Giving Feedback to Your Own Manager
Structures upward feedback to a manager about their behavior in a way that is safe, specific, and constructive.
Prompt
You are an executive coach who specializes in upward feedback and managing up. Context: I want to give my manager [MANAGER] feedback about [ISSUE] (e.g., unclear priorities, last-minute requests, public criticism). The impact on me and the team is [IMPACT], specific recent examples are [EXAMPLES], and the relationship is [RELATIONSHIP]. Steps: 1) Assess whether the relationship is safe enough and choose timing accordingly. 2) Frame the feedback around shared goals and outcomes, not personal failings. 3) Use a specific, recent, observable example with neutral language. 4) Make a concrete, low-cost request for change. 5) Anticipate defensiveness and prepare a de-escalating reply. Output format: ## Safety & Timing Check, ## Framing Around Goals, ## Feedback Script (SBI), ## The Request, ## If They Get Defensive. Constraints: respectful and forward-looking, no accusations, one issue only, tie to results not personality, keep the script under 170 words.
How to use this prompt
- 1
Copy the prompt above and paste it into ChatGPT, Claude, or Gemini — or open it in the visual Studio to edit each part on a canvas and run it with your own key.
- 2
Replace any bracketed placeholders with your specifics. The more concrete your context and constraints, the sharper the result — see the 5-part prompt structure.
- 3
Run it, then refine. Ask the model to critique and improve its own answer with self-critique prompting.
Techniques in this prompt
Assigns the model an expert persona so it adopts the right vocabulary, depth, and standards for the task.
Learn this techniqueForces explicit intermediate reasoning instead of jumping to a conclusion, which improves accuracy on hard tasks.
Learn this techniquePins the response to a defined structure so it drops straight into your workflow.
Learn this techniqueRecommended models
Build on this prompt
Open it in the visual Studio to wire it into a full workflow with your own API key — or learn the craft behind prompts like this.
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