Best examples of leadership assessment examples for annual reviews

Strong examples of leadership assessment examples for annual reviews

Let’s start where most managers struggle: the actual wording. Below are real examples of leadership assessment examples for annual reviews you can tailor to your context. They’re organized by leadership dimension, not job title, so you can mix and match.

Examples that highlight strategic thinking and decision‑making

When you’re evaluating how someone thinks, prioritizes, and decides under pressure, vague praise like “good problem solver” doesn’t help. Here’s sharper language:

High performer example of strategic leadership
“Maria consistently anticipates market and operational risks and proposes clear options with trade‑offs. During the Q2 revenue slowdown, she analyzed pipeline data, identified two under‑served customer segments, and led a targeted outreach plan that lifted quarterly bookings by 18%. Her decisions are data‑driven, time‑bound, and she documents assumptions so the team can learn from both wins and misses.”

Solid performer with room to grow
“Derrick makes thoughtful day‑to‑day decisions and rarely escalates issues unnecessarily. He is reliable in executing the current strategy but is less proactive in challenging assumptions or proposing new approaches. In the next review cycle, he should take more ownership of medium‑term planning and bring forward at least one data‑backed proposal per quarter.”

Developmental feedback example
“Priya is decisive under time pressure but sometimes commits to solutions before reviewing available data or consulting affected stakeholders. Over the next six months, she should build a simple decision checklist (data reviewed, options considered, stakeholders consulted) and use it for high‑impact choices. This will help her balance speed with broader impact.”

These are examples of leadership assessment examples for annual reviews that move beyond adjectives and anchor feedback in observable behavior and outcomes.

Examples that assess communication and influence

Modern leadership assessments increasingly focus on clarity, transparency, and influence across teams, not just within a reporting line. Research from Harvard Business School highlights that cross‑team collaboration and communication are now core predictors of leadership effectiveness.

High performer example of communication leadership
“Alex communicates complex technical topics in a way that non‑experts can act on. For the platform migration, he created short written briefs, visual timelines, and weekly updates that reduced confusion and cut duplicate work by an estimated 25%. He invites questions, summarizes decisions, and closes the loop with all impacted teams.”

Balanced feedback example
“Taylor is clear and concise in one‑on‑one settings and with her direct team. However, her updates to senior leadership sometimes assume too much context, which can obscure risks and trade‑offs. In the coming year, she should adopt a standard structure for executive updates (summary, risk, options, recommendation) to sharpen her influence at the senior level.”

Developmental example focused on listening
“Jordan is passionate and persuasive but can dominate discussions, which occasionally discourages quieter team members from contributing ideas. To grow as a leader, he should build in explicit pauses to invite alternative views and periodically summarize what he has heard before proposing a direction.”

Again, these examples of leadership assessment examples for annual reviews use specific behaviors—briefs, timelines, meeting habits—instead of generic praise.

Examples that evaluate people management and coaching

In 2024–2025, organizations are paying closer attention to manager impact on well‑being and retention. Studies from Gallup show managers account for a large share of engagement variance, which makes this section of the review especially important.

High performer example of people leadership
“Dana invests consistently in developing her team. She holds monthly one‑on‑ones focused on growth, co‑creates development plans, and follows through with stretch assignments. Over the past year, two team members earned internal promotions, and voluntary turnover on her team was zero. Her feedback is direct, respectful, and tied to specific behaviors, which her team cites as a key factor in their engagement scores.”

Balanced example with strengths and growth areas
“Chris sets clear expectations and holds team members accountable to agreed‑upon goals. He addresses performance issues promptly and fairly. The next step in his leadership development is to expand his coaching skills—shifting some conversations from task direction to skill‑building so team members become more self‑sufficient over time.”

Developmental example of leadership assessment
“While Mei is approachable and well‑liked, she tends to avoid direct conversations about underperformance, which can create uneven workloads and frustration for high performers. Over the next review cycle, she should partner with HR to practice structured performance conversations, using documented examples and clear expectations to support fair outcomes.”

These are some of the best examples of leadership assessment examples for annual reviews when you need to show how a manager affects growth, retention, and fairness.

Examples that capture change leadership and adaptability

Change management keeps showing up as a priority in leadership competency models, especially with hybrid work, AI adoption, and shifting business models. Leaders are expected to adapt quickly while keeping teams grounded.

High performer example of change leadership
“During the implementation of the new CRM system, Omar served as a stabilizing and energizing force. He translated project goals into clear team milestones, acknowledged the disruption, and created a feedback loop with weekly office hours. As a result, his group completed migration two weeks ahead of schedule with minimal downtime and no loss of customer data.”

Balanced example with future focus
“Lena adapts well to change once direction is clear and tends to model a positive attitude for her team. However, she is more reactive than proactive in identifying upcoming shifts. Over the next year, she should increase her participation in cross‑functional planning sessions and bring early insights back to her team so they can prepare in advance.”

Developmental example addressing resistance
“Ravi sometimes communicates his skepticism about new initiatives in front of his team before fully understanding the rationale. This can unintentionally increase resistance. To grow as a leader, he should seek clarity from sponsors first, then share a balanced view with his team, including both risks and potential benefits, while inviting constructive feedback.”

These examples of leadership assessment examples for annual reviews show how to assess not just attitude toward change, but the leader’s impact on team adoption.

Examples that assess inclusive leadership and psychological safety

Inclusive leadership is no longer a side topic; it’s part of mainstream leadership evaluation. Guidance from the U.S. Office of Personnel Management and many large employers emphasizes fairness, respect, and inclusion as core leadership behaviors.

High performer example of inclusive leadership
“Sam creates a highly inclusive environment where team members feel safe raising concerns and offering dissenting views. He rotates meeting facilitation, actively seeks input from quieter contributors, and tracks speaking time to avoid dominance by a few voices. Employee survey comments repeatedly mention that people ‘can be themselves’ and ‘are heard’ on his team.”

Balanced example with clear development goal
“Rosa treats team members respectfully and consistently, and there are no reported concerns about fairness. To deepen her impact as an inclusive leader, she should more intentionally sponsor under‑represented talent for visible projects and cross‑functional opportunities, and track progress toward team diversity goals.”

Developmental example of leadership assessment
“While there is no evidence of intentional bias in Mark’s decisions, he tends to rely on a narrow circle of familiar colleagues for input and opportunities. Over the next year, he should expand his networks, seek feedback from a broader range of stakeholders, and use structured criteria when assigning high‑visibility work.”

These are real examples of leadership assessment examples for annual reviews that align with 2024–2025 expectations around inclusion and psychological safety.

Examples tailored by level: emerging, mid‑level, senior leaders

Leadership expectations vary by level. An emerging lead won’t be driving company‑wide strategy yet, but you still need sharp language that fits their scope.

Emerging leader example
“Jasmine is in her first year of people leadership and is building a strong foundation. She prepares for one‑on‑ones, clarifies priorities, and is learning to delegate instead of solving every problem herself. Over the next cycle, she should focus on giving more timely feedback and using team meetings to align work across individuals.”

Mid‑level leader example
“Carlos leads multiple teams and consistently aligns their work to department objectives. He coordinates effectively with peer managers, shares resources when needed, and escalates cross‑team risks early. His next growth opportunity is to contribute more visibly to long‑range planning and to mentor emerging leaders outside his immediate group.”

Senior leader example
“Anita shapes direction beyond her own function. She translates corporate strategy into clear, measurable objectives for her organization and communicates progress regularly. She partners with other executives to resolve resource conflicts and is viewed as a trusted voice in enterprise‑wide decisions. Over the next year, she should continue to develop the next layer of leadership bench strength so that critical initiatives are not overly dependent on her direct involvement.”

These level‑specific statements are examples of leadership assessment examples for annual reviews that reflect scope, not just personal style.

How to write your own examples of leadership assessment examples for annual reviews

Using prewritten phrases is helpful, but you still need a method so your reviews don’t sound copy‑pasted. Here’s a simple structure you can apply to any leadership behavior:

Behavior → Evidence → Impact → Next step

Work from real evidence. Use:

• Performance metrics or project outcomes
• 360‑feedback or engagement survey themes
• Concrete incidents (positive or negative) from the review period

For instance, instead of writing, “Pat is a strong leader,” you might write:

“Pat led a cross‑functional project with marketing, sales, and operations to shorten our onboarding process. By clarifying decision rights, creating a shared dashboard, and running weekly risk reviews, she helped reduce average onboarding time from 45 to 28 days, which directly supported our Q3 revenue target. Over the next year, she should document this approach and coach other managers on applying it to their projects.”

That single paragraph hits behavior (clarifying decision rights), evidence (project leadership), impact (onboarding time, revenue), and next step (document and coach). You can turn almost any leadership observation into strong review language with this pattern.

2024–2025 trends shaping leadership assessments

If your review templates haven’t changed in years, they’re probably out of sync with current expectations. Modern examples of leadership assessment examples for annual reviews often incorporate:

• Hybrid and remote leadership: Assessing how leaders manage distributed teams, set norms for communication, and maintain clarity without micromanagement.
• Data‑informed decision‑making: Expecting leaders to use data appropriately, not just “go with their gut.” This aligns with broader management guidance from institutions like MIT Sloan that emphasize evidence‑based leadership.
• Well‑being and workload management: Evaluating whether leaders set realistic expectations, monitor burnout risks, and adjust priorities when needed.
• Ethics and accountability: Looking at how leaders respond to mistakes and whether they foster transparent, ethical behavior on their teams.

When you write leadership assessment examples for annual reviews, explicitly connecting behaviors to these newer expectations makes your feedback more relevant and future‑oriented.

FAQ: examples of practical leadership assessment questions and phrases

Q: What are some simple examples of leadership assessment phrases I can adapt quickly?
You can use short, modular phrases such as:

• “Consistently translates high‑level goals into clear, actionable plans for the team.”
• “Balances decisiveness with appropriate consultation of stakeholders.”
• “Addresses performance issues directly and respectfully, using specific examples.”
• “Actively seeks diverse perspectives and adjusts plans based on new information.”

Each can be expanded with concrete evidence from the review period.

Q: Can you give an example of leadership assessment feedback that covers both strengths and weaknesses?
“Jordan sets ambitious, clear goals and holds the team accountable for results, which has contributed to two consecutive quarters of exceeding targets. At times, his urgency can lead to limited input from subject‑matter experts, which increases rework. Over the next cycle, he should build in short consultation checkpoints before finalizing major decisions.”

Q: How many real examples should a manager include in an annual leadership assessment?
Aim for at least two to three concrete, time‑bound examples per major leadership area you’re rating (such as people management, decision‑making, and collaboration). The more your comments sound like, “In March, during the X project, you did Y, which led to Z,” the more credible and actionable they become.

Q: Are there best examples of leadership assessment examples for annual reviews that work across industries?
Yes. Any statement that focuses on observable behaviors, measurable impact, and clear next steps tends to travel well. For instance: “Creates clarity during ambiguity, communicates decisions and rationale promptly, and follows through on commitments,” can apply to healthcare, tech, government, or education with minimal editing.

Use these patterns and examples of leadership assessment examples for annual reviews as templates, then customize them with your own data, context, and language so each review feels specific, fair, and genuinely useful.