Crafting Performance Review Questions That Matter

Are You Really Future-Proofing Your Team—or Just Reviewing Performance? Let’s be honest: annual performance reviews often feel like a checkbox activity. Most leaders have stared at a list of “solid contributors” but still wondered—who is actually future-fit for where we’re headed? Here’s an approach that forces real honesty and gets everyone thinking about what the organization truly needs for tomorrow: For every person in your org (full-time, contractor—everyone), ask just two questions: 1. Would you hire them today, knowing what you know now? 2. How critical are they for the future? (Critical / Not Critical) How do you make this actionable? Plot everyone on a simple 2x2 chart like the one below: • The X-axis is “Would Hire Today?” (Yes/No) • The Y-axis is “Critical for the Future?” (Critical/Not Critical) This creates four groups: • A: Yes, Critical – Invest in, develop, and retain these team members. • B: Yes, Not Critical – Maintain, and consider reskilling or redeployment. • C: No, Critical – Urgently upgrade, develop, or put a succession plan in place. • D: No, Not Critical – Plan for exit or transition. This isn’t just a performance review—it’s a future-fit checkup. In today’s fast-changing world, we need to build for what’s next, not just reward what worked last year. My recommendations: • Don’t wait for a crisis to do this. Make it a regular leadership habit—at least once a year. • Be brutally honest (no “everyone’s critical” allowed). • Align with your leadership team and have a clear action plan, or this will simply drag on. Trust me, it’s uncomfortable at first—but nothing is worse than realizing too late that you don’t have the team you need for what’s ahead. Curious—has anyone else tried a similar approach? What worked (or didn’t) for you? Zinnov

As performance review season approaches, I've been reflecting on a conversation from over a decade ago that still sits with me today. During my review, my manager told me I "needed to work on my confidence." When I asked for clarification, she said, "Think about how [male colleague] would have handled this situation." I can't fully fault my manager - who was herself a woman. We all carry internalized biases that we've absorbed from years of working in systems that often value traditionally masculine behaviors. It's a stark reminder that unlearning these patterns requires conscious effort from all of us, regardless of gender. That moment crystallized something I've observed throughout my career: vague feedback often masks unconscious bias, particularly in performance reviews. "Lack of confidence" is frequently used as shorthand to describe women's leadership styles, while similar behavior in male colleagues might be viewed as "thoughtful" or "measured." Here's what I wish that manager had said instead: 🔹 "I'd like you to take the lead in proposing solutions to the team, rather than waiting to be called on." 🔹"Let's work on defending your decisions with data when faced with pushback from folks." 🔹"I noticed you often preface your ideas with "I think..." Let's practice delivering recommendations with clear rationale and conviction." 🔹"Here are specific techniques to influence cross-functional stakeholders more effectively." As leaders, we are responsible for being intentional and specific in our feedback. Vague critiques like "needs more confidence" or "should be more assertive" without concrete examples or actionable guidance don't help our reports grow – they perpetuate harmful stereotypes. To my fellow managers preparing for year-end reviews: 🔹Be specific about behaviors, not personality traits 🔹Provide clear examples and contexts 🔹Outline actionable steps for improvement 🔹Check your biases - are you applying the same standards across your team? Remember: The impact of your words may last far longer than the conversation itself. #Leadership #PerformanceReviews #UnconsciousBias #WomenInBusiness #ProfessionalDevelopment

Early in my career, I made the mistake of asking for feedback poorly. Here's what I did wrong and how you can do better: I'd ask for vague feedback such as "How can I improve?" This approach fails because it's reactive (focuses too much on what you did wrong) and it puts too much work on the feedback provider. Instead, shift to future-focused and specific questions. Three better questions to ask: 1/ “How could I make this deliverable 50% better in the future?” 2/ “For future proposals, what would make you LOVE something instead of just like it?” 3/ “What are 2 things I can improve on XYZ next time?” Focus your question on improvement and moving forward (not blame or criticism). Remember, the quality of your questions determines the quality of the feedback.