I Hate Performance Reviews!

𝘐 𝘥𝘰𝘯'𝘵 𝘸𝘢𝘯𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘴𝘶𝘤𝘬 𝘶𝘱 𝘵𝘰 𝘤𝘭𝘪𝘮𝘣 𝘶𝘱. 𝘐 𝘸𝘢𝘯𝘵 𝘮𝘺 𝘩𝘢𝘳𝘥 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘬 𝘵𝘰 𝘴𝘱𝘦𝘢𝘬 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘪𝘵𝘴𝘦𝘭𝘧.

Performance reviews are a hot topic with several of my clients right now. And the overwhelming sentiment is, 𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐦𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐫𝐞𝐯𝐢𝐞𝐰𝐬 𝐬𝐮𝐜𝐤.

To be honest, I used to feel the same way. As an individual contributor, I believed my hard work alone should have been enough, and it rarely was. As a leader, I often felt conflicted – torn between my belief that we shouldn’t live by other’s opinions, and the reality that performance reviews are fundamentally about how your manager, peers, and stakeholders perceive you.

Here are some of my reflections and learnings from over the years that I share with my clients:

✨𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭’𝐬 𝐈𝐭 𝐖𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐡 𝐭𝐨 𝐘𝐨𝐮?

Before anything else, ask yourself: 𝘞𝘩𝘢𝘵’𝘴 𝘪𝘮𝘱𝘰𝘳𝘵𝘢𝘯𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘮𝘦 𝘢𝘣𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘱𝘭𝘢𝘺𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 ‘𝘨𝘢𝘮𝘦’ 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘧𝘪𝘳𝘴𝘵 𝘱𝘭𝘢𝘤𝘦? Is it to get more money, gain specific experience, or expand your scope and title? Once you are clear on your goals, rather than just complaining about the system, 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐠𝐞𝐭 𝐭𝐨 𝐜𝐡𝐨𝐨𝐬𝐞 whether it’s worthwhile to learn the rules of the game, play it well, and get what you want.

✨𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐀𝐫𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐑𝐮𝐥𝐞𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐆𝐚𝐦𝐞?

Once you decide the potential outcome is worth your effort, you need to understand the rules. Each company has its own variations, but overall, performance reviews are not just about showing up and doing good work. You need to make sure your accomplishments and expertise are VISIBLE to your manager, your stakeholders, and anyone that will be in the calibration discussions, well before the performance review cycle.

✨𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭’𝐬 𝐖𝐢𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧 𝐘𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐫𝐨𝐥?

There will always be things beyond your control, like how managers get asked to distribute their team on a curve, or how a teammate may prioritize work differently so they deliver great results at a higher output.

Instead, shift your energy to what you can control, like regularly share your achievements with your manager and stakeholders; make your career goals clear to your advocates so it’s easier for them to support you; and build genuine relationship with those who can be your advocates or help you navigate your path.

✨𝐓𝐚𝐤𝐞 𝐀𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐓𝐡𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐘𝐞𝐚𝐫

Don’t wait until performance review to share your accomplishments in just the self assessment. Managers have talent discussions throughout the year, and the brand you build throughout the year matters. Consistent visibility to your contributions will influence how you're perceived when review time comes.

𝘞𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘶𝘨𝘨𝘭𝘦𝘴 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘧𝘢𝘤𝘦𝘥, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵’𝘴 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘵𝘳𝘰𝘭 𝘵𝘰 𝘱𝘭𝘢𝘺 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘨𝘢𝘮𝘦 𝘣𝘦𝘵𝘵𝘦𝘳?