Best Practices for Performance Reviews

Learn from my failure. When’s the last time you walked away from a business review knowing you nailed it? Quarterly reviews? Exec updates? Board meetings? You delivered, and you knew it landed. Not often? I've failed multiple times, including recently. And here's the thing: most reviews/presentations fail before they even start. Not because your content is wrong. Not because you’re unprepared. But because you’re focused on the agenda instead of the goal. The goals of the room. I’m constantly reminded that I can get better at this after every. single. presentation. The truth: they aren’t just about reporting on what’s been done. They’re about building trust, proving impact, and aligning with what actually matters to the business. And the best part? The skills you develop to deliver an effective review aren't just for the exec team, management team, or board meeting. They're the foundation that turns a Director into a CMO. And after my 100000th review, I'm still learning. Here's where I'm at today. A great business review should: 1. Counter assumptions & build credibility – Directly counter any assumptions that important tasks are not being addressed or mishandled. Show that leadership is in control and delivering on priorities. 2. Showcase metrics, not just words – Avoid overemphasizing areas the audience doesn’t value, especially when there are gaps in delivery elsewhere. Data beats anecdotes. Show progress, don’t just talk about it. 3. Invite constructive feedback – Create a venue for stakeholders to suggest areas they feel are overlooked or misprioritized. Alignment doesn’t happen in a vacuum. Bring the room into the process. 4. Make invisible work visible – If stakeholders don’t see it, they assume it’s not happening. Prove them wrong. 5. Demonstrate say-do alignment – “We said we’d do X. We did X. Here’s the result.” Set clear expectations for what will be done and when. So, before any major meeting, I remind myself: THE AGENDA IS NOT THE GOAL. Start with the goals, then shape everything else around it. I've finally built out my template for an effective business review, and I'm happy to share it. But remember, it starts with the goals, not an outline from some random LinkedIn connection. :) I'll also send my longer diatribe on running an effective review. Comment ✅, and I'll send it to you!

Performance reviews don’t have to be intimidating or stressful. In fact, they can be a powerful tool to help your team grow and build stronger relationships. When we focus on real conversations about development and improvement, performance reviews become an opportunity to foster trust, rather than create anxiety. At Radical Candor®, we talk about being both kind and clear—two things that are especially important in performance reviews. It’s about being honest and direct with feedback while showing that you care personally about the person you’re speaking with. Celebrate the wins, recognize progress, and provide actionable steps for areas of improvement. A great performance review isn’t about catching someone off guard or focusing only on what’s wrong. It’s about reinforcing the behaviors that lead to success and offering support for the areas that need work. Remember, when done right, performance reviews are an ongoing dialogue, not a one-time event. What’s your approach to making performance reviews feel more human and productive for your team? How do you create an environment of trust and growth? #PerformanceReviews #RadicalCandor #HumanLeadership #FeedbackCulture #GrowthMindset

Do your performance reviews still feel like guesswork? The latest SAP SuccessFactors release quietly introduced something game‑changing: AI that actually helps you write feedback and plan goals. Here’s what caught my eye. • The new Performance & Goals module now suggests comments based on the skill and rating you choose. No more staring at a blank box wondering how to phrase constructive criticism. • It generates “performance insights” that sift through an employee’s data and summarize strengths, achievements, and areas to improve. In other words, you walk into one‑to‑ones with a clear picture and a fairer perspective. • Sentiment analysis flags negative or mixed feedback in 360‑degree reviews, so you know where to focus your coaching. • Preparation time for compensation discussions drops by 90% because AI surfaces the right talking points, and overall performance goal‑setting is 80% faster. What this really means is that AI is moving from buzzword to practical tool. It’s taking the busywork out of reviews and letting managers spend more time on real conversations. And it’s doing it while employees still feel seen and fairly evaluated. I’m curious: would you trust AI to help shape feedback and compensation discussions? Have you tried any of these tools yet? Share your experiences — or tag a colleague who should weigh in. #SAPSuccessFactors #PerformanceManagement #AIinHR #PeopleAnalytics #FutureOfWork

A few years ago, a team member’s performance started slipping. They were always dependable, but now they missed deadlines, skipped meetings, and stopped speaking up. I could’ve logged it. Flagged it. Escalated it. But instead of calling them out in a review, I simply asked: “Is everything okay?” They broke down. They were going through a tough separation at home, and no one had asked how they were in weeks. That conversation didn’t just clarify the problem - it built trust we’d never had before. We created a support plan. Within weeks, they were back on track. Here’s the truth: most underperformance doesn’t need a policy, a PIP, or a one-sided rant that demands accountability. It just needs a conversation. Today, you don’t need a strategy doc. You need 30 minutes. ⏱ Ask yourself: Do you have 30 minutes for that conversation today? If not, we’ll talk systems later 😉 #leadership #empathy #productivity

Performance conversations should ignite growth, not anxiety. “When people are financially invested, they want a return. When people are emotionally invested, they want to contribute.” – Simon Sinek This thought connects deeply when we talk about performance conversations. For years, performance reviews have been framed as verdicts that is evaluative, transactional, and often induces anxiety & stress. But in today’s hybrid and agile workplaces, where collaboration and adaptability define success; we also need to rethink about how we approach them – starting from ground level. ▪️ What if we shift from evaluation method to a developmental method? ▪️ Simply, from “How did you perform?” to “How can we help you grow?” Doesn’t it already sound effective and impressive? Well, great leaders like Peter Drucker reminded me, “The best way to predict the future is to create it.” Performance conversations, when reimagined, can become exactly that where platforms are to shape the future by investing in people’s potential. In practice, this means: ➡️ Frequent check-ins that replace the one-off annual review. ➡️ Coaching-style dialogues that highlight strengths while guiding growth. ➡️ Clarity with flexibility, recognizing the fluidity of goals in dynamic environments. ➡️ Safe spaces for feedback, where trust fuels progress. The true measure of performance is not just output, but the growth journey behind it. If we, as the leaders, can turn these conversations into catalysts for inspiration, employees won’t just perform — they will thrive. Turlough Gorman Arnabi Marjit Ashutosh Kotwal Sanjay Mishra Bahar Shaikh

Confronting an underperforming employee is never easy. Here’s my guide to make sure it doesn’t go off the rails. Schedule a one-on-one meeting with the employee. Send the invite at least one day in advance via email, using a generic title like “Discussion”. Write detailed notes on what you plan to cover in the meeting. Meeting tone: Once the meeting starts, avoid small talk and get down to the matter at hand immediately. Maintain a positive and constructive attitude.  Focus on the facts, the impact, and the solutions. Do not focus on the personalities, the emotions, or point fingers. The beats of the meeting: Open by stating that this is going to be a difficult conversation about their performance issues. Make it clear that the goal of this meeting is to find a way for them to improve. This sets the tone. Next, describe the circumstances that have made this discussion necessary. Be specific about actions, dates and times, and tell them what the impact of their underperformance has been on the business and other co-workers. If applicable, tell them exactly where they’ve violated your policies. Get the employee’s perspective: Do they feel they have the necessary time, support, and resources to perform their job? Has anything changed in the business that has an impact on the employee’s performance? Has anything changed outside of the business, like a personal issue or health problem? Be clear about your expectations: Be specific, e.g. “Your job starts at 8 a.m. from Monday through Friday. You should be at your desk and available to answer client calls by that time every business day.” Together with the employee, make a detailed action plan you both understand and agree on. Set specific steps, deadlines, and targets. Include what you will do to support them. You should both sign and date the document. Schedule several followup meetings to check in on their progress. Once you’re done, update your meeting notes to include everything you discussed. Follow up: Send a recap of the meeting and your agreed upon action plan to the employee immediately after the meeting. If you have any to-do items on your side, get through them ASAP. You want them feeling the urgency of the situation. From there, things will go in one of two directions: Hopefully, the situation will improve. If it does, give that employee recognition. Refer specifically to what they’ve accomplished. Sometimes, things don’t get better. At that point, it’s time to move towards parting ways. — I hope this helps. Thoughts on this process? Comment below!

The best managers are terrific detectives Imagine this scenario: Two employees, Sam and Sarah, both failed to meet several goals last year. Seems like they're in the same boat, right? Well, not necessarily. Behind the scenes, their reasons for underperformance could be worlds apart. Now, picture yourself as their manager. You want to be fair, but you also need to hold your team members accountable for their performance. So, where do you start? It's important to begin with few questions: ·     Is the employee new to the organization? Or Function? Or Role? ·     How was his / her performance in the past? ·     What has changed in the ecosystem – both internal and external? ·     What’s happening in his / her life outside work? ·     How has his / her relationship been – with me and others in the team?   Underperformance can happen due to several reasons: 1.    Lack Fitment to the role. I remember my first job in key account management, I disliked it and didn’t do too well. The reason was not my lack of knowledge or hard skills, but the personality mismatch. A person may also not fit the culture of the organization or function or the team (every team has a subculture with nuances).   2.    Ambiguity Overload that naturally comes with many roles today, or simply unclear on the expectations and deliverables.   3.    Lack of Capability to deliver the role, be it knowledge, critical cognitive or behavioral skills. While with right mindset and resources, anyone can develop the capability, it is important to identify the mismatch and address it.   4.    External Environment can significantly influence performance of an individual, be it dwindling customer pool, entry of new competition, regulatory pressures, difficult terrain… the list can be endless. Within the same organization, people are likely to face varying external pressure.   5.    Interpersonal Issues either with the manager or rest of the team or peers. Does the person feel valued? Recognized for his / her contributions? Or empowered to deliver results? It’s important to reflect on this as it needs effort from all parties to rectify interpersonal issues.   6.    Personal Battles can be varied: ranging from workplace stress and burnout, boredom with the job, to personal issues at home, poor health, or crisis at home. Sometimes life throws a curve ball and all we can do is keep our head above water.   So, here's the bottom line: The root cause of underperformance isn't always obvious. That's why it's crucial for managers to play detective and get to the heart of the matter. Only then can we strike the delicate balance between accountability and fairness. #performanceappraisal #managers #performance #performanceimprovement

50% of employees say performance reviews are useless. Here's how to fix that. I've spoken to hundreds of people over the years. The pattern is painfully consistent. Manager talks. Employee nods. Nothing changes. But the data is even more concerning: more than half of employees feel formal reviews contribute nothing to their growth. No surprise there. The problem exists on both sides of the table: - Employees dump all responsibility for these sessions on their managers - Managers have zero training on how to make these conversations meaningful The result? Monologues that waste everyone's time. But here's the thing about great performance reviews: They're not monologues—they're conversations. Want to transform your review sessions into career accelerators? Here's how: For managers: - Implement structured frameworks like McKinsey & Company's OILS (Observation, Impact, Listening, Solutions/Strategy) - Work together to identify what's actually causing performance challenges (Is it time management? Communication gaps?) - Establish clear priorities with specific targets and timelines for the next period For employees: - Come prepared with defined goals and the specific skills you need to develop in the next 6-12 months - Bring a concise, tactical action plan to ensure alignment and measurable progress Whatever it takes, remember that performance growth is a two-way street. These sessions should empower both sides to grow, not just check administrative boxes. What's your best tip for making reviews actually matter? I would love to hear. __ ♻️ Reshare this post if it can help others! __ ▶️ Want to see more content like this? You should join 2297+ members in the Tidbits WhatsApp Community! 💥 [link in the comments section]

Last week I led a session on #PerformanceManagement for senior leaders. One of them reached out with the following important question about #PsychologicalSafety in the context of managing underperformance: "Psychological safety is an extremely difficult concept to pin down, especially in a setting where we have to strike a balance between supporting human beings under pressure, while at the same time being accountable for results. I would like to have more guidance on is how one manages the psychological safety element in a situation of underperformance - which often requires (at least partially) withdrawing that safety, to the discomfort of the staff member." Here is my advice to those of you wondering the same thing: In the context of managing underperformance, having psychological safety means feeling that you won't be punished or humiliated for making mistakes or for underperforming. That being said, having a conversation with a supervisor about your performance when you’re not meeting expectations is inherently stressful. It is psychologically difficult for people to focus on where they are coming up short; this undermines their sense of self as a competent person, particularly when they feel that they have been working diligently or when they have been negatively affected by situations beyond their control. While it may not be possible to make a staff member completely comfortable during feedback conversations about underperformance — and indeed, a total lack of discomfort with the status quo may not be optimal for motivating improvement — these conversations are much more likely to achieve their aim of helping the staff member perform at a higher level when the supervisor does the following:   ⋙ Provide Actionable Feedback ⋘ 👉 Give specific, timely, and constructive feedback on performance gaps, not just vague criticisms. 👉 Clearly outline expectations, metrics, and deadlines for improvement. Maintain an empathetic, development-focused tone even as you increase accountability. ⋙ Focus on Development, Not Just Evaluation ⋘ 👉 When addressing underperformance, emphasize how you can support the employee's growth and improvement. Make it clear the goal is to help the employee succeed. 👉 Collaboratively identify obstacles (e.g., by asking questions like, “What is most difficult about this for you?” and “What’s getting in the way?”) and craft a plan to overcome them through coaching, training, or other resources. 👉 Engage the staff member in articulating what help they feel they need and what path forward feels most motivating and productive. This helps to build employee ownership over their plan for improvement rather than thrusting it upon them.

Most performance reviews fail for the same three reasons: 1. The manager isn’t clear. 2. The employee feels unprepared. 3. Trust breaks down in the middle of the conversation. To help shift that, I created a free guide for managers who want their review conversations to build trust rather than erode it (not intentionally of course). Lead Reviews With Trust is a three-page guide rooted in my Seven Trust Languages framework. Inside, you’ll find: A. The L.A.N.D. method for delivering feedback that actually lands B. What to avoid (and what to say instead) C. How to regulate your tone and presence during tough conversations D. A simple follow-up rhythm that reinforces trust long after the meeting ends If you're leading reviews this season, this resource can help you bring clarity, confidence, and care into the conversations that matter most. The PDF is attached below. Tomorrow, I’ll share the companion guide designed specifically for employees. #Leadership #Manager #SevenTrustLanguages #PerformanceReviews #WorkplaceCulture #Trust