360 Feedback Questions for High-Potential Employees

Organisations increasingly use 360 feedback not only to review performance, but also to identify and develop their high-potential employees, those who demonstrate the capability, motivation, and engagement to take on more senior roles in the future.

To be effective, questionnaires for high-potential employees need to focus on behaviours and mindsets that signal future leadership potential. The widely recognised Ability, Aspiration, Engagement (AAE) framework provides a clear structure for doing this:

Ability

Ability reflects whether an individual has the skills, agility, and resilience to succeed in more demanding roles. It covers problem-solving, handling complexity, learning agility, strategic thinking, inspiring others, influencing beyond authority, and innovation.

Example 360 feedback questions for Ability include:

• Demonstrates sound judgement when analysing complex issues
• Shows learning from experience
• Remains effective when faced with change
• Responds positively when given feedback
• Makes observable adjustments based on feedback
• Makes confident decisions when faced with uncertainty
• Outlines their future goals clearly to relevant stakeholders
• Highlights potential challenges and opportunities in their area of work
• Provides encouragement that helps others perform at their best
• Suggests creative solutions when faced with challenges
• Breaks down complex problems into clear, actionable steps
• Balances short-term demands with long-term objectives
• Adapts decision-making style to suit the situation
• Uses data and evidence to support recommendations
• Demonstrates confidence when influencing beyond their authority

Aspiration

Aspiration explores motivation, ambition, curiosity, resilience, accountability, and the willingness to take on greater responsibility. High-potential employees are typically those who actively seek out opportunities to grow, embrace challenges, and show a clear appetite for future leadership roles.

Example 360 feedback questions for Aspiration include:

• Seeks opportunities to grow, stretch, and expand their role
• Shows ambition for more senior or challenging responsibilities
• Displays energy and drive in pursuing goals
• Remains resilient when facing setbacks
• Takes on new experiences and learning opportunities when available
• Asks questions that show curiosity about unfamiliar areas
• Takes ownership of outcomes
• Follows through on commitments
• Actively seeks feedback to improve performance
• Shows determination to overcome obstacles
• Volunteers for challenging or high-visibility projects
• Demonstrates persistence in achieving long-term goals

Engagement

Engagement highlights whether a person is likely to stay connected, aligned, and committed to the organisation as they progress. It reflects self-awareness, empathy, adaptability, integrity, strong relationships, role-modelling, and developing others.

Example 360 feedback questions for Engagement include:

• Builds strong relationships across teams and functions
• Demonstrates empathy in interactions
• Encourages collaboration to achieve shared goals
• Provides encouragement that motivates others through visible actions
• Aligns behaviour with the organisation’s values and culture
• Adjusts approach effectively in different situations
• Asks for feedback to understand strengths and development areas
• Supports the development of colleagues by sharing knowledge or guidance
• Builds trust by following through on commitments
• Listens actively and acknowledges others’ perspectives
• Encourages others to contribute ideas and opinions
• Demonstrates cultural awareness and respect for diversity
• Acts as a role model for professional behaviour

Why Use the AAE Framework

Grouping questions under Ability, Aspiration, and Engagement makes 360 feedback more future-focused and easier to interpret. Instead of only reviewing past performance, this approach helps identify the leaders of tomorrow and guides their development.

The framework is grounded in research. Studies from the Corporate Research Forum (CRF), Korn Ferry, and Egon Zehnder highlight Ability, Aspiration, and Engagement as the core predictors of leadership potential. The Center for Creative Leadership (CCL) also identifies learning agility as one of the strongest indicators of future success.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q. What makes a 360 feedback questionnaire for high-potential employees different from a standard questionnaire?

A. A 360 questionnaire for high-potential employees is future-focused. Instead of only reviewing current performance, it looks at behaviours linked to leadership potential using the Ability, Aspiration, Engagement (AAE) framework. This means it assesses areas such as learning agility, ambition, resilience, accountability, and engagement, the qualities that predict tomorrow’s leaders.

Q. What observable behaviours indicate leadership potential in 360 feedback?

A. Leadership potential can be observed through three categories of behaviour:

• Ability: problem-solving, handling complexity, learning agility, strategic thinking, influencing beyond authority, innovation
• Aspiration: ambition, resilience, curiosity, accountability, persistence
• Engagement: empathy, adaptability, cultural fit, role-modelling, developing others

These behaviours can be turned into specific 360 questions, making them easy for raters to recognise and give constructive feedback on.