Real-world examples of performance review email examples for goal setting

Strong examples of performance review email examples for goal setting

Let’s skip theory and start with what you actually came for: real emails you can adapt. These examples of performance review email examples for goal setting are written in plain, human language, but they still hit the basics managers need in 2024–2025: clarity, measurable outcomes, and alignment with team priorities.

Each example includes:

• A short context (who it’s for and when to use it)
• A ready-to-send email
• A quick breakdown of why it works

Example 1: High performer ready for a stretch goal

Context: Employee consistently exceeds expectations and is ready for more responsibility.

Email template:

Subject: Next-step goals after your strong review

Hi Jordan,

Thank you again for the strong performance you showed this review period. You consistently delivered high-quality work, especially on the Q3 product launch, where your coordination with sales and marketing helped us exceed our revenue target by 18%.

Looking ahead to the next six months, I’d like us to focus on three specific goals:

• Leadership exposure: Lead at least two cross-functional project meetings from start to finish, including creating the agenda and sending follow-up action items.
• Skill growth: Complete one advanced course in project management (for example, a course through Coursera or your chosen platform) and share key takeaways with the team in a short presentation.
• Impact metric: Improve on-time delivery for your projects from 90% to 96% by refining timelines and risk planning.

I’ll support you by:

• Reviewing your meeting agendas in advance, if you’d like
• Helping you choose a course that fits your schedule and goals
• Checking in monthly to review progress on these goals

Please review these ideas and suggest any changes or additions. I want these goals to feel ambitious but realistic for you.

Thanks again for the impact you’re having on the team.

Best,
Alex

Why this works: This is one of the best examples of performance review email examples for goal setting because it connects praise to very specific next steps. The goals are measurable, time-bound, and paired with manager support, which research on goal-setting and motivation consistently recommends.

For more on effective goal-setting, you can skim the classic SMART goals framework explained by the University of California, Berkeley: https://uhs.berkeley.edu/sites/default/files/smart_goals.pdf

Example 2: Solid performer who needs clearer focus

Context: Employee meets expectations but tends to be reactive instead of proactive.

Email template:

Subject: Clarifying your goals for the next review period

Hi Priya,

Thank you for your steady contributions over the last review cycle. You’ve reliably handled your core responsibilities, especially managing support tickets and keeping response times within our team’s targets.

To help you grow and make your work feel more focused and rewarding, I’d like us to agree on a few clear goals for the next six months:

• Proactive planning: By the end of next month, create a simple monthly plan that outlines your top 3–5 priorities and share it with me at the start of each month.
• Process improvement: Identify one recurring issue in our support queue and propose a process change or resource (such as an updated FAQ or template) that could reduce related tickets by at least 10%.
• Communication: In our 1:1s, come prepared with a brief update on progress toward these goals so we can remove blockers early.

These goals are meant to give you more control over your work and more visibility for your contributions. Please let me know if you’d like to adjust any of them before we finalize.

Best,
Alex

Why this works: This example of a performance review email keeps the tone positive while nudging the employee toward more ownership. It uses measurable targets (like reducing ticket volume by 10%) without sounding harsh.

Example 3: Underperformer who needs clear, supportive goals

Context: Employee is struggling to meet expectations and needs very specific, time-bound goals.

Email template:

Subject: Follow-up on your review and next-step goals

Hi Sam,

Thank you for taking the time to talk through your performance review today. I know it’s not easy to hear tough feedback, and I appreciate your openness and willingness to improve.

As discussed, I want to put our next-step goals in writing so we’re aligned and you have a clear path forward. Over the next 60 days, we’ll focus on:

• Accuracy: Reduce data-entry errors from the current average of 6 per week to no more than 1 per week by using the double-check checklist we reviewed.
• Attendance: Maintain on-time arrival for all scheduled shifts over the next 8 weeks, with any exceptions communicated at least 2 hours in advance except in emergencies.
• Support and check-ins: We’ll meet weekly for 30 minutes to review your progress, answer questions, and adjust the plan if needed.

If these goals are not met, we may need to consider further steps, which we’ll discuss together. My intention is to support you in meeting expectations and succeeding in your role.

Please reply to this email to confirm you’ve read and understood these goals, and share any questions or concerns.

Best,
Alex

Why this works: This is one of those real examples of performance review email examples for goal setting that balances accountability with empathy. Expectations are unmistakably clear, which is important for fairness and legal documentation, but the tone stays respectful.

For guidance on fair and consistent performance management practices, the U.S. Office of Personnel Management has helpful resources: https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/performance-management/

Example 4: New hire at 90-day review

Context: Employee is new, doing fine, and needs structured development goals.

Email template:

Subject: 90-day review summary and development goals

Hi Taylor,

Congratulations on completing your first 90 days with us. You’ve picked up the core tools and processes quickly, and your positive attitude has already made a difference on the team.

To support your growth over the next six months, here are the goals we discussed:

• Role mastery: By the end of the next quarter, handle at least 80% of standard tasks independently, with minimal rework needed.
• Knowledge building: Create a personal knowledge log of common questions and solutions, and review it with me once a month to fill any gaps.
• Team integration: Participate in at least two cross-team meetings or projects so you can better understand how your work connects to other functions.

We’ll check in on these goals during our regular 1:1s. Please let me know if there’s training, shadowing, or mentorship that would help you feel more confident.

Welcome again—we’re glad you’re here.

Best,
Alex

Why this works: This example of a performance review email strikes a welcoming tone while still giving measurable direction. New hires often crave clarity; this gives them a clear picture of what “good” looks like.

Example 5: Remote employee needing better communication and visibility

Context: Fully remote employee does good work but feels disconnected and isn’t always visible.

Email template:

Subject: Goals to increase visibility and impact (remote role)

Hi Morgan,

Thank you for your contributions this review period, especially your work on the reporting dashboard. Your technical work is strong, and I want to make sure your impact is fully seen and felt across the team.

Given that you’re fully remote, I’d like us to set a few focused goals for the next six months:

• Communication rhythm: Post a brief update in the team channel twice a week summarizing what you’re working on and any blockers.
• Meeting presence: Turn on your camera for key meetings when possible, and aim to contribute at least one question, idea, or update in each weekly team meeting.
• Knowledge sharing: Lead one 30-minute virtual session this quarter to walk the team through the new reporting dashboard and how to use it.

These goals are meant to increase your visibility and strengthen collaboration, not to add busywork. Let me know how this feels and what adjustments you’d propose.

Best,
Alex

Why this works: With remote and hybrid work still common in 2024–2025, this is one of the best examples of performance review email examples for goal setting for distributed teams. It focuses on communication behaviors that make remote work smoother.

Organizations like the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) regularly publish guidance on managing remote performance: https://www.shrm.org/resourcesandtools/pages/default.aspx

Example 6: Setting goals for a high-potential employee’s promotion path

Context: Employee is on track for promotion within 12–18 months.

Email template:

Subject: Development goals aligned with your promotion path

Hi Dana,

I appreciate the initiative and ownership you’ve shown this year. Based on your performance and potential, I see a clear path for you toward a senior role if we’re intentional about your development.

Here are the goals I’d like us to focus on over the next year:

• Ownership of outcomes: Lead at least one project from scoping through launch, with clear success metrics (for example, revenue, engagement, or cost savings) agreed on in advance.
• Mentoring: Informally mentor at least one junior team member, meeting with them once a month to review their work and share feedback.
• Strategic thinking: Present one proposal to leadership that outlines a new idea or improvement, backed by data and an implementation plan.

We’ll track progress toward these goals in our quarterly check-ins, and I’ll advocate for promotion when you consistently demonstrate performance at the next level.

Please share your thoughts on these goals and any additional areas you’d like to grow in.

Best,
Alex

Why this works: This is a motivating example of a performance review email because it ties goals directly to something employees care about: career growth. It describes what “senior” behavior looks like in concrete terms.

Example 7: Team-wide performance review email with shared goals

Context: Manager wants to send a follow-up email after team performance reviews to align everyone on shared goals.

Email template:

Subject: Team goals coming out of this review cycle

Hi team,

Thank you all for the thoughtful conversations during this performance review cycle. I appreciate your honesty about what’s working and what’s not.

Across our individual reviews, a few common themes emerged. To address these and support everyone’s growth, here are the shared goals we’ll focus on over the next six months:

• Clear priorities: At the start of each sprint, we’ll confirm the top 3 priorities for the team and document them in our shared tracker so everyone knows what matters most.
• Feedback culture: Each of you will aim to give at least one piece of constructive, specific feedback to a teammate every month (written or verbal), and I’ll model this as well.
• Learning and development: We’ll set aside one hour each month for a team learning session, where someone volunteers to share a tool, technique, or case study.

Your individual goals still stand, and these team goals are meant to support them. In our next team meeting, we’ll discuss how we’ll measure progress and adjust as needed.

Thank you again for your hard work and openness.

Best,
Alex

Why this works: While most examples of performance review email examples for goal setting are 1:1, this shows how you can use the same structure for a whole team: name the themes, set shared goals, and explain how progress will be tracked.

How to write your own performance review email for goal setting

Now that you’ve seen several real examples of performance review email examples for goal setting, let’s break down the pattern they share. You don’t need a numbered checklist; think of it like a short story with four parts.

First, start with context and appreciation. One or two sentences acknowledging the employee’s contributions or the review conversation lowers defensiveness and makes people more open to goals.

Then, name the time frame. Are these goals for the next 60 days, the next quarter, or the next year? Being vague (“going forward…”) makes it hard to measure progress.

Next, spell out 2–4 specific goals. The best examples:

• Use concrete behaviors or metrics (reduce errors, lead two meetings, complete one course)
• Avoid vague phrases like “improve communication” without describing what that looks like
• Stay realistic for the time frame and workload

Finally, describe support and check-ins. Employees are more likely to buy in when they know you’re not just handing them a to-do list. Mention:

• How often you’ll review progress
• Any training, mentoring, or tools you’ll provide
• How goals connect to things they care about (growth, promotion, flexibility)

If you want a simple mental model, many HR teams still use SMART goals (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, Time-bound). Harvard Business School Online has a practical overview of goal-setting that aligns well with this approach: https://online.hbs.edu/blog/post/goal-setting-theory

Adapting these examples of performance review email examples for goal setting to your style

You don’t need to copy any example of a performance review email word-for-word. In fact, your emails will land better if they sound like you.

Here are a few ways to adapt these templates:

• If your culture is more informal, you can shorten greetings and use more conversational language, while keeping the goals just as specific.
• If you’re in a regulated or highly documented environment (healthcare, finance, government), you may want to be slightly more formal and explicit about expectations and consequences.
• For international teams, avoid idioms and jargon. Terms like “own this” or “knock it out of the park” may confuse non-native speakers. Stick to clear verbs like “lead,” “complete,” “present,” and “reduce.”

The key is that, across all these examples of performance review email examples for goal setting, the structure stays similar: appreciation, time frame, clear goals, support.

FAQ: Performance review email examples for goal setting

Q: Can you give more examples of short performance review goal-setting phrases I can reuse?
Yes. Here are some short lines you can plug into your own emails:

• “By the end of next quarter, increase your close rate from X% to Y% by testing two new outreach approaches.”
• “Lead at least one project retrospective and document three process improvements.”
• “Complete [specific training] and apply it by updating at least one existing workflow.”

Q: What’s an example of a performance review email for someone who is already at the top of their band?
You can focus on scope instead of promotion. For instance: “Over the next year, I’d like you to expand your influence beyond our immediate team by mentoring two colleagues and leading one cross-functional initiative that aligns with our strategic priorities.” Then follow the email patterns from the high-performer and promotion-path examples above.

Q: How many goals should I include in a performance review email?
Most managers find that 2–4 goals work best. More than that quickly turns into a wish list that no one remembers. The real examples of performance review email examples for goal setting above typically stick to three goals, which is challenging but still manageable.

Q: How specific do metrics need to be?
Specific enough that, six months from now, you and the employee can agree on whether the goal was met. That might mean a number (reduce errors by 50%), a frequency (lead two meetings), or a clear milestone (launch the new onboarding guide).

Q: Do I always need numbers in my goals?
Numbers help, but they’re not the only option. Behavioral descriptions—“come prepared to each 1:1 with a written agenda,” “provide written feedback on at least one teammate’s work per month”—can be just as effective when numbers aren’t practical.

By using these real examples of performance review email examples for goal setting as a starting point and then adjusting tone, metrics, and timing for your team, you’ll move away from vague, forgettable reviews and toward clear, motivating conversations your employees can actually act on.