Reviews & performance
Ask peers what your work changed for them
A quick ask that gathers real examples of your impact before your self-review is due
A few weeks before your self-review is due, ask two or three colleagues for one specific example of your work that made a difference to them.
- 15 minutes
- You and two or three colleagues
- Each review cycle
- Conversation
Why this can work
A colleague's example of your work carries weight that your own words can't. It's specific, it comes from someone with nothing to gain, and it describes what changed rather than how hard you tried. A narrow ask, one example sent well before the deadline, makes it easy for people to answer well.
Read moreHow to ask peers for input on your performance review
You’ll come away with two or three real examples of your impact, in other people's words.
- Pick two or three people who depended on your work.
Someone on your team, someone in another function, someone you helped get started. Different angles surface different examples.
Tip: Choose people whose work you'd be glad to vouch for in return.
- Send the ask two to three weeks before your deadline.
Early gives people time to think, and one example is far easier to give than general feedback. Name a date so it doesn't drift.
To: two or three colleaguesI'm pulling together my self-review and realized I only see my side of the work. You saw what some of it changed.
Is there one thing I did this year that made a difference for you, or that you'd want me to mention? One or two lines is perfect, by date if you can.
And if there's something from your year you'd like me to remember for your own review, tell me. I'd be glad to.
Swap the highlighted parts for your thing. Works on Slack, in email, or said out loud. - Offer the same in return.
Review season is busy for everyone. Offering to remember something from their year for them turns a request into a trade between colleagues.
- Use their words, with their permission.
Quote or paraphrase what they said in your self-review, and name them if they're comfortable. Ask first; some people would rather stay out of formal documents.
- Tell each person what you took from it.
A line of thanks that names what their example reminded you of closes the loop, and makes them glad they helped.
Good times to repeat it: a few weeks before your self-review is dueonce each review cycleat the end of a big project
Making it work for you
Every workplace is different. Here’s what to think about before you start, and what might get in the way.
Things to think about
A colleague who can name the week and the problem is worth more than a senior name who'll send a warm generality.
What might make this harder
Thank them, then ask one follow-up: which project, and what happened because of it? A single prompt usually brings the detail back.
Questions people ask
How do I ask coworkers for input on my performance review?
Ask two or three colleagues for one specific example of your work that made a difference to them, a few weeks before your self-review is due. A narrow question gets better answers than a general request for feedback.
Can I include peer feedback in my self-evaluation?
Often, yes, and it can be strong evidence. Ask the person first whether they're comfortable being quoted or named, and check whether your company's form has a place for it.
Who should I ask for input on my review?
People who depended on your work this year, from different angles: a teammate, someone on another team, someone you helped.
Why this works, and where it comes from
You know what your work cost you: the late nights, the rework, the thing you figured out alone. What you mostly don't see is what it changed on the other end. Most of what your work changed happened on someone else's side of the table. A colleague who could finally ship because your fix landed remembers that as the week things got easier, and may describe it better than you would.
That's why one example from a peer tends to carry weight in a review. Your manager saw some of your work directly, but a lot of collaboration happens outside their view, in threads they're not on and meetings they don't attend. An example from someone on another team can fill a gap your manager may not realize is there, and it gives them something concrete to point to when they describe your year.
What comes back works best as evidence, not decoration. A colleague's line is strongest placed right after the outcome it supports, in their words or close to them, rather than gathered at the end as a list of kind things people said. One line from a peer, sitting next to the result it describes, does more than a paragraph of your own adjectives.
Timing is the part people get wrong. Asked the week before a deadline, colleagues are swamped and reply with a warm line of nothing in particular, if at all. If you're already that close, skip the ask and go looking instead: old thank-you messages, comments on shared documents, and notes after launches often hold the same examples, already written down.
Other simple things to consider
What to do next
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An exercise written by Truest, based on our experience. Last updated September 25, 2026. We sell a career membership; where that’s relevant above, we say so.