconsistent quality of work.


318. Always do what is right.


319. Respect confidentiality.


320. Contribute to significantly boosting overall departmental productivity.


321. She is a great mentor who is very helpful to new staff.


322. Usually gossip and make things up about the company or team members.


323. Ensure out-of-office auto-replies are activated when on vacation or travelling to meetings or conferences.


324. Her leadership instincts cannot be relied on to manage others.


325. When teams work effectively together, they deliver results more quickly, which impacts the business’s overall performance. Bear in mind, however, that some people are not natural team players and may need to be guided and coached. Here are some useful phrases that can help you express your feedback to people in this area:


326. Design flawed solutions that require significant rework.


327. Fail to keep the workspace tidy.


328. Poor email etiquette.


329. He tends to overanalyze problems when a prompt decision is required.


330. Her team and managers gave her positive feedback and good comments.


331. Encourage individuals to embrace challenges with enthusiasm.


332. Employees who have rich knowledge about what their job entails and what is required of them are the most productive. Use this list to guide your discussion about how well you rate an employee’s job knowledge:


333. His lack of trust in his team members means that it is difficult for his team to accomplish anything.


334. Unable to focus their attention for long periods to get the job done.


335. He disregards company policies tends to work by himself.


336. Cannot separate personal life from work.


337. Meets or Exceeds Expectations


338. Fail to listen to what other team members have to say.


339. He has established an effective system for communication and information retrieval.


340. Willing to complete work that falls outside their formal job description when necessary.


341. Fail to come up with new ideas or solutions to problems.


342. She rarely gives recognition to her team.


343. Has difficulty setting priorities.


344. She is open to listening to employees, as well as experimenting with new management techniques.


345. Does not meet expectations


346. She does not understand the intricacies of managing a high performance team and has yet to perform.


347. Explain technical subjects to peers in a relatable manner.


348. She is a servant-leader, who is always willing to help her team.


349. Be trusted to deliver high-quality work on time, every time.


350. He is good at supervising, but he cannot manage his staff to efficient performance.


351. He too often stifles innovation and creativity.


352. Unwilling to broaden their horizons.


353. Set exceptionally high standards.


354. Always strive to keep commitments.


355. The technical skills set is inappropriate for the tasks at hand.


356. Speak rudely to junior/senior team members.


357. He establishes a corporate culture of reliability and caring.


358. Dress too informally for a work environment.


359. Prioritize their own needs and career aspirations.


360. Maintain open communication channels.


361. Keep promises.


362. Ensure they develop and utilize individuals’ unique talents and strengths.


363. She was a good employee but not good enough to become an excellent manager.


364. She is a capable manager but She is unable to influence people like a true leader.


365. Poor time management: fails to complete assigned work on time.


366. He is an satisfactory supervisor but he does not excel. He does not always relate well to his employees and this shows in the group’s work effort.


367. She fails to actively resolve the problem of poor performances at work.


368. She is creative and logical in addressing any aspect of her work.


369. Communicate effectively and clearly with direct reports so that they always know what is expected of them.


370. Ensure questions are clarified before taking actions that will impact outcomes.


371. She is far from an expert manager of staff. her employees’ complaints about her impossible requirements are reasonable. She should learn to accept a reasonable work-personal life balance.


372. Take breaks if not being watched.


373. He empowers others to take initiative as well.


374. Developing effective leaders is among the top challenges for today’s businesses. Being a strong leader goes beyond just leading teams and assigning people tasks. It involves fostering a strong team culture, ensuring people are given opportunities for growth, and resolving conflicts in a calm and mature manner. Use the following phrases to evaluate the leadership capabilities:


375. She shared the vision of the action plan with employees.


376. She is a decent task manager, but falls short when it comes to setting a vision.


377. She is a good supervisor, but has failed to manage her staff to high productivity.


378. Arrive late to team meetings.


379. Fail to provide teams with the appropriate amount of structure and direction.


380. She adheres to deadlines and meets production benchmarks.


381. She plays favorites and does not treat each member of the team equally.


382. Get easily distracted by personal issues.


383. Blame co-workers for their mistakes.


384. He maintains open communication among his employees.


385. Host meetings that often run overtime.


386. Guide and support people towards achieving goals.


387. She understands her team and how to motivate them to high performance.


388. Not communicate with others as they feel it is not necessary as long as the job is done.


389. Unwilling to help if needed, which impacts overall team performance.


390. She needs to focus on big picture items, yet She continues to micromanage her staff.


391. He was a great individual performer but so far has not proven he is a good manager.


392. Make unkind personal remarks.


393. She fails to explain procedures to her subordinates clearly. She lacks the qualifications to be an effective mentor.


394. She was pushed into a truly difficult position and managed a complicated team. But in a short time, She led the team to become one of the best.


395. A champion of new ideas and approaches.


396. She exaggerates the seriousness of problems.


397. Poor hygiene standards.


398. Not take time to understand expectations upfront.


399. He finds it difficult to plan an action without instruction.


400. Our customers regularly ask to speak to this person by name.


There you go! We hope your next performance review meeting and your annual performance reviews with a senior leader or junior leader are improved.


Whatever your leadership role, the best leaders, and those who want to be a better leader, do performance evaluations using hard work and finding the best way to be constructive.


Make sure you reach out to us if you need a leadership coach to help you go to the next level in performance review season. For individual contributors, why not create your own 360-degree assessments to find out how you're going?

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