Handling Performance Reviews With Ease

In my 18 years at Amazon, I've seen more careers transformed by the next 2 weeks than by the other 50 weeks of the year combined. It's performance review season. Most people rush through it like a chore, seeing it as an interruption to their "real work." The smartest people I know do the opposite: they treat these upcoming weeks as their highest-leverage opportunity of the year. After handling over fifty feedback requests, self-reviews, and upward feedback 𝘢𝘯𝘯𝘶𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘺 for nearly two decades, I've learned this isn't just another corporate exercise. This is when careers pivot, accelerate, or stall. Your feedback directly impacts compensation, career trajectories, and professional growth. Your self-assessment frames how leadership views your entire year's work. This isn't busywork—it's career-defining work, but we treat it with as much enthusiasm as taking out trash. Here's how to make the most of it: 𝗚𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗳𝗲𝗲𝗱𝗯𝗮𝗰𝗸 𝗼𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝘄𝗼𝗻'𝘁 - Ask yourself: "What perspective am I uniquely positioned to share?" Everyone will comment on the obvious wins and challenges. Your job is to provide insights others miss, making your feedback instantly invaluable. 𝗗𝗲𝗳𝗲𝗮𝘁 𝗿𝗲𝗰𝗲𝗻𝗰𝘆 𝗯𝗶𝗮𝘀 - I keep a living document for every person I work with. When something feedback-worthy happens—good or challenging—it goes in immediately. No more scrambling to remember projects from months ago. This ensures specific, timely examples when needed. 𝗠𝗮𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝘀𝗲𝗹𝗳-𝗮𝘀𝘀𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 - Don't just list tasks—craft a narrative. Lead with behaviors that drove impact. Show your growth in handling complex situations, influencing across teams, and making difficult trade-offs. Demonstrate self-awareness by acknowledging areas where you're actively improving. 𝗙𝗼𝗿 𝗳𝗲𝗲𝗱𝗯𝗮𝗰𝗸 𝘁𝗼 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗺𝗮𝗻𝗮𝗴𝗲𝗿 - They receive little feedback all year. Focus on how they help you succeed and specific ways they could support you better. Make it dense with information—this might be their only chance to learn how to serve their team better. 𝗢𝗻 𝗴𝗶𝘃𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘀𝘁𝗿𝘂𝗰𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗳𝗲𝗲𝗱𝗯𝗮𝗰𝗸 - The difference between criticism and valuable input is showing you genuinely want the other person to succeed. When that intention shines through, you don't need to walk on eggshells. Be specific about the behavior, its impact, and how it could improve. 𝗥𝗲𝗰𝗲𝗶𝘃𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗳𝗲𝗲𝗱𝗯𝗮𝗰𝗸 𝘄𝗲𝗹𝗹 𝗶𝘀 𝗮 𝘀𝘂𝗽𝗲𝗿𝗽𝗼𝘄𝗲𝗿 - Good constructive feedback often feels like an insult at first. But here's the mindset shift that changed everything for me: feedback is a gift. It's direct guidance on improvement from those who work closest with you. When you feel that defensive instinct rise, pause and focus on understanding instead. Here's your challenge: This year, treat performance review season like the most important work you'll do. Because in terms of long-term impact on careers—both yours and others'—it just might be.

Today, I spent an hour talking a client off the ledge after a discouraging performance review. It was sad to see someone so capable and high-performing feel so down and fragile. Words matter! The truth is that performance reviews don't usually focus on your performance. They often involve what's comfortable for the person giving feedback. What you hear is not always what you need. It’s what they feel safe saying. Have you ever felt like you are being judged on how easy you are to manage, rather than the impact you are making? If so, you are not alone. Although you can't control the system, you have control over how you respond, grow, and position yourself within it. Real feedback only comes when you feel psychologically safe. If that's missing, seek out mentors, allies, or environments where you can be seen and supported. If you have ever left a review feeling like you are not good enough, please know you are likely not the problem. The system might be. Here are 10 truths people confuse with feedback, and what you can do to take back control: #1. You were told to be more strategic, but only given execution work. → Bridge the gap. Tie what you do to the bigger picture. Share insights, even if you weren’t asked. #2. You were told to be more visible, but the spotlight wasn’t shared. → Volunteer for visible work and invite others to acknowledge your contributions. Visibility isn’t vanity…it’s survival. #3 You were told to improve, but the goalposts kept moving. → Ask for specifics and timelines. If it’s vague, make it concrete. #4. You were told you lacked leadership but were never given a team. → Lead anyway. Influence peers. Drive initiatives. Leadership is behavior and not a title. #5. You were told your style wasn’t a fit, but no one defined the culture. → Ask what “fit” really means, and decide if it’s worth fitting into. Adapt when it serves you, but don't bend unnecessarily. #6. You were told to work on your tone, but your results were overlooked. → Document your wins. Make your impact impossible to ignore. #7. You were told to be a team player, but others didn’t carry their weight. → Clarify roles. Align with allies. Don’t carry the entire team on your back. #8. You were told you were too quiet, but no one asked better questions. → Find smaller, safer settings to speak up. Build presence one conversation at a time. #9. You were told to manage up, but no one showed you how. → Get support and learn the language of influence. Managing up is a skill, not a personality trait. #10. You were encouraged to speak up, but got in trouble when you did. → So, speak with a plan. Use facts to back up your points. Know who you are talking to. And when needed, find a different setting.

Who likes getting feedback? I do! We are in the midst of annual performance reviews, and the majority of people who are reading this note have either just received their annual performance review or have one on the calendar in the next few weeks. I've lost count of how many I've gone through during my career. But each one has made me a better leader and professional, and I'm grateful for all of them. I've made a career out of actioning feedback, and using it to improve. Given we are in the season, I wanted to share some best practices I have developed over the years in order to chart a path for the maximum amount of progress and self improvement based on your annual review. 1) Start by focusing on your strengths. And then double down on them. The path to improvement lies on leveraging your best skills, not improving some of your weaknesses. 2) Be open to the feedback, or put another way don't reject it. It's human nature to be defensive, but that will get you nowhere. Deeply understand the feedback. Be curious about it and ask questions. The better you understand and believe it, the more effective you will be moving forward. 3) Hear the feedback from a panel of stakeholders. You'll likely receive your review from your boss, but then set time with a group of peers, directs, and partners who can also share feedback with you so you are getting multiple perspectives. 4) Create an action plan. Write down the changes in behavior, attitude, mindset, and action you are going to pursue. Break each down into tangible things you can hold yourself accountable to in the next 30-60 days so you can begin to see progress. 5) Check back in. Ask your boss and the same group of stakeholders for live feedback as they witness the topics you discussed. Set the expectation that you want feedback live and in the moment. Also make sure to check in each quarter. If you are committed to your professional development, taking feedback seriously and using it to grow is essential. So keep an open mind, and be ready to make change for the better. Good luck in your reviews all!