This year during performance review season, I asked my direct reports four simple questions:
- What’s one thing you were proud of that never showed up in your numbers?
- What’s one skill you want to be noticeably better at by this time next year?
- What’s one thing I did as your boss this year that actually helped?
- What’s one thing I did as your boss that got in your way?
The responses I got back were valuable, but then I used AI to analyze all of the responses to look at patterns and themes. The result was far more insightful than I expected.
The analysis identified recurring strengths, common frustrations, coaching opportunities, organizational bottlenecks, and development trends across the team. It helped separate issues that were truly about my management style from issues driven by processes, staffing challenges, and organizational constraints. It also highlighted a few blind spots that I likely would have missed on my own. The final output included:
- An executive summary
- Leadership strengths and growth opportunities
- Team-wide trends
- Individual coaching insights
- Root cause analysis
- Continue / Start / Stop recommendations
- Leadership priorities for the next fiscal year
- A practical 30/60/90-day action plan
What I appreciated most was that it moved beyond summarizing feedback and instead provided interpretation. It answered questions such as:
For anyone who leads people, I highly recommend trying this approach. Below is the prompt you can use:
PROMPT:
I recently completed annual performance reviews and asked my direct reports the following four questions:
1. What’s one thing you were proud of that never showed up in your numbers?
2. What’s one skill you want to be noticeably better at by this time next year?
3. What’s one thing I did as your boss this year that actually helped?
4. What’s one thing I did as your boss that got in your way?
Below are their responses.
I want you to act as an experienced executive coach, organizational psychologist, and leadership development consultant.
Before conducting your analysis, ask me up to three follow-up questions, one at a time, to better understand:
– My role and responsibilities
– The size and structure of my team
– Organizational challenges and constraints
– The priorities I emphasized during the year
– Any other context that would help interpret the feedback
After gathering the necessary context, produce a comprehensive report titled:
“Leadership Feedback Analysis and Management Action Plan”
The report should include the following sections:
## 1. Executive Summary
Provide a concise summary of what the feedback says about my overall effectiveness as a leader.
## 2. Key Leadership Strengths
Identify recurring themes in positive feedback.
For each strength:
– Explain the theme
– Cite supporting examples from employees
– Describe why the strength matters
– Explain how it contributes to team performance
## 3. Hidden Strengths and Blind Spots
Identify strengths that may not be obvious to me.
Identify potential leadership blind spots, even if they are only hinted at in the feedback.
## 4. Analysis of Individual Responses
For each employee:
– Summarize what they are most proud of
– Identify their developmental goals
– Explain what they value from me as a manager
– Highlight any concerns they expressed
– Suggest coaching and development strategies
## 5. Cross-Team Trends
Analyze patterns across all employees, including:
– Common skills employees want to develop
– Common leadership behaviors they appreciate
– Common frustrations
– Cultural indicators
– Team maturity indicators
– Signals of morale, engagement, trust, and psychological safety
## 6. What the Feedback Says About the Team
Analyze what the responses reveal about:
– Team culture
– Team strengths
– Team readiness for greater autonomy
– Leadership bench strength
– Future development opportunities
## 7. What the Feedback Says About Me as a Manager
Provide an objective assessment of:
– My leadership style
– How I am perceived
– My management strengths
– My likely growth opportunities
– Risks if I do not address recurring themes
## 8. Root Cause Analysis
Separate issues caused by:
– My leadership behaviors
– Organizational systems and processes
– Structural constraints outside my control
Explain where employees may be experiencing organizational friction through me as their manager.
## 9. Continue / Start / Stop Analysis
### Continue
List behaviors I should continue doing.
### Start
List new behaviors, systems, or communication practices I should implement.
### Stop
List behaviors, habits, or approaches I should reduce or eliminate.
## 10. FY27 Leadership Priorities
Identify the top 3-5 leadership priorities I should focus on during the next fiscal year.
For each priority include:
– Why it matters
– Specific actions
– Success measures
– Potential obstacles
## 11. 90-Day Action Plan
Create a practical 30/60/90-day action plan with specific actions I can implement immediately.
## 12. Key Quotes and Evidence
Pull out the most insightful employee comments and explain what they reveal about the organization and my leadership.
## 13. Overall Leadership Assessment
Conclude with a candid executive-level evaluation summarizing:
– What kind of leader I appear to be
– What is working exceptionally well
– What would take me to the next level as a manager
Do not simply summarize responses.
Look for patterns, contradictions, hidden themes, leadership risks, organizational dynamics, and coaching opportunities.
Challenge my assumptions when appropriate and provide an honest assessment rather than a positive-only review.
[Insert direct report answers to questions here]
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