Decision making means the ability to assess situations, weigh pros and cons, and select the most appropriate course of action. In a performance review, evaluating an employee’s decision-making abilities is important in determining their overall effectiveness and growth potential. Performance review phrases and paragraphs examples can help managers communicate their feedback more effectively, ensuring that the employees understand how they are performing in this area and how they can improve.

Performance Review Questions: Decision Making Skills

These questions will help you gain a better understanding of an employee’s decision making skills, allowing you to identify their strengths and areas for improvement.

1. How well does the employee analyze situations and weigh pros and cons before making a decision?
2. Does the employee consider multiple options and potential outcomes before making a decision?
3. How well does the employee handle complex or ambiguous situations that require careful consideration and analysis?
4. Does the employee make decisions independently or seek input from others when appropriate?
5. How well does the employee handle pressure and make decisions under tight deadlines or other challenging circumstances?

Performance Review Phrases and Paragraphs Examples for Decision Making Skills

5 – Outstanding

Example Phrases

• Demonstrates exceptional judgement and quickly identifies optimal solutions.
• Consistently makes well-informed decisions that align with business objectives.
• Shows exceptional ability to assess risks and potential consequences.
• Proactively seeks out and analyzes relevant data and information to make sound decisions.
• Consistently demonstrates the ability to make difficult decisions under pressure, while maintaining composure and clarity of thought.
• Exhibits outstanding critical thinking skills, carefully evaluating all options before making a decision.
• Consistently makes decisions that drive positive outcomes and contribute to the organization’s success.
• Demonstrates exceptional foresight, anticipating potential challenges and making proactive decisions to mitigate risks.
• Consistently seeks input from relevant stakeholders and expertly synthesizes diverse perspectives to make well-rounded decisions.
• Shows outstanding adaptability, quickly adjusting decisions based on new information or changing circumstances.
• Consistently makes ethical and principled decisions, even in complex or ambiguous situations.
• Demonstrates exceptional creativity and innovation in decision-making, developing unique solutions to challenging problems.
• Consistently takes full ownership of decisions and their outcomes, demonstrating strong accountability.
• Exhibits outstanding decision-making skills that inspire confidence and trust among team members and stakeholders.
• Consistently makes data-driven decisions, leveraging insights and analytics to inform strategic choices.

Example Paragraph

“In the past year, Jane has consistently demonstrated outstanding decision-making skills, rapidly identifying optimal solutions to complex challenges. Her well-informed decisions have positively impacted business objectives and shown her ability to assess risks and potential consequences effectively.”

4 – Exceeds Expectations

Example Phrases

• Frequently makes well-considered decisions that benefit the team and organization.
• Shows above-average ability to weigh the pros and cons of various options.
• Decisions demonstrate a comprehensive understanding of business goals.
• Proactively gathers and analyzes relevant information to make informed decisions.
• Demonstrates the ability to make sound decisions under pressure, while maintaining a clear head.
• Exhibits strong critical thinking skills, thoroughly evaluating options before making a decision.
• Consistently makes decisions that lead to positive outcomes and contribute to the team’s success.
• Demonstrates good foresight, identifying potential obstacles and making decisions to prevent or mitigate them.
• Regularly seeks input from relevant stakeholders and effectively incorporates diverse perspectives into decision-making.
• Shows flexibility, readily adjusting decisions when presented with new information or changing circumstances.
• Consistently makes ethical and principled decisions, even in challenging situations.
• Demonstrates creativity and innovation in decision-making, developing effective solutions to problems.
• Takes ownership of decisions and their outcomes, demonstrating accountability.
• Exhibits strong decision-making skills that foster confidence and trust among team members.
• Regularly makes data-driven decisions, using insights and analytics to guide choices.

Example Paragraph

“During this review period, John has consistently exceeded expectations in his decision-making abilities. His comprehensive understanding of business goals has informed well-considered decisions that ultimately benefit the team and the organization. John’s aptitude for weighing pros and cons also showcases his strengths in decision making.”

3 – Meets Expectations

Example Phrases

• Generally makes sound decisions based on available information.
• Decisions usually align with business objectives and team needs.
• Shows capacity to evaluate options and assess potential risks.
• Gathers and analyzes relevant information to make informed decisions in most situations.
• Demonstrates the ability to make decisions under pressure, while maintaining composure.
• Exhibits adequate critical thinking skills, evaluating options before making a decision.
• Usually makes decisions that lead to positive outcomes and contribute to the team’s success.
• Demonstrates some foresight, identifying potential challenges and making decisions to address them.
• Seeks input from relevant stakeholders and incorporates their perspectives into decision-making.
• Shows some flexibility, adjusting decisions when presented with new information or changing circumstances.
• Generally makes ethical and principled decisions in most situations.
• Demonstrates some creativity and innovation in decision-making, developing solutions to problems.
• Takes responsibility for decisions and their outcomes, demonstrating accountability.
• Exhibits decision-making skills that generally foster confidence among team members.
• Makes data-driven decisions in most cases, using available insights and analytics to guide choices.

Example Paragraph

“Throughout the past year, Jane has met expectations in her decision-making abilities. Her decisions typically align with both business objectives and the needs of her team. Jane has demonstrated her capacity to evaluate options and assess potential risks, making sound decisions based on available information.”

2 – Needs Improvement

Example Phrases

• Occasionally struggles to make well-informed decisions.
• Decisions may not always align with business objectives or team needs.
• Demonstrates difficulty in assessing risks and evaluating options.
• Sometimes fails to gather or analyze relevant information before making decisions.
• Struggles at times to make sound decisions under pressure, occasionally becoming overwhelmed or indecisive.
• Exhibits inconsistent critical thinking skills, sometimes failing to thoroughly evaluate options before making a decision.
• Decisions occasionally lead to negative outcomes or hinder the team’s success.
• Demonstrates limited foresight, often failing to identify potential challenges or make proactive decisions to address them.
• Inconsistently seeks input from relevant stakeholders or fails to effectively incorporate diverse perspectives into decision-making.
• Shows resistance to adjusting decisions when presented with new information or changing circumstances.
• Sometimes makes decisions that may not align with ethical or principled standards.
• Demonstrates limited creativity and innovation in decision-making, often relying on conventional solutions.
• Occasionally avoids taking ownership of decisions and their outcomes, demonstrating inconsistent accountability.
• Exhibits decision-making skills that sometimes erode confidence and trust among team members.
• Inconsistently makes data-driven decisions, often relying on intuition or incomplete information to guide choices.

Example Paragraph

“During the review period, John has shown some difficulty in making well-informed decisions that will benefit the team and organization. There are instances of misalignment with business objectives and challenges in assessing risks and evaluating options. Moving forward, John should focus on developing his decision-making skills.”

1 – Unacceptable

Example Phrases

• Consistently makes poor decisions that negatively impact the team and organization.
• Fails to adequately evaluate options and assess risks.
• Decisions do not align with business objectives.
• Rarely gathers or analyzes relevant information before making decisions, leading to uninformed choices.
• Consistently struggles to make sound decisions under pressure, becoming overwhelmed and unable to think clearly.
• Exhibits a severe lack of critical thinking skills, making impulsive decisions without evaluating options.
• Decisions frequently lead to negative outcomes and significantly hinder the team’s success.
• Demonstrates no foresight, consistently failing to identify potential challenges or make proactive decisions to address them.
• Rarely seeks input from relevant stakeholders and fails to incorporate diverse perspectives into decision-making.
• Shows a complete unwillingness to adjust decisions when presented with new information or changing circumstances.
• Frequently makes decisions that violate ethical or principled standards.
• Demonstrates a complete lack of creativity and innovation in decision-making, relying on outdated or ineffective solutions.
• Consistently avoids taking ownership of decisions and their outcomes, demonstrating a severe lack of accountability.
• Exhibits decision-making skills that severely erode confidence and trust among team members.
• Consistently makes decisions based on personal biases or incomplete information, disregarding data and analytics.

Example Paragraph

“Unfortunately, Jane’s performance in decision making has been unacceptable during the review period. She consistently makes poor decisions that have negative consequences for the team and organization. Jane has failed to adequately evaluate options or assess risks, leading to decisions that stray from business objectives. Immediate improvement in her decision-making abilities is necessary.”