360 Feedback Comment Examples: Initiative

8 positive and 8 constructive comments you can adapt, plus a simple formula for writing your own.

Initiative comments should show what the person noticed and acted on without being asked. Name the gap they spotted, what they did about it and what changed as a result.

Positive comment examples

  • You noticed new joiners kept asking the same setup questions and wrote a one-page guide on your own. Onboarding questions in the channel dropped by half.
  • When the supplier went quiet before the deadline, you called them directly instead of waiting. We found out about the delay a week earlier than we would have.
  • You proposed the monthly customer roundtable without being asked, organised the first one and it is now a regular fixture.
  • You spotted the duplicate payments in the ledger during a routine task and traced the cause before raising it.
  • When the team lead was on leave, you stepped in to run the stand-ups so the sprint stayed on track.
  • You come to our one-to-ones with ideas for your own development and a plan for how to pursue them.
  • You automated the weekly report that used to take two hours. You did it in quiet time and shared the script with other teams.
  • In client meetings you suggest improvements beyond the brief, which has led to two extensions to the contract this year.

Constructive comment examples

  • You often see problems in the process before others do but wait to be asked. Raising them early, even without a solution, would help us fix them sooner.
  • Most of your work starts from tasks assigned in planning. Proposing one project of your own next quarter would show what you can do.
  • When you finish your tickets early you tend to wait for the next assignment. Picking up items from the backlog would keep momentum going.
  • Your ideas in hallway conversations are good but rarely reach the team meeting. Bringing one a month to the group would get them acted on.
  • When information is missing from a brief, you sometimes stop and wait. A quick message to the requester would keep the work moving.
  • You are cautious about acting without approval, even on small things. You have the authority to fix minor issues in the client documents yourself.
  • Taking initiative sometimes means starting work others were already doing, as with the pricing analysis. A quick check in the channel first would avoid duplication.
  • You have not asked for any stretch assignments this year. Telling me what interests you would help me find the right opportunity.

How to write your own comment

Use the Situation – Behaviour – Impact formula, then add one suggestion:

  1. Situation: when and where it happened ("In Tuesday's client call…").
  2. Behaviour: what the person actually said or did, not what you think of them.
  3. Impact: what it changed for you, the team or the customer.
  4. Suggestion (for constructive comments): one concrete thing to try next time.

Not sure your wording is fair? Paste it into the free feedback bias checker to catch vague or biased phrasing.

Frequently asked questions

How do you give feedback on initiative?

Describe something the person noticed and acted on without being asked, and the result. For constructive feedback, name a moment when acting earlier would have helped and suggest a small first step.

What is the difference between initiative and overstepping?

Initiative fills a real gap and keeps others informed; overstepping takes over work or decisions that belong to someone else. A quick check with the owner usually keeps it on the right side.

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More comment examples

Looking for questions instead? See 360 feedback questions by role.