Performance Review Insights

Maybe it’s time to start over One of the CEOs I’m coaching recently called me, exasperated. He’d just come out of another round of mid-year performance reviews. He described the ritual we all know too well: Goals set in January that everyone forgot by March. Feedback requests nobody wanted to give - or receive. Self-reviews that sounded like a mix of sales pitches and confessions. Calibration sessions behind closed doors where people who barely knew the work decided who was “exceeds,” “meets,” or “below.” Development plans destined to sit untouched in the HR system. “And then,” he said, “we all acted surprised that nothing has changed.” He paused. “Why are we still doing this?” It was the question that most leaders think but rarely voice. I asked him: “Do you believe this process is actually salvageable?” There was a long silence. “I don’t know,” he admitted. “We’ve tried everything - simplifying the form, shortening the cycle, training managers to be better coaches. It still feels broken.” Then he said something that made me sit up straight: “What if we just started over? Blow it up if we have to. Let’s build something that actually changes behavior, not just records it. Because honestly, when was the last time a performance review changed how you or I showed up the next day?” That’s when it clicked. This CEO didn’t care about performance reviews. He cared about performance. He cared about the conversations people actually need to have: The hard truths no one says out loud. The recognition people crave. The clarity on where they stand and how to grow. Making all their work visible - not just what someone remembers from last month. It’s about designing a performance culture where feedback is real-time, usable, and impactful, not an annual (or semi-annual) box-ticking exercise. So here’s my question for every leader reading this: Why do we keep pretending this broken system will suddenly start working? If you could start from scratch, what would you build instead? What if we designed something that: Made feedback an everyday habit, not an annual ritual. Valued growth as much as outcomes. Treated people like adults who want clarity, not just scores. Captured real-time data to truly see everyone’s impact. Tied pay to market value and role scope - instead of using flawed ratings to justify it. That CEO stopped tweaking around the edges. He’s building something new, and he’s given his HR team permission to rethink everything. It may be imperfect at first. But it will be built for how the business needs to excel. And that’s what matters in today's workplace - impact, not activity. If you’ve ever blown up your performance process, or even thought about it, I’d love to hear your story. Maybe this is the year we finally stop pretending that performance reviews actually drive performance.

Hot take: Annual performance reviews are outdated. Real growth comes from ongoing feedback and development. It's time to swap yearly reviews for regular check-ins. Growth can't wait a whole year. It's about knowing where you stand today, not last year. When you opt for continuous feedback, you're choosing progress over tradition. It’s about helping each other improve every day. Yearly reviews? They’re outdated. Continuous feedback? That’s timely. So, when it's review time but the feedback feels old, it's time for a change. Regular feedback helps keep the goals and progress clear. Companies, let’s make feedback a routine, not an event. It’s about creating a culture where feedback is welcomed, not feared. The payoff? A team that grows together, learns together. And that, is the way forward. For everyone involved. Let’s shift from the rigid annual review to a more flexible, ongoing feedback system. It’s about growing together, every step of the way.

“Work hard and hope” is not a good strategy for getting a strong performance review, but you can take specific actions to maximize your rating. Here is what to do before, during, and after your review to ensure the best possible review. Before the review (~2-3 months) - A few days before a routine 1:1, tell your manager that you would like some feedback. Give them a few days to think deeply and prepare. Don’t ambush them. - Ask them to provide feedback in terms of the score you would like to receive on your review. For example, ask “Am I performing at a top tier level?” if that is the term your organization uses. - If you receive corrective feedback, begin addressing it immediately. - Line up your peer reviewers. Let key peers and peers of your manager know that you will ask them for feedback at review time. Get their feedback and begin to address it. Before the review (~3 weeks) - Send your reviewers a prep list. Throughout the year, maintain a list of your accomplishments and deliverables. Send this to your reviewers when they are preparing your review to help them remember what you have accomplished throughout the year. During the review - Reply to all feedback, positive or negative, beginning with “thank you.” - Don’t argue with feedback, even when you disagree. Instead, say “I respect what you are saying, but I am having trouble fully understanding it. Can you give me a specific example?” - For positive feedback, ask if you should seek to do more of that action. Ask where it would help the organization if you did it more. After the Review: - Take immediate and visible action on the feedback. - Verify negative feedback with respected advisors if you don’t agree or understand it. If they support the criticism, revisit your objection. If they don’t, think about how you can work around that negative feedback rather than changing to address it. - If your review goes well, begin a discussion about how to grow your role or responsibility. These are the tactical takeaways from my latest newsletter, “Ensuring a Great Performance Review.” In the newsletter, I go into greater depth on each of these points and explain how to implement them. As the year ends and many head into review season, there is just enough time to use this process all the way through. Check out the newsletter and use it to get the best possible score on your review so that it can bring you one step closer to promotion. You can read it here: https://buff.ly/3NKNkLV Readers- Any other tactical insights in order to get the most out of annual reviews?

Your response to feedback reveals more about your leadership potential than your actual performance. After coaching hundreds of executives through difficult feedback conversations, I've learned that how you receive feedback determines how much you'll receive in the future. The feedback death spiral looks like this: 1) Someone gives you honest input 2) You get defensive or make excuses 3) They decide you're not coachable 4) They stop investing in your development 5) You stop growing What high-potential leaders do differently when receiving feedback: ✅ Stay Curious, Not Defensive Replace: "That's not what I meant" With: "Help me understand what you observed" ✅ Ask Clarifying Questions "Can you give me a specific example?" "What would you recommend I do differently?" "How did that impact you/the team?" ✅ Summarize and Confirm "What I'm hearing is..." "Let me make sure I understand..." "The key takeaway for me is..." ✅ Express Genuine Gratitude • Thank them for their courage to speak up • Even if the delivery wasn't perfect • Even if you disagree with the content Treat feedback like market research about your leadership brand. The person giving it is your customer, telling you about their experience with your "product." You don't have to agree with all feedback, but you should always understand it. The best leaders I coach actively seek feedback because they know their careers depend on what they can't see about themselves. Coaching can help; let's chat. | Follow Joshua Miller #executivecoaching #feedback #leadership #careeradvice #business

It's that time of year again - Performance Reviews. I know it's a not the most exciting task on your list right now but I have 5 tips to help you get the most out of it. 1. Provide a Self Assessment I'm a firm believer that when it comes to performance reviews, you need to be your own biggest advocate. Your manager is leading several other people and I guarantee they don't remember your every win this year - so help them help you! Some companies make this optional, and some don't provide a formal way to do this at all. But even if you need to send your self assessment via email, do it! 2. Highlight Key Projects and Contributions Choose a few standout projects where you played a significant role. Be sure to describe your unique contributions and the positive outcomes they led to. 3. Highlight Your Impact Whenever possible, quantify your achievements. For example, instead of saying, "I improved team efficiency," say, "I improved team efficiency by 30% by doing X." Numbers make your contributions more tangible. 4. Showcase Initiative Emphasize any areas where you took initiative to solve challenges... things that weren't necessarily assigned to you, but work that you did because it needed to be done. This highlights your proactive approach at going over and beyond. 5. Include Feedback from Others If you've received positive feedback from colleagues, clients or even your manager themselves, mention it in your self-assessment. This provides an external perspective on your contributions and reinforces your claims. Good luck!

Think about the last time someone brought up a detail you'd mentioned weeks ago, like your weekend hiking trip or your daughter's recital. That spark of recognition that makes you feel valued. New research from the University of Aberdeen reveals something we intuitively know but rarely leverage in our professional relationships: demonstrating that you remember specific details someone shared with you is just as effective at making them feel important as explicitly saying "Your thoughts matter." We have this powerful relationship tool right at our fingertips which we use with ease in our personal connections, yet we often forget to use it professionally. When we reference past conversations, we're saying "what you shared mattered enough for me to remember"—and that message resonates deeply. Here are seven moments when flexing your memory muscle transforms professional relationships: 1. When giving constructive feedback: "Remember when you mentioned wanting to develop presentation skills after that March client meeting? Here's how this project could help..." 2. During performance reviews: "You shared six months ago that you wanted more cross-functional collaboration. I've noticed how you've actively sought those opportunities..." 3. When offering support: "I know your team was struggling with that software implementation. How did the training session go?" 4. During follow-ups: "Last time we talked, you were considering that leadership course. Did you enroll?" 5. When delegating: "This reminds me of that process improvement idea you pitched in January. Want to take the lead?" 6. During check-ins: "How's your son's soccer season? Last time they were heading into playoffs." 7. When introducing colleagues: "Sarah, meet Tom. He shares your passion for making sourdough!" But what if your memory feels like Swiss cheese? (Asking for myself at 53!) The good news is you don't need perfect recall. Try jotting down a quick note after meaningful conversations in your phone, calendar, or CRM. Even a simple "mentioned daughter's graduation" can transform your next interaction. The effort to remember matters as much as the remembering itself. Here are the key takeaways: *Memory displays equal explicit value statements in making people feel appreciated *We underuse this strategy professionally while using it naturally in personal contexts *Small remembered details create big emotional connections *Perfect memory isn't required (phew!); notes and systems work just as well Your memory (with a little help) might just be your most underused relationship-building superpower. #relationships #coaching #leadership

After a decade of sitting in manager meetings, delivering reviews, and coaching others through them, I’ve learned what makes—or breaks—an annual review: Here are 7 practical things you can do right now: 1/ Make it easy for your manager to advocate for you. Don’t just list tasks. Show outcomes. Show business impact. Make the case clear and compelling. 2/ When asking for peer reviews, give them a purpose. Are you aiming for a promo? A stretch project? Let them know. It’ll help them speak to the right strengths that support your goals. 3/ Show how you’re already performing at the next level. As Webflow CEO Linda Tong shared with me in my book, leaders want to see you performing at the next level already. Highlight those moments where you took on leadership, strategic decisions, or tough projects. 4/ Cut the fluff. Don’t list every task you did. Focus on the 20% of projects that drove 80% of results. 5/ Ask your manager to pre-review it. I did this for my teams — help them advocate for themselves in the most impactful way possible. 6/ Anticipate challenges. If there’s a project that didn’t go well, address it. Share what you learned and how you’ve applied those lessons. It builds trust. 7/ Compare across quarters. Show how you’ve grown — not just what you did this cycle. We’re prone to the recency effect. Progress tells a powerful story. 𝗣.𝗦. It’s your career. Own your review.

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

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.

You’ve Got Feedback—Now What? Feedback can be challenging, especially in a season where performance reviews can feel like a weapon. However, it doesn’t have to be this way. With the right approach, you can harness feedback as a powerful tool to elevate your leadership skills. Here’s a framework I recommend: 1. Pause and Reflect: Resist the urge to react immediately. Feedback often triggers emotional responses—good or bad. Taking a moment to step back ensures your reaction is measured and thoughtful. 2. Dissect the Message: What is the core of the feedback? Does it highlight a skill gap, a misstep, or a blind spot? Sometimes, it’s more about perception than performance— although both matter. 3. Seek Clarification: Not all feedback is crystal clear. Ask questions to understand the perspective behind it. This shows you value the input and are committed to improvement. 4. Strategize for Growth: Once you’ve digested the feedback, the question becomes, "What’s next?" Create an actionable plan. Whether it’s adjusting your approach, or doubling down on your strengths, the goal is progress. 5. Close the Loop: Circle back to the person who provided the feedback. Share what you’ve taken away and how you plan to act on it. This fosters trust and encourages open communication. Great leaders aren’t just great at giving feedback— they excel at receiving it well and transforming it into fuel for personal and professional growth. ******* Hi, I'm Love! I help leaders and organisations create impactful, resilient teams through: ➡️ Leadership training tailored for onsite, hybrid and remote teams ➡️ Strategic consultancy to bridge gaps in management and staff relations ➡️ Courses that empower leaders to adapt, engage, and thrive To explore how to take your leadership and team to the next level, use the link in my featured section to schedule a call. #LeadWithLOVE #Unsiloed #Leadership #Feedback #GrowthMindset #Unsiloed