Best examples of initiative performance review examples for 2024–2025

Strong examples of initiative performance review examples you can copy and adapt

Let’s start where most people get stuck: the actual wording. Below are real‑sounding, concrete examples of initiative performance review examples you can reuse, tweak, and build on. I’ll group them by performance level so you can match the tone to the situation.

High performer: exceeds expectations in initiative

Here are phrases you can use when someone consistently goes above and beyond without being asked.

1. Proactively solving recurring problems

“Regularly identifies recurring process issues and proposes practical fixes before they impact customers. For example, noticed repeated delays in month‑end reporting and created a checklist and shared calendar that cut our close time by 18% this year.”

Why this works: It names the behavior (identifies issues), the action (proposes fixes), and the result (18% faster). This is one of the best examples of initiative performance review examples because it’s measurable and specific.

2. Taking ownership of cross‑team work

“Takes ownership of cross‑functional projects even when they fall outside their formal job description. Volunteered to coordinate between Sales, Product, and Support during the Q3 launch, which reduced miscommunication and helped us hit our launch date on schedule.”

This shows initiative across team boundaries, which is especially valued in matrixed and hybrid organizations.

3. Learning new tools without being asked

“Actively seeks out new tools and skills to improve team efficiency. Self‑taught several AI‑based productivity tools and then trained the team, helping reduce manual data entry time by approximately 25%.”

With AI and automation reshaping jobs, initiative now often includes learning and responsibly experimenting with new technology. The U.S. Department of Labor highlights how skills like adaptability and proactive learning are increasingly important in modern workplaces (dol.gov).

4. Anticipating stakeholder needs

“Consistently anticipates stakeholder questions and prepares materials in advance. For the 2024 budget review, created clear visuals and a FAQ document without being prompted, which shortened the review meeting and led to faster approvals.”

This is a strong example of initiative performance review examples for knowledge workers who deal with executives or clients.

Solid performer: meets expectations with room to grow

Sometimes employees show initiative in steady, everyday ways. They may not be leading huge projects, but they’re reliable self‑starters.

5. Following through with minimal supervision

“Manages assigned tasks with minimal follow‑up. When given a new project, independently gathers needed information, organizes the work, and checks in at key milestones rather than waiting for reminders.”

6. Suggesting incremental improvements

“Regularly suggests small but meaningful improvements to daily workflows, such as updating email templates and reorganizing shared folders, which has made information easier for the team to find.”

This is a good example of initiative performance review examples for employees in support, operations, or administrative roles.

7. Stepping up during busy periods

“Willingly steps in during peak periods to cover for teammates and keep work moving. During the year‑end rush, volunteered to process additional customer requests, which helped the team meet all deadlines.”

Developing performer: needs support to show more initiative

You’ll also need constructive examples when someone is still learning to take initiative. The goal is to be specific without sounding harsh.

8. Waiting for direction instead of acting

“Generally completes assigned work accurately but tends to wait for detailed instructions before starting new tasks. Would benefit from taking more ownership by asking clarifying questions early and proposing a recommended approach instead of waiting for step‑by‑step direction.”

9. Limited follow‑through on ideas

“Occasionally shares good ideas in meetings but does not consistently follow through on next steps. Encouraged to document action items and take the lead on at least one improvement project next quarter.”

These are examples of initiative performance review examples that still leave room for growth while giving clear guidance.

10. Reactive rather than proactive

“Responds to issues once they arise but rarely anticipates potential problems. Developing the habit of regularly reviewing upcoming deadlines and risks would help move from a reactive to a more proactive working style.”

Role‑specific examples of initiative performance review examples

Initiative looks different in a call center than in a product team. Here are real examples by role type so you can pick what fits.

Customer service and support

In customer‑facing work, initiative often shows up as going the extra mile for customers or preventing repeat issues.

“Actively looks for ways to resolve customer issues on the first contact. For example, when noticing a pattern of similar billing questions, created a short internal guide and suggested updates to our help center articles, reducing repeat tickets by an estimated 15%.”

“Takes initiative to follow up with customers after complex issues are resolved, confirming satisfaction and documenting any remaining concerns for the team to address.”

These are some of the best examples of initiative performance review examples for support teams because they connect behavior directly to customer outcomes.

Project and product management

Project and product roles are naturally suited to initiative, but you still want sharp, specific language.

“Proactively identifies project risks and raises them early with thoughtful mitigation options. During the Q2 roadmap planning, flagged a vendor dependency that could have delayed launch and proposed an alternative vendor, preventing a likely two‑week slip.”

“Takes initiative to align stakeholders before major decisions. Organized informal pre‑meetings to surface concerns and reduce conflict in the final approval meeting, which kept the project on schedule.”

Individual contributors in technical roles

Engineers, analysts, and other specialists can show initiative through experimentation, documentation, and knowledge sharing.

“Independently investigates recurring technical issues and documents findings in a way the entire team can use. Recently traced intermittent outages to a configuration error and created a step‑by‑step runbook that has prevented repeat incidents.”

“Takes initiative to mentor junior team members on code quality and best practices, offering to review pull requests and explain reasoning rather than just making edits.”

The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) notes that documenting and sharing lessons learned is a key part of resilient systems work (nist.gov). That same mindset applies to individual initiative: don’t just fix it once—make it easier for everyone next time.

Early‑career employees and interns

For newer employees, initiative is often about curiosity, learning, and asking smart questions.

“Frequently asks thoughtful questions that show preparation and a desire to understand the bigger picture. Voluntarily reviewed past project documents to get up to speed, which shortened their onboarding period.”

“Takes initiative to request feedback after major assignments and applies suggestions on the next task, showing steady growth over the review period.”

These are good examples of initiative performance review examples when you want to encourage early‑career employees without expecting them to lead large projects yet.

Self‑evaluation phrases: example of initiative from the employee’s side

If you’re writing your own review, you might be looking for an example of how to describe your initiative without sounding like you’re bragging. Here are ways to phrase it that feel confident but grounded.

“I took initiative to improve our onboarding materials after seeing new hires ask the same questions. I drafted a first version of an onboarding checklist and shared it with my manager, which we then refined and rolled out to the team.”

“Rather than waiting for assignments, I regularly scan our project board for tasks that align with my skills and capacity. This has helped keep work moving during busy periods and reduced the need for my manager to reassign tasks.”

“When I noticed that our weekly meeting often ran over time, I proposed and tested a new agenda structure. After positive feedback from the team, we adopted it permanently, and our meetings now typically end on time.”

Self‑evaluations land best when they connect your initiative to team or business outcomes, not just effort. Harvard’s career services resources emphasize tying accomplishments to impact when discussing performance (harvard.edu).

Balancing praise and constructive feedback about initiative

Even high performers can stretch further, and developing performers need encouragement as well as clarity. Here are blended examples of initiative performance review examples that do both.

“You consistently take initiative to support teammates during crunch times, which the team really appreciates. The next step is to apply that same proactive mindset to longer‑term process improvements—for example, documenting patterns you see and proposing one improvement each quarter.”

“You’ve shown growing initiative in speaking up with ideas during team meetings. To build on this, I’d like to see you volunteer to lead one of those ideas through implementation so you gain more experience driving change end‑to‑end.”

“Your initiative in learning new tools has been a big asset this year. Going forward, consider sharing your learnings in short how‑to guides or quick demos so the entire team benefits from your experimentation.”

These kinds of comments acknowledge progress while clearly pointing to the next level.

Trends for 2024–2025: how initiative is evolving

Initiative hasn’t changed at its core—taking action without being told—but the context around it absolutely has. When you’re writing modern examples of initiative performance review examples, it helps to reflect current realities:

Hybrid and remote work
In distributed teams, initiative often means communicating more, not less. Employees who proactively clarify priorities, update status without being chased, and raise blockers early are invaluable. Comments might highlight how someone keeps shared documents updated, posts regular progress notes, or schedules quick check‑ins instead of waiting for the next standing meeting.

Responsible use of AI and automation
In 2024–2025, one of the best examples of initiative performance review examples is an employee who experiments with AI tools to improve productivity—but does so responsibly. That might look like testing AI to draft routine emails, then building a review step to ensure accuracy and tone. Many organizations are publishing guidelines on safe AI use; employees who read, follow, and even help refine those guidelines are demonstrating initiative.

Well‑being and sustainable performance
There’s growing recognition that initiative isn’t just about doing more; it’s about working smarter and protecting long‑term performance. For example, an employee who proposes a rotating on‑call schedule to reduce burnout, or who suggests a shared coverage plan so people can actually disconnect on vacation, is showing initiative that supports both productivity and well‑being. The CDC’s workplace health promotion resources highlight how organizational practices influence employee health and performance (cdc.gov).

You can reflect these trends in your comments by mentioning:

• Proactive communication in remote/hybrid settings
• Thoughtful experimentation with new tools, including AI
• Initiatives that improve workload balance, clarity, or mental health

FAQ: initiative performance review examples

Q: What are some simple examples of initiative performance review examples for junior employees?
A: Look for behaviors like preparing for meetings without being asked, asking for extra practice or training, volunteering for small stretch tasks, or organizing shared files so the team can find information faster. For instance: “Took initiative to document steps for a recurring task so others can complete it independently.”

Q: How do I write an example of initiative that doesn’t sound exaggerated?
A: Anchor your comment in a specific situation, describe what the person actually did, and add a realistic outcome. Instead of “always takes initiative,” try: “When we lost a team member unexpectedly, took initiative to redistribute tasks, created a simple tracking sheet, and helped the team stay on track for the deadline.”

Q: Can you give examples of initiative performance review examples that focus on improvement areas?
A: Yes. For instance: “Completes assigned work reliably but rarely proposes new approaches; encouraged to identify one process each quarter to review and suggest improvements.” Or: “Tends to wait for direction when priorities are unclear; would benefit from taking initiative to ask clarifying questions and propose a draft plan.”

Q: How often should initiative be mentioned in a performance review?
A: That depends on your company’s competency model, but initiative usually fits under categories like ownership, problem solving, or leadership potential. If your organization emphasizes taking ownership, you might include two or three specific examples of initiative performance review examples in the written review, plus a discussion in the live conversation.

Q: What’s an example of initiative for someone in a non‑leadership role?
A: Initiative is not limited to managers. A non‑leader might notice that handoffs between shifts are messy and propose a simple handoff template, or they might create a quick reference guide for common questions. A review comment could say: “Without being asked, created a shift‑handoff template that reduced missed tasks and improved communication between teams.”

When you focus on specific behaviors, context, and outcomes, writing about initiative stops feeling like guesswork. Use these real‑world examples of initiative performance review examples as a starting point, then customize the language so it reflects your organization, your role, and your actual work stories.