Performance Review Phrases Every Leader Should Know About

As a leader, every single word you utter matters. It may sound dramatic, but it’s true – especially in the context of a performance review.   “Words have the power to inspire or deflate. A leader should use language that calls an employee up to greatness instead of language that defines their performance or potential as being fixed. Our choice of words can either evoke the opportunity to grow or create shame,” says Jenifer Lambert, Chief Strategy Officer for TERRA Staffing Group, one of the largest privately held staffing firms in North America. “It’s also important that our language is clear and that the employee can easily understand where they are excelling and where they have opportunities to improve.”  “Performance reviews are stressful situations for employees and they will tend to hang on to every word – and especially remember anything you said that is critical or disrespectful or seems like you’re hinting that you’re thinking of firing them,” adds Diane Gayeski, PhD, Professor of Strategic Communication at Ithaca College and executive consultant. 

The best performance review phrases 

While you probably strive to be mindful of your communication approach year-round, it’s a good idea to keep a few key phrases in the back of your mind for performance reviews. Here are the best ones. 

“I especially appreciate your…” 

Both Lambert and Gayeski agree: When giving recognition, specificity is key.  “It’s very important for employees to feel appreciated by their managers and to get specific feedback on what behaviors you find exemplary. Try to follow this phrase up with something that clarifies why this behavior is important,” recommends Gayeski. For example, “I especially appreciate your willingness to help Carlos out when he was dealing with his mother’s sudden death. We were able to complete the Acme project without a hitch, and I know that Carlos really appreciated the fact that we as a team have his back. Carlos was looking at other job offers recently, but he told me that the supportive and collaborative culture here is hard to find elsewhere. Thanks for going out of your way during this really busy time.” Lambert adds that you should describe the behavior or contributions in terms of repeatable behaviors, not just outcomes – this is a powerful practice because it will encourage positive future performance. For example, instead of saying “Congratulations on closing that big sale,” say something like, “Congratulations on closing that sale. What I appreciate most about this accomplishment is the persistence you showed in the face of some pretty significant setbacks. You kept focused on showing value to the customer and worked diligently to overcome their concerns. That level of persistence will serve you well in continuing to succeed at winning new sales.”  

 “Tell me what I can do to support your goals and success.” 

“This phrase shows that you care about the employee’s short and long-term goals and opens up the conversation to see if they feel like there are barriers to them doing a good job, or what kinds of roles they may aspire to in the future,” says Gayeski.  “This can also be a considerate way to start a conversation about what’s not going well in their job roles – for you to bring up a particular issue or goal that was missed and to look at how you might have helped them avoid this. Once a manager takes responsibility, it’s easier for the employee to be less defensive and to look at their own behaviors and how they could improve.”  

“If you could change one or two things about your job, what would that be?” 

Performance reviews should indeed be a two-way conversation, so it’s crucial to invite feedback from your reports. Asking the question above opens up a conversation that can uncover insights about how people feel about their current situation, says Gayeski. “It allows the manager to intervene before issues build up to the point that an employee resigns. It also can bring up good suggestions for improving workflows, policies, or addressing issues with coworkers.”  

“What skills or knowledge would you like to develop over the next year?” 

According to a 2020 LinkedIn report, ​​94% of workers would stay longer at a company if it offered learning and development opportunities. This highlights the impact of the phrase above – provided that you follow up with development opportunities.  “It gets the employee thinking about their own career and lets them know that there are possibilities for their own professional development. Many employees quit because they don’t see a way for them to move up in their present company,” says Gayeski. “If you can start a conversation that lets them talk about where they need to improve to do their present job and grow to be qualified for other positions, they’ll feel more confident that you have their interests in mind and value their contributions.”  

Wording to address performance issues 

Even with all the preparation in the world, performance reviews can bring up tricky conversations. Lambert shared a couple of examples of situations to navigate, along with ideas on how to frame your wording, below. 

Giving constructive feedback 

First, don’t call it constructive feedback. “I think most employees really dislike that phrase,” says Lambert. “I think it’s more honest to just call it what it is. Feedback implies that the coaching is optional. If it’s not optional, be clear about that.”  She recommends a simple formula: describe the behavior or result you are currently seeing, then describe the behavior or result you want to see going forward. “Explain the impact or importance of the desired behavior. Ask them clearly to commit to the new behavior or result,” she says.  Example: “I’ve noticed you coming to meetings late several times in the past month. This is distracting to the others in the meeting and doesn’t show respect for the other attendees’ time.  You make a lot of great contributions to the meeting and your late arrival distracts from that. Going forward, I would like you to make sure you’re on time for our weekly team meetings.  Can you commit to making this change?

Addressing performance issues that have gone unaddressed for too long 

According to Lambert, many managers are needing to reset performance expectations after letting standards slide during the pandemic. “What you tolerate as a leader sets the new standard, so some managers feel conflicted about addressing performance that they’ve tolerated,” she says.  “Do admit, with humility, your contribution to this issue. Say something like, ‘I realize that I have allowed this behavior to go on for some period of time and that I may have given the wrong impression that this is acceptable. I should have addressed this sooner and for that, I’m sorry. I want to reset the expectation and make sure that we are all on the same page going forward.’”

Beware of gender biases 

Finally, keep in mind an important caveat about gender biases and language in performance reviews. “It is important that our language is consistent. Research shows that there are words that get used more often in evaluating female employees than males. Sadly, women are more likely to be coached for being ‘too strong’ or ‘assertive.’This language almost never shows up in men’s performance reviews,” says Lambert. According to her, a good litmus test is to ask yourself whether you would use the same words to evaluate someone of a different gender: “Would you describe the behavior using the same words? Would you have called out that behavior at all?”