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Survey Questions: Performance

Definition: Performance reflects an individual’s ability to deliver high‑quality results consistently by applying strong drive, motivation, work ethic, and personal standards while overcoming obstacles, adapting to changing conditions, and maintaining focus under pressure. High performers demonstrate deep job understanding, manage time and priorities effectively, communicate proactively, and use sound processes, methods, and decision‑making to sustain momentum, solve problems, and stay aligned with goals. They show resilience, calmness, and a positive attitude during demanding periods; take accountability for outcomes; and use resourcefulness, flexibility, and continuous improvement to elevate both their own work and the team’s performance.
Job Skills
Administrative Skill
Job Satisfaction
Decision Making
Problem Solving
Critical Thinking
Adaptability
Planning
Innovation
Time Management
Job Content and Design
Goals
Feedback
Security
Risk Management
Quality
Pay
Benefits
Systems
Equipment
Technical Skills
Technology Use/Management
Feedback/Guidance
Performance
Performance Appraisal/Management
Safety
Stress
Work/Life
Job Security
Customer Service
Questionnaires Measuring Performance:
Example 1 (5-point scale; numbers; NA)
Example 2 (7-point scale; radio buttons)
Example 3 (4-point scale; radio buttons)
Example 4 (5-point scale; radio buttons)
Example 5 (5-point scale; words)
Example 6 (Pulse Survey)
Example 7 (5-point scale; item comments)
Example 8 (3-point scale; words; N/A)
Example 9 (4-point scale; numbers)
Example 10 (Comment boxes only)
Example 11 (Single rating per dimension)
Example 12 (Slide-bar scale)


Drive and Motivation
Drive and Motivation reflects the energy, initiative, and forward momentum an individual brings to their work, especially when conditions intensify or expectations rise. It shows up in behaviors like pushing through obstacles with determination, elevating performance during high-pressure moments, maintaining enthusiasm during long or demanding projects, and keeping tasks moving without waiting for direction. People strong in this area manage workload with minimal oversight, stay solution-focused when challenges emerge, and help create conditions where the team can operate at peak effectiveness. Drive and Motivation is about the internal force that propels someone to accelerate execution, raise performance levels, and sustain momentum even when demands increase.


Strong Work Ethic
Strong Work Ethic reflects the discipline, dependability, and consistency a person brings to their responsibilities, regardless of circumstances. It is demonstrated through reliable follow-through, steady productivity across busy or unpredictable periods, and the ability to maintain high quality even when juggling multiple priorities or facing tight deadlines. Individuals with a strong work ethic remain calm, prepared, and committed every day, showing persistence when progress is slow and staying dependable even under stress, fatigue, or competing demands. Strong Work Ethic captures the disciplined habits and reliability that keep performance steady, stable, and trustworthy over time.


High Standards
High Standards reflects the quality bar an individual or team sets for their work--how precise, accurate, and reliable the output is, regardless of pressure, deadlines, or shifting priorities. It shows up in behaviors such as producing work that requires little rework, paying close attention to detail, defining clear performance expectations, and maintaining the same level of excellence in crisis as in calm periods. People strong in High Standards hold themselves and others accountable to objective, measurable expectations and consistently deliver high-quality results even under constraints. High Standards is about the rigor, precision, and consistency of the work itself and the expectations that guide it.


Overcomes Resistance
Overcomes Resistance reflects a person's ability to remove barriers, rethink approaches, and convert constraints into forward movement. It shows up when individuals or managers identify obstacles quickly, adapt strategies, use creativity and resourcefulness to navigate limitations, and turn difficult conditions into catalysts for decisive action. People strong in this area don't just push through challenges--they actively solve them by eliminating roadblocks, clarifying direction, and enabling the team to operate at peak effectiveness. Overcomes Resistance is about problem-solving under constraint: diagnosing what's slowing progress and engineering a path that restores momentum.


Proactive
Proactive reflects a person's ability to anticipate what needs to happen next and take early action to keep work on track before problems emerge. It shows up in behaviors such as sequencing work logically, identifying high-value tasks, preparing in advance for deadlines, and building safeguards or buffer time into plans. Individuals strong in this area spot risks early, adjust plans to avoid delays, and take initiative without waiting for direction. Proactive is about forward-looking action--seeing what's coming, preparing for it, and preventing obstacles from slowing progress.


Perseverance
Perseverance reflects the sustained effort, focus, and determination required to maintain performance over time, especially when work is tedious, demanding, or repeatedly disrupted. It appears in behaviors such as staying productive during high-demand periods, persisting through setbacks without lowering expectations, adjusting plans when circumstances shift, and maintaining steady output even when others may falter. Individuals strong in Perseverance keep work moving despite fatigue, interruptions, or competing pressures, demonstrating follow-through and consistent effort across changing conditions. Perseverance is about endurance and steadiness: continuing to perform reliably when the work is difficult, prolonged, or unpredictable.


Understands the Job
Understands the Job reflects the knowledge, competence, and situational awareness required to perform effectively--how well an individual grasps the responsibilities, processes, and organizational context of their role. It appears in behaviors such as learning job tasks quickly, organizing work efficiently, knowing who to contact to get things done, and understanding all aspects of the job well enough to plan, coordinate, and execute effectively. People strong in this area demonstrate organizational savvy, resource planning, and the ability to navigate systems and responsibilities with confidence. Understands the Job is about mastery of the role--knowing what to do, how to do it, and how to move work through the organization.


Delegates
Delegates reflects a leader's ability to assign responsibilities strategically so that work is distributed effectively, team strengths are maximized, and accountability is clear. It appears in behaviors such as giving individuals ownership of specific outcomes, reallocating responsibilities when priorities shift, and assigning tasks to the most capable people to ensure high-impact work is handled well. Leaders strong in Delegates build confidence and independence by matching tasks to skills, clarifying ownership, and ensuring the team has the capacity to meet goals. Delegates is about work distribution and empowerment--structuring who does what so the team can perform at its highest level.


Increases Responsibilities
Increases Responsibilities reflects a leader's ability to expand an employee's scope of work in a deliberate, developmental, and future-focused way. It shows up when managers assign stretch tasks, increase assignment complexity as readiness grows, align responsibilities with long-term development paths, and create opportunities for employees to demonstrate capability in new or demanding areas. Leaders strong in this dimension recognize when individuals are ready for more, entrust them with visible or strategic work, and use increased responsibility as a tool to build confidence, judgment, and leadership potential. Increases Responsibilities is about growth and progression--intentionally expanding what someone is responsible for so they can develop and contribute at a higher level.


Accountability
Accountability reflects a leader's ability to ensure individuals own their commitments, deliver on expectations, and take responsibility for outcomes--both positive and negative. It appears in behaviors such as holding employees responsible for their assigned duties, confronting subpar performance, acknowledging mistakes transparently, and ensuring team members contribute fully to departmental goals. Leaders strong in Accountability set clear expectations, reinforce ownership of both process and results, and model responsibility by taking full ownership of their own errors and commitments. Accountability is about ownership and follow-through--making sure people deliver what they've been entrusted with and learn from the outcomes.


Continuous Improvement
Continuous Improvement reflects a person's ability to learn from experience, analyze performance, and intentionally refine how work gets done over time. It shows up when individuals examine what went wrong to understand root causes, reflect on both successes and failures, and integrate lessons learned into future decisions, workflows, and safeguards. People strong in this dimension normalize constructive reflection, adjust processes to prevent repeat issues, and use insights from past errors to anticipate and avoid similar challenges. At its core, Continuous Improvement is about systematic learning and evolution--using feedback, analysis, and curiosity to elevate performance and strengthen future outcomes.


Resourceful
Resourceful reflects a person's ability to navigate constraints, improvise effectively, and find workable solutions when conditions are difficult or resources are limited. It appears in behaviors such as leveraging overlooked or cross-functional resources, assembling temporary structures to maintain momentum, breaking complex obstacles into solvable components, and identifying unconventional but effective methods when standard processes break down. Individuals strong in this area respond to unexpected challenges with agility, rebalance priorities without letting critical tasks slip, and find ways to succeed even in challenging environments. Resourceful is about creative problem-solving under pressure--mobilizing what is available, adapting quickly, and keeping work moving despite limitations.


Positive Attitude
Positive Attitude reflects the optimism, constructive mindset, and morale-shaping energy a person brings to challenging situations. It shows up when leaders communicate confidence in the team's ability to overcome obstacles, reframe setbacks as opportunities, and maintain a forward-looking, solutions-focused outlook even when conditions deteriorate. Individuals strong in this area help others stay engaged by focusing on possibilities rather than limitations, using encouragement, reframing, and optimism to stabilize morale and keep the environment constructive. Positive Attitude is about emotional uplift--the ability to inspire confidence, maintain hopefulness, and create a climate where people feel capable and supported during uncertainty.


Calm and Steady
Calm and Steady reflects the composure, emotional regulation, and stabilizing presence someone brings when pressure, uncertainty, or disruption intensifies. It appears in behaviors such as staying centered during high-stress moments, maintaining professionalism when others feel overwhelmed, and providing a reliable sense of stability that the team can count on. People strong in this dimension respond to mistakes without blame, keep direction clear during turbulence, and model the steadiness that helps teams remain focused and effective under strain. Calm and Steady is about emotional stability--the ability to remain grounded, consistent, and dependable so the team feels secure and able to perform.


Resilience
Resilience reflects a person's ability to recover quickly, re-center, and re-establish productive momentum after disruptions, setbacks, or disappointments. It shows up when employees rapidly regain focus, leaders shift from error recognition to corrective action, and teams bounce back without losing motivation or direction. Individuals strong in Resilience turn setbacks into actionable next steps, reestablish direction after disruptions, and maintain effort even when others might lose momentum. Resilience is about rebound and forward recovery--the capacity to absorb impact, regain clarity, and keep progress moving despite unexpected challenges.


Communication
Communication reflects a leader's ability to keep people aligned, informed, and able to perform by sharing the right information at the right time. It shows up when managers communicate risks early, clarify expectations, provide timely feedback, realign the team when plans shift, and ensure no one is surprised by changes in direction or progress. Individuals strong in this dimension listen actively, respond to issues quickly, and maintain open channels that reinforce ownership, responsibility, and productivity. Communication is about continuous alignment--making sure people understand goals, expectations, progress, and adjustments so the team can stay coordinated and effective.


Goal Setting
Goal Setting reflects a leader's ability to define clear, ambitious, and achievable targets that guide performance and focus effort. It appears in behaviors such as establishing long- and short-term goals, setting metrics and timelines, involving employees in defining performance expectations, and ensuring goals reflect available resources and operational realities. Individuals strong in this dimension use goals to stretch performance, drive improvement, and anchor coaching, development, and accountability practices. Goal Setting is about direction and standards--creating the targets that shape priorities, motivate effort, and define what success looks like.


Goal Oriented
Goal Oriented reflects a person's ability to use goals as the primary mechanism for directing effort, shaping priorities, and sustaining performance. It shows up when leaders translate organizational priorities into specific, measurable goals, break broad objectives into actionable milestones, and revisit goals throughout the performance cycle to ensure alignment and progress. Individuals strong in this dimension refine vague goals into clear commitments, adjust goals when strategic priorities shift, and use goals to anchor coaching, development, and performance reviews. Goal Oriented is about direction and focus--ensuring that goals guide daily work, clarify expectations, and keep attention on the most critical performance areas.


Commitment
Commitment reflects a person's ability to maintain steady effort, discipline, and follow-through regardless of changing conditions, competing demands, or personal circumstances. It appears in behaviors such as meeting expectations consistently, staying engaged during long or demanding projects, fulfilling obligations as promised, and demonstrating unwavering dedication to team and departmental goals. Individuals strong in this dimension keep commitments even when conditions become difficult, maintain discipline across shifting priorities, and show the same level of engagement in both calm and challenging periods. Commitment is about reliability and persistence--the internal drive to uphold responsibilities and sustain performance over time.


Adaptability/Flexibility
Adaptability/Flexibility reflects a person's ability to adjust thinking, plans, and behaviors fluidly when conditions, information, or priorities change. It appears in behaviors such as responding to new information without resistance, shifting plans while maintaining productivity, staying open to new ideas, and signaling early when support or adjustments are needed. Individuals strong in this dimension remain composed when plans shift, take risks when appropriate, and modify approaches without losing sight of core objectives. Adaptability/Flexibility is about adjustment and openness--the willingness and ability to change course smoothly in response to evolving circumstances.


Time Management
Time Management reflects a person's ability to organize work, allocate time effectively, and maintain steady progress through structure and discipline. It shows up when individuals protect focused work time, use schedules or tools to stay organized, break large assignments into manageable steps, and complete routine tasks ahead of schedule to create buffer time. People strong in this dimension plan their workday intentionally, allocate appropriate time for complex tasks, and adjust workload early to avoid last-minute rushes. Time Management is about efficient planning and execution--structuring time, tasks, and priorities so work moves forward predictably and without unnecessary stress.


Processes and Methods
Processes and Methods reflects a person's ability to build structure, consistency, and operational discipline into how work gets done. It shows up when managers monitor progress early to catch issues before they escalate, apply systematic planning to align people and resources, and establish repeatable workflows that reduce variability and ensure smooth handoffs. Individuals strong in this dimension use facts and progress indicators to track advancement toward goals, define who does what and when, and build structured review points that allow for proactive adjustments. Processes and Methods is about system design and execution--creating the frameworks, routines, and operational clarity that enable teams to deliver consistent, high-quality performance even under pressure.


Critical Thinking and Decision Making
Critical Thinking and Decision Making reflects a person's ability to analyze information, evaluate options, and make sound, timely choices--especially in complex or high-pressure environments. It appears in behaviors such as gathering relevant data, identifying patterns, questioning assumptions, and weighing risks, impacts, and trade-offs before selecting a course of action. Individuals strong in this dimension make tough decisions quickly when information is incomplete, pivot when outcomes indicate a decision isn't working, and think ahead to anticipate downstream effects. Critical Thinking and Decision Making is about judgment and analytical rigor--the ability to diagnose situations accurately, choose wisely, and act decisively to keep work moving in the right direction.