Upward feedback to your boss
For: Anyone who wants to give honest feedback to their manager — and survive the conversation
Upward feedback is almost never volunteered — which is exactly why it carries the most signal. Ten questions on what your boss does, what they don't, and what you wish you could say.
- 10 questions
- 3 dimensions
- ~3-4 min
- Self · Peer · Both
Upward feedback is the asymmetric kind: the report has full visibility into the manager's behavior, the manager has near-zero unsolicited signal flowing the other way, and the cost of speaking up is unevenly distributed. That asymmetry is exactly why the signal — when it does arrive — is the highest-leverage feedback most managers ever receive. This template carries upward feedback through three dimensions reports rarely volunteer: how the manager steers them (decisions, autonomy), whether voice is actually safe, and whether the manager invests in their development. 10 questions designed to make the hard things sayable.
How it works
Two ways to use it. Manager use: run it on yourself first as a thought-exercise, then send to your direct reports — letting them know you genuinely want the read, ideally with anonymity. The format gives them permission to say things they wouldn't volunteer in a 1:1. Report use: fill it in on yourself first to get clear on what you actually want to say; then either share the answers directly with your manager (best when trust is high), or use them as the agenda for a conversation.
What's inside — 10 questions across 3 dimensions
Direction & decision-making
how they steer you
Voice
whether you can actually speak up
Investment in you
do they advocate for, develop, and protect you?
The questions, in full
Every question is included below. You answer them yourself first, then send the same set to the people who've seen you work.
Direction & decision-making
- Q1Rating (1-5)
When my boss makes a decision that affects my work, I understand the reasoning — not just the conclusion.
- Q2Rating (1-5)
My boss makes decisions at the right pace — not so slow that work piles up, not so fast that they miss important input.
- Q3Rating (1-5)
My boss gives me real autonomy — they don't reverse my decisions in private or take work back without saying so.
Voice
- Q4Rating (1-5)
I can disagree with my boss — and it doesn't cost me afterward, in either tone or opportunity.
- Q5Rating (1-5)
When I bring up a concern, my boss takes it seriously — they don't dismiss it or deflect.
- Q6Rating (1-5)
My boss asks for my feedback on themselves — and not in a way that makes me feel like I have to say something nice.
- Q7Multiple choice
If I had something hard to tell my boss about their leadership, the most honest expectation of what would happen is...
- — They'd take it well, sit with it, and you'd see real change
- — They'd take it well in the moment, but nothing much would change
- — They'd seem to take it well but the relationship would cool
- — They'd push back hard or get defensive
- — I wouldn't risk saying it in the first place
Investment in you
- Q8Rating (1-5)
My boss has done something concrete in the last six months to grow my career — beyond just my current job.
- Q9Rating (1-5)
When I make a mistake, my boss has my back externally — they don't quietly distance themselves.
- Q10Open answer
What's one thing your boss does that you'd want them to keep doing — and one thing you wish you could ask them to stop?
The research behind these questions
Drawn from Jim Detert's Choosing Courage (UVA Darden) on the social mechanics of speaking up at work, Sue Ashford's research on voice and proactive feedback-seeking (University of Michigan, Ross), Frances Frei's Unleashed (Harvard Business School) on the components of trust under pressure, Megan Reitz's Speak Up (Hult International / Ashridge) on the conditions under which upward feedback actually flows, and the NeuroLeadership Institute on developmental management as observable behavior. Each question targets a specific signal — and several of them are deliberately uncomfortable to answer accurately.
References
- — Jim Detert — Choosing Courage (UVA Darden School of Business)
- — Sue Ashford — voice and feedback-seeking research (University of Michigan, Ross)
- — Frances Frei — Unleashed (Harvard Business School)
- — Megan Reitz — Speak Up (Hult International / Ashridge)
- — NeuroLeadership Institute — developmental management research
Ready to run this round on yourself?
Sign up, pick this template, answer it about yourself, and send the same questions to the people who've been in the room with you. The gap between your view and theirs is where the actual learning lives.