Manager Performance Review Examples: Phrases, Templates & Tips

A manager performance review is one of the highest-leverage conversations in any review cycle, and it's the one most companies skip. We build the software HR teams run their reviews on, so we see the gap constantly: employees get reviewed every year, but the managers running those teams rarely face the same scrutiny, even though Gallup research shows 70% of the variance in team engagement traces back to the manager.

Done right, a review gives first-time managers and veterans alike a real chance to recalibrate before small problems compound. The manager performance review examples below are the ones we'd actually use, organized skill by skill so you can adapt them straight into a review, alongside a free template and the tips we share with HR teams.

Below you’ll find a free template, skill-by-skill review phrases with ready-to-use examples, and practical tips for making these reviews count.

We also filmed a detailed video of all the nuances and best practices one needs to be aware of while giving constructive feedback to their boss. You can find all the benefits of reviewing your manager, as well as just how you can write performance reviews for them in the video.

Free Performance Review Template for Managers

If you’re looking for more templates, you can customize the ones available inside Teamflect from the feedback template gallery.

Key Performance Areas for Manager Reviews: Example Phrases

The following examples are organized by skill area. For each one, you’ll find a set of behaviors to evaluate alongside ready-to-use positive and constructive phrases you can adapt directly to your review.

Communication Skills

Without strong communication, leading a team effectively is not possible regardless of technical ability or tenure. When evaluating a manager’s communication, look for clarity, consistency, and how well they adapt their style to different audiences and situations.

Positive:

• “Communicates expectations clearly at the start of each project, which means the team rarely needs to revisit scope mid-delivery.”
• “Adapts their communication style naturally depending on whether they’re addressing the full team, an individual, or senior leadership.”
• “Handles difficult conversations directly and without delay, which has prevented several minor issues from escalating into team conflicts.”

Constructive:

• “Verbal instructions are often clear in the moment but not followed up in writing, which creates confusion when team members reference different versions of a task later.”
• “Tends to over-communicate in low-stakes situations while under-communicating on decisions that affect the wider team — recalibrating that balance would improve team confidence.”
• “Finds direct feedback challenging to deliver under pressure, which occasionally results in vague guidance at the times when clarity matters most.”

Team Management Skills

A manager’s effectiveness is ultimately expressed through their team. Look for whether they build trust, distribute work fairly, develop people actively, and create an environment where performance and accountability coexist.

Positive:

• “Has built a team culture where people flag problems early rather than waiting for things to break — a direct result of the psychological safety they’ve established.”
• “Delegates not just to manage their own workload but deliberately, to develop the capabilities of specific team members.”
• “Takes ownership of team outcomes regardless of whether they went well or poorly, which sets a standard others follow.”

Constructive:

• “Tends to absorb work rather than redistribute it when the team is under pressure, which limits both their own capacity and others’ development.”
• “High performers on the team receive strong attention and investment, but middle-tier performers would benefit from more structured development conversations.”
• “Accountability is applied inconsistently across the team — addressing this would strengthen trust and reduce friction between team members.”

Problem-Solving Skills

Challenges are inevitable in any team. What separates effective managers is whether they resolve problems thoroughly, involve the right people, and learn from what went wrong rather than just moving on.

Positive:

• “Consistently diagnoses the root cause of an issue before acting, which means solutions tend to hold rather than requiring repeated fixes.”
• “Brings the team into problem-solving rather than resolving issues alone, which builds collective capability and buy-in for the outcome.”
• “Anticipates risks in advance and raises them before they affect delivery, rather than responding reactively when things go wrong.”

Constructive:

• “Under time pressure, tends to move quickly to a solution without fully exploring alternatives — this occasionally leads to rework that a slightly longer scoping process would have avoided.”
• “Resolves immediate issues effectively but rarely revisits them afterwards to assess whether the fix held — building in a follow-up step would improve longer-term outcomes.”
• “Decision-making slows noticeably when data is incomplete, which sometimes holds the team back in situations where a timely judgment call is more valuable than a perfect one.”

Operational Efficiency

Beyond managing people, a manager is responsible for the overall output of their team’s operations. Look for how well they allocate resources, track progress, and continuously improve the way work gets done.

Positive:

• “Identified and eliminated a redundant approval step that was adding two days to every project cycle — the change has been sustained and adopted by other teams.”
• “Maintains clear visibility into team workload and proactively re-allocates resources before capacity issues affect delivery.”
• “Tracks team performance metrics consistently and uses them to make the case for process changes rather than relying on anecdote.”

Constructive:

• “Team output is strong but relies heavily on informal coordination — more structured processes would reduce single points of failure and make the team more resilient when members are absent.”
• “Spends considerable time on operational detail that could be delegated, which limits the time available for the strategic planning and team development the role also requires.”
• “Progress reporting is inconsistent — stakeholders sometimes lack visibility into where things stand, which creates unnecessary check-ins and erodes confidence in the team’s delivery.”

Leadership

Management keeps a team running day to day, but leadership is what gives that work direction and meaning. When evaluating a manager's leadership, look for whether they set a clear direction and whether the team actually commits to it, especially when conditions are uncertain.

Positive:

• "Sets a clear direction for the team and ties everyday work back to it, so people understand not just what they're doing but why it matters."
• "Stays calm and decisive when priorities shift, which gives the team the confidence to adapt instead of stalling."
• "Models the standards they expect from others, so the team's norms hold even when they aren't in the room."

Constructive:

• "Has a clear sense of where the team should go but doesn't always translate it into priorities people can act on, which leaves some of that direction stuck at the strategy level."
• "Tends to avoid taking a visible stance on contentious issues, which leaves the team without the clear signal they look to a leader for in those moments."
• "Leads change competently once a plan is in place but is slower to offer direction in the ambiguous early stages, when the team most needs a steer."

Download All Performance Review Phrases in a Single Template

We put together everyt single performance review phrase in this article inside a handy template you can download for free by simply clicking the link below, no e-mail gates whatsoever.

Key Questions for a Manager's Performance Evaluation

The questions you ask shape the answers you get. Gallup found that only 14% of employees strongly agree the reviews they receive inspire them to improve, and the questions themselves are often the culprit. A prompt that's vague or leading produces an answer that's vague or guarded. A strong evaluation question is specific and anchored in observable behavior, open enough to surface a real example rather than an opinion.

The difference shows up fast once you compare them:

Developing the team

• Avoid: "Is this person a good leader?"
• Ask instead: "Which team members did this manager develop this cycle, and what changed as a result?"

Communication under change

• Avoid: "Do they communicate well?"
• Ask instead: "When priorities shifted last quarter, how quickly did the team understand what to do next?"

Decisions under pressure

• Avoid: "Don't you agree they stay calm under pressure?"
• Ask instead: "Walk through a recent decision they made without complete information. How did it play out?"

Accountability for results

• Avoid: "Is the team happy?"
• Ask instead: "When the team missed a target, how did this manager respond, and what did they change afterward?"

Before you finalize any question, run it through a quick test: can it be answered with a concrete example, or only with a yes/no or an opinion? If it's the latter, rewrite it until it asks for evidence.

Tips for Conducting Effective Manager Performance Reviews

Reviewing a manager’s performance requires a more nuanced approach than a standard employee evaluation. Research from Harvard Business Review highlights that the most effective review processes focus on specific, observable behaviors rather than broad character assessments — a standard that applies even more critically when evaluating those in leadership roles. Here are the key practices that make a difference:

• Thorough Preparation: Review the manager’s previous evaluations, goals, and any feedback already given. This gives you a continuous view of their development rather than a snapshot judgment.
• Be Specific: Anchor every point in observable behavior and concrete examples. Focus on what was done, when, and with what outcome.
• Encourage Self-assessment: Ask the manager to review their own performance first. This builds reflection and accountability and gives you insight into how they see themselves relative to expectations.
• Use Performance Review Software: With seamless integration into Microsoft Teams, Teamflect offers a customizable review template library, automated reminders, and advanced analytics.

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Human Resources Manager, Montego

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• Set Clear & Achievable Goals: Tie development actions to goals that follow the SMART criteria — specific, measurable, and time-bound enough to be reviewed at the next cycle.
• Balance Positive and Constructive Feedback: A well-balanced review maintains motivation while opening a clear path to growth. Neither pure praise nor a list of problems serves the manager well.

What should be included in the manager performance review?

While each organization uses its own performance rating scales, most effective manager reviews share the same core components:

1. Performance Summary: An overview drawing on the manager’s full history where available. Refer to performance review summary examples for help structuring this section.
2. Strengths and Areas of Development: Specific examples of both — not just a list, but context that explains why each point matters.
3. Goals & Objectives: Development goals set using the SMART criteria, tied to the next review period.
4. Team Feedback: Input from the team is essential when reviewing managers. Without it, the evaluation is incomplete.
5. Behavioral Competencies: An assessment of how the manager’s behavior fits the expectations of their role at this point in time.
6. Development Plan: A concrete plan with clear objectives and checkpoints that sets direction for the next cycle.

Conclusion

Manager performance reviews are essential for building effective teams. They help you assess how your managers are doing, identify where they can grow, and set a clear path forward.

To make your reviews count, keep these in mind:

• Prepare thoroughly by reviewing past feedback and goals
• Focus on specific behaviors and outcomes, not vague impressions
• Use concrete examples to back up your points
• Collaborate with the manager to set actionable next steps

When you invest in your managers’ development, the whole team benefits. Better managers mean more engaged employees, higher productivity, and stronger results across the board.

Ready to streamline your review process? Teamflect’s customizable templates and Microsoft Teams integration make it easier than ever to run structured, effective manager reviews.

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Frequently Asked Questions About Manager Performance Appraisals

How can managers use performance review templates effectively?

Start by customizing templates to fit your team’s specific needs rather than using them as-is. Fill them in with concrete, observable examples and share them with employees beforehand so they can prepare. Most importantly, treat the template as a conversation guide, not a script to read from.

What are the best practices for crafting your own manager performance review templates?

Focus on leadership-specific competencies like communication, decision-making, and team development. Mix rating scales with open-ended questions to get both quantitative and qualitative insights. Keep the language clear, include space for goal-setting, and test your template with a small group before rolling it out company-wide.

How often should manager performance evaluations be done?

Formal evaluations should happen at least once or twice a year, but don’t stop there. Regular check-ins between formal reviews help keep managers on track and address issues before they grow. The key is consistency — pick a cadence and stick to it.

Can I use the same performance review template for employees and managers?

You can, but it’s not recommended. Managers have unique responsibilities like team leadership, conflict resolution, and developing direct reports that a generic template won’t capture. A better approach is using a base template with added manager-specific sections.