360-degree feedback is a powerful tool to evaluate and enhance managerial performance. By gathering insights from multiple perspectives—self-assessment, peers, superiors, and team members—companies can foster a holistic understanding of leadership strengths, areas for improvement, and growth opportunities.
This article includes 90+ 360-degree feedback questions tailored for managers and emerging leaders, divided into traditional 360 performance appraisals and competency-based 360 assessments.
Traditional performance appraisal questions for managers
This comprehensive list of 360-degree feedback questions helps you gain a holistic view of managerial performance, from self-assessment to team feedback.
Use these 360-degree questions for managers at all levels—from team leaders to upper management.
Self-assessment questions for managers
Self-assessment is a critical component of performance appraisals. It allows managers to reflect on their abilities, achievements, and areas for improvement. These questions encourage introspection and self-awareness, essential traits for effective leadership.
Rating questions
Rate your ability to handle pressure on a scale of 1-5, where 1 means you find it very difficult and 5 means you manage pressure exceptionally well.
Rate your overall effectiveness as a manager on a scale of 1-5, where 1 means not effective at all and 5 means highly effective.
Rate your satisfaction with your team’s performance on a scale of 1-5, where 1 means not satisfied at all and 5 means very satisfied.
Rate your ability to manage your workload on a scale of 1-5, where 1 means you often struggle and 5 means you manage your workload very well.
Rate your ability to align team goals with company objectives on a scale of 1-5, where 1 means goals are rarely aligned, and 5 means goals are consistently aligned.
Qualitative questions
What are your most significant achievements in the past year?
What are your top three goals for the upcoming year?
How do you ensure continuous improvement in your management practices?
How do you handle feedback from your team members?
What do you think your team members appreciate most about you?
Where would you like to delegate more to your team members?
Where would you like to delegate less to your team members?
How could you better balance attention and efforts between short-term tasks and long-term assignments?
Peer feedback questions for manager reviews
Peers provide valuable insights into a manager’s ability to collaborate, communicate, and contribute to a positive work environment. These questions capture the perspectives of fellow managers who work closely with the manager under evaluation.
Rating questions
Rate the manager’s ability to represent the company values on a scale of 1-5, where 1 means they rarely embody the values and 5 means they consistently embody the values.
Rate the manager’s ability to solve conflicts efficiently on a scale of 1-5, where 1 means they struggle to manage conflicts and 5 means they handle conflicts effectively and fairly.
Rate the manager’s willingness to help others on a scale of 1-5, where 1 means they rarely help and 5 means they always help.
Rate the manager’s ability to foster a positive work environment on a scale of 1-5, where 1 means they rarely foster positivity and 5 means they consistently create a positive environment.
Qualitative questions
How has this manager contributed to the department’s success?
What areas should this manager focus on to improve their leadership?
How well does this manager handle organizational changes?
What is this manager’s most significant contribution to the company’s goals?
Can you give an example of a situation where this manager dealt with a challenge well?
What do you think this manager could do to improve their performance?
How does this manager contribute to a positive work environment?
What improvements would you suggest for this manager’s leadership style?
Superior feedback questions for manager reviews
Feedback from superiors is crucial for understanding how well a manager aligns with organizational goals and expectations. These questions focus on leadership effectiveness, goal achievement, and adaptability to change.
Rating questions
Rate the manager’s ability to lead by example on a scale of 1-5, where 1 means they rarely set a good example and 5 means they consistently set a high standard.
Rate the manager’s ability to achieve department goals on a scale of 1-5, where 1 means they rarely achieve goals and 5 means they consistently meet or exceed goals.
Rate the manager’s ability to manage their team effectively on a scale of 1-5, where 1 means they struggle with management and 5 means they excel at managing their team.
Rate the manager’s ability to adapt to changes in the workplace on a scale of 1-5, where 1 means they struggle to adapt and 5 means they adapt very well.
Qualitative questions
What are this manager’s greatest strengths?
What areas do you see for this manager’s improvement?
How does this manager handle constructive feedback?
What sets this manager apart from others within the organization?
How well does the manager adapt to changing priorities and business goals?
Team member feedback questions
Team members can offer unique perspectives on a manager’s ability to communicate, motivate, and support their professional development. Use these questions to gather feedback from those directly reporting to the manager.
Rating questions
Rate the manager’s ability to communicate expectations on a scale of 1-5, where 1 means expectations are often unclear and 5 means expectations are always clear.
Rate the manager’s responsiveness to team needs on a scale of 1-5, where 1 means they are often unresponsive and 5 means they are consistently responsive.
Rate the manager’s ability to motivate the team on a scale of 1-5, where 1 means they rarely motivate the team and 5 means they consistently inspire and motivate the team.
Rate the manager’s ability to solve problems on a scale of 1-5, where 1 means they often struggle and 5 means they solve problems effectively and efficiently.
Rate the manager’s ability to support team members’ professional development on a scale of 1-5, where 1 means they provide little support and 5 means they provide a lot of support.
Rate the manager’s approachability on a scale of 1-5, where 1 means they are rarely approachable and 5 means they are always approachable.
Rate the manager’s fairness in evaluating performance on a scale of 1-5, where 1 means evaluations are often unfair and 5 means evaluations are always fair.
Qualitative questions
How well does this manager solve conflicts?
How well does this manager listen to and address your concerns?
How does this manager support your career development?
In what ways does this manager motivate you to achieve your best work?
How does this manager handle workload distribution within the team?
What changes would improve your working relationship with this manager?
What is one thing this manager could do differently to improve team dynamics?
What is one thing this manager should start doing?
What is one thing this manager should continue doing?
What is one thing this manager should stop doing?
Competency-based 360 feedback questions for managers
Competency-based feedback focuses on specific leadership competencies essential for managerial success. This section includes questions related to customer focus, communication, emotional intelligence, decision-making, vision and strategic thinking, and team management. Use your leadership competency framework to select relevant competencies for leadership appraisals.
Find inspiration in our free resources:
- Competency Framework Template
- Leadership Competency Framework Template
- Step-by-Step Guide for Creating a Leadership Competency Framework
Self-review competency-based questions
Self-review questions encourage managers to assess their proficiency in key leadership competencies. These questions help managers identify their strengths and areas for development in critical competencies.
| Competency | Self-review |
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Communication |
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Emotional intelligence |
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Decision-making |
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Vision and strategic thinking |
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Team management |
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Customer focus |
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Peer review competency-based questions
Peers provide valuable feedback on a manager’s competency in areas such as communication and emotional intelligence. These questions gather insights into how colleagues perceive the manager.
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Competency |
Peer feedback |
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Communication |
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Emotional intelligence |
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Decision-making |
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Vision and strategic thinking |
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Team management |
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Customer focus |
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Manager feedback competency-based questions for managers
Feedback from superiors on competencies like decision-making and strategic thinking is crucial for understanding a manager’s ability to align with organizational goals. These questions focus on assessing leadership skills from a higher-level perspective.
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Competency |
Manager feedback |
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Communication |
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Emotional intelligence |
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Decision-making |
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Vision and strategic thinking |
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Team management |
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Customer focus |
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Team feedback questions for managers
Team members can often provide helpful upward feedback on team management. These questions gather insights on how the manager supports and develops their team.
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Competency |
Team feedback |
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Communication |
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Emotional intelligence |
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Decision-making |
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Vision and strategic thinking |
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Team management |
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Customer focus |
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360 feedback questions for discovering emerging leaders
A 360 format offers the perfect opportunity to discover emerging leaders everyone working close to the person can voice an opinion. This section includes 360-degree feedback questions to uncover potential leadership qualities in individual contributors (ICs).
Self-review questions
Self-review questions help emerging leaders reflect on their abilities and leadership potential. These questions focus on initiative, influence, and adaptability.
Rating questions:
- Rate your ability to take the initiative on a scale of 1-5, where 1 means you rarely take the initiative and 5 means you consistently take the initiative.
- Rate your ability to influence others on a scale of 1-5, where 1 means you rarely influence others and 5 means you consistently influence others positively.
- Rate your ability to adapt to changing priorities on a scale of 1-5, where 1 means you struggle with adaptation and 5 means you excel in adapting to changes.
Qualitative questions:
- What motivates you to take on new responsibilities?
- How do you handle setbacks or failures?
- What leadership qualities do you believe you possess?
- Describe a situation where you took the lead to solve a problem or complete a project.
Peer feedback questions
Peers provide valuable insights into an emerging leader’s collaboration, motivation, and problem-solving skills. These questions help identify potential leaders from a peer perspective.
Rating questions:
- Rate this employee’s ability to collaborate effectively with team members on a scale of 1-5, where 1 means they rarely collaborate and 5 means they consistently collaborate.
- Rate this employee’s ability to inspire and motivate others on a scale of 1-5, where 1 means they rarely inspire others and 5 means they consistently inspire others.
- Rate this employee’s problem-solving skills on a scale of 1-5, where 1 means they struggle with problem-solving and 5 means they excel in problem-solving.
Qualitative questions:
- Can you provide an example of a time when this employee showed strong leadership skills?
- What strengths do you see in this employee that would make them a good leader?
- How does this employee handle difficult situations or conflicts?
- In what areas could this employee improve to become a better leader?
Manager feedback questions
Feedback from managers on an emerging leader’s potential, strategic thinking, and ability to handle responsibilities is crucial for identifying future leaders. These questions focus on assessing leadership potential from a managerial perspective.
Rating questions:
- Rate this employee’s potential for leadership roles on a scale of 1-5, where 1 means they have little potential and 5 means they have high potential for leadership roles.
- Rate this employee’s strategic thinking abilities on a scale of 1-5, where 1 means they rarely think strategically and 5 means they consistently demonstrate strategic thinking.
- Rate this employee’s ability to handle increased responsibilities on a scale of 1-5, where 1 means they struggle with more responsibilities and 5 means they excel in handling increased responsibilities.
Qualitative questions:
- What leadership qualities have you observed in this employee?
- How well does this employee align with the company’s values and vision?
- What areas should this employee focus on to enhance their leadership potential?
- Describe a situation where this employee demonstrated strong decision-making skills.
Mentee, junior team members feedback questions
Emerging leaders often mentor junior team members, providing valuable insights into their leadership capabilities. These questions gather feedback from those who the emerging leader has directly supported.
Rating questions:
- Rate this employee’s ability to communicate effectively on a scale of 1-5, where 1 means they rarely communicate effectively and 5 means they consistently communicate effectively.
- Rate this employee’s ability to support and mentor others on a scale of 1-5, where 1 means they rarely provide support and 5 means they consistently offer support and mentorship.
- Rate this employee’s ability to lead by example on a scale of 1-5, where 1 means they rarely lead by example and 5 means they consistently lead by example.
Qualitative questions:
- Can you describe a situation where this employee helped you or another team member succeed?
- How does this employee handle feedback and constructive criticism?
- What sets this employee apart from others in terms of leadership potential?
- In what ways does this employee contribute to a positive team environment?
Best practices for working with 360 feedback questions for leadership
Implement these best practices to create a robust performance management system that supports continuous leadership development and aligns with your organizational objectives.
- Set clear objectives: Define the purpose of the 360-degree feedback process—are you identifying leadership potential, assessing current performance, or both?
- Use a mix of rating and qualitative questions: Combining both types of questions provides a balanced view of performance and specific examples for improvement
- Limit the number of questions: Include a balanced number of questions—up to 20—to ensure comprehensive feedback without overwhelming respondents
- Regularly review and update questions: Ensure the feedback questions remain relevant and aligned with organizational goals and leadership competencies
- Provide training: Educate participants on how to give and receive feedback effectively—focus on actionable feedback that can support growth
- Follow up on feedback: Create action plans based on the input received to address development areas and leverage strengths
- Encourage self-reflection: Allow managers and emerging leaders time to reflect on the feedback and develop their improvement plans
Establish a 360 feedback system at record speed with Deel Engage
Moving from single-reviewer performance reviews led by managers to 360 feedback reviews offers a more holistic picture of a person’s performance and strengths. However, setting up and following through takes a lot of effort from HR teams.
Establish a feedback culture that boosts performance and growth with Deel Engage’s 360 feedback solution:
- Set up a highly customized 360 feedback process in just a few clicks
- Link competency models and career paths to motivate the entire workforce
- Automatically assign and engage people based on specific criteria (e.g., hire dates, role-level assignments, etc.)
- Send reminders to ensure reviewers submit their feedback in due time
- Analyze results to understand skill gaps and development potential
Get a free demo of our 360-degree feedback software today.
