360 Feedback Questions for Managers (Upward, Peer & Cross-Functional)
Great manager 360s focus on how a manager sets direction, unblocks their team, and collaborates across departments—not abstract competency grids that take an hour to score. Evaluation Guru runs manager 360s on our built-in 5-question 360° Performance Review template, giving direct reports and peers a 5-minute form with minimum-3 anonymity protection and optional browser video.
- Setup time
- Under 2 minutes
- Response mode
- Written or 3-min video
- Anonymity rule
- Min 3 responses
- Respondent login
- Never required
When to use this template
When to use 360 feedback questions for managers
Use a lightweight manager 360 when a people manager needs honest upward and peer signal without buying a 50-seat HRIS performance suite.
New manager’s first 6 months
Help a newly promoted engineering, product, or operations manager see how their transition from individual contributor to people leader is landing with their team.
Mid-year leadership development check-ins
Run a focused developmental round separate from compensation reviews so direct reports give candid, constructive suggestions.
Coaching a manager through team growth
When a manager’s span of control doubles, gather structured input on delegation, 1:1 quality, and cross-team communication.
Recommended campaign setup
- Who the feedback is about
- First-line manager, team lead, or department head
- Who to invite
- 3–6 direct reports, 2–3 cross-functional peers, and the manager’s supervisor
- Rater count & anonymity
- 5 to 10 respondents (at least 3 completed responses required for anonymous mode)
- Recommended cadence
- Twice a year or 90 days after stepping into a management role
Sample Questions (10 included)
10 360 feedback questions for managers
Evaluation Guru’s built-in 360° Performance Review template asks five core questions (strengths, continue, start, stop, and additional comments). The 10 manager-specific prompts below are designed to guide respondents—coaches can add context or include several of them in the campaign description and personal note.
- 1Strengths · Goal clarity
“What are this manager’s greatest strengths in helping the team understand priorities and why our work matters?”
Why it works: Measures whether the manager translates company strategy into clear weekly priorities.
- 2Strengths · Unblocking
“How effectively does this manager remove blockers and advocate for the team with other departments?”
Why it works: Highlights often-invisible upward and lateral work good managers do on behalf of their team.
- 3Continue · Coaching & 1:1s
“What does this manager do in 1:1s or team meetings that they should definitely continue doing?”
Why it works: Pinpoints specific rituals that direct reports find supportive and productive.
- 4Continue · Feedback culture
“Which habits around recognition or constructive feedback should this manager continue practicing?”
Why it works: Reinforces timely praise and clear expectations.
- 5Start · Autonomy
“What should this manager start doing to give team members clearer ownership over how they solve problems?”
Why it works: Helps managers shift from prescribing solutions to defining outcomes.
- 6Start · Change communication
“Where should this manager start sharing context earlier when roadmap or priority changes happen?”
Why it works: Surfaces information gaps that cause frustration on the front line.
- 7Start · Career development
“What could this manager start doing to make career growth and skill development conversations more actionable?”
Why it works: Prompts direct reports to ask for the specific coaching they need.
- 8Stop · Pace & focus
“What habit should this manager stop doing because it creates unnecessary urgency or context-switching?”
Why it works: Identifies late-night pings or shifting priorities that burn teams out.
- 9Stop · Cross-team friction
“In cross-functional projects, what should this manager stop doing so partner teams can collaborate more smoothly?”
Why it works: Gives peers a constructive prompt to flag territorial or siloed behaviors.
- 10Additional comments · Specific example
“What is one concrete example from the past two months that illustrates your feedback for this manager?”
Why it works: Grounds the manager’s report in real situations rather than generalizations.
Practical Facilitation Guide
Tips for running upward & peer manager 360s
How you frame the invitation, protect respondent anonymity, and follow up before the deadline matters just as much as the questions you ask.
When Anonymous Feedback is enabled, Evaluation Guru enforces a minimum of 3 completed responses before unlocking the report, hides individual completion statuses, and shuffles written answers.
1. Always use anonymous mode with at least 4–5 direct reports
Upward feedback requires psychological safety. Evaluation Guru enforces a minimum of 3 completed responses before unlocking anonymous results, and shuffles written answers so the manager cannot guess who answered first.
2. Keep written mode as the default for anonymous direct reports
While peers or senior leaders often love recording a 3-minute video, direct reports giving upward feedback usually prefer written answers so their face and voice remain private.
3. Separate developmental 360s from salary decisions
Tell respondents upfront that this round is for coaching and leadership growth, not compensation formulas. Raters give much more useful developmental advice when a colleague’s bonus isn’t on the line.
4. Have the manager thank the team and name one takeaway
After reviewing the shareable report, the single best trust-builder is for the manager to tell their team: "Thank you for the feedback—here is one thing I’m going to start doing and one thing I’m going to stop doing."
2-Minute Setup
How to launch a manager 360 in Evaluation Guru
Set up an upward and peer feedback round for any manager in under 2 minutes.
- 1
Name the manager and pick 360° Performance Review
Enter the manager’s name and role, then choose the built-in 5-question 360° Performance Review template.
- 2
Enable Anonymous Feedback for direct reports
Turn on Anonymous Feedback so direct reports know their name and email will be stripped and results will only unlock once at least 3 raters complete the form.
- 3
Send unique invitation links and set a deadline
Add the emails of direct reports and peers. Evaluation Guru sends each person a unique one-time link that locks automatically after submission.
- 4
Remind pending raters and share the report link
Use one-click reminders for pending participants, then review deterministic recurring themes, pinned quotes, and any video responses in the shareable report.
FAQ
Frequently asked questions
Can a manager see which direct report wrote which comment in anonymous mode?
No. When Anonymous Feedback is enabled, Evaluation Guru strips respondent names, emails, and completion timestamps from the responses and report, shuffles quote order deterministically, and blocks single-recipient reminders.
What if fewer than 3 people finish an anonymous manager 360?
The report stays locked below the minimum-3 threshold and displays how many additional responses are needed to reach 3 completed responses. No answers or quotes are revealed until at least 3 participants complete the survey.
Which Evaluation Guru template does this page map to?
It maps to the built-in 360° Performance Review template (Google-style Feedback), which provides 5 structured prompts covering strengths, continue doing, start doing, stop doing, and additional comments.
How long does it take to set up a manager 360?
About 2 minutes. You pick the template, set a deadline, toggle anonymity and video options, and paste your recipients’ email addresses.
Internal Template Library
Related feedback templates
Leadership 360 Review Template for Executive Coaching
A leadership 360 review template gives founders, VPs, and C-suite executives a clear mirror on how their strategic direction, executive presence, and decision-making land across the organization.
Peer Feedback Questions for Colleagues & Project Partners
Peer feedback questions uncover how someone collaborates, communicates tradeoffs, and follows through when no hierarchy is forcing compliance.
Self-Assessment Questions for Leaders & Coaching Clients
Self-assessment questions are most powerful when a leader or coaching client answers the exact same prompts their peers and direct reports are answering—revealing where self-perception matches or diverges from stakeholder reality.
Ready to send this feedback round?
Set up 360° Performance Review in under 2 minutes. Invite respondents with one-click links, collect written or 3-minute video answers, and share a clean report.