Acing Performance Reviews: Our Favorite Reads

Early in my career, I thought performance reviews were outdated requirements intended to torment employees and managers alike. The conversations felt one-sided. My bosses seemed eager to see them end. The feedback was vague — I was never quite sure what to do with it. “Your editing skills have room for improvement.” “You need to focus on making better presentations.” “You haven’t been as productive as I would have liked.” I wondered: What does improvement look like? What does “better” mean? How productive did my manager think I needed to be? What about my strengths and accomplishments? Had I done anything right at all? I never found out because there was little time for questions, even fewer examples cited, and no acknowledgement of my wins. Come next appraisal, the cycle continued. I received the same feedback and walked away with the same confusion, frustration, and stress. Looking back, I see those conversations with more clarity. I recognize that they were missed opportunities for both me and my manager. Over the years, as I’ve gained more experience and worked with more people, I’ve learned that performance reviews should be back-and-forth discussions. That requires more effort from everyone involved. I now know that learning how my work adds value and how it fits into the company’s larger mission gives me a sense of purpose. I also know that in order to feel motivated to improve, I need specific examples to understand where I’ve fallen short and the impact of those mistakes. At times, I’ve been lucky enough to have a manager who delivers this information. Other times, I’ve needed to be proactive and seek feedback from my manager to get the most out of my review. With practice, I’ve gotten more comfortable asking for feedback year-round. This helps me lean into my strengths, make improvements along the way, and set myself up for success once the formal review rolls around. In this way, I’ve been able to take back control over the narrative of my career and be proactive about my own growth. If you’ve been hiding in the shadows — too scared to ask for critical feedback — or are getting into performance review season (and dreading it), here’s some advice from our experts to help you ask for what you need to grow. Recommended Reads Acing Your Self-Appraisal (Even If It’s Your First) by Liz Wizeman Think of it as a chance to boost your credibility and increase your impact. The Right Way to Process Feedback by Cameron Conaway Making the most of feedback goes far beyond active listening. Do the Words “Performance Review” Scare You? by Bret Sanner and Karoline Evans If you assume that your bosses will remember everything you’ve done, you’re mistaken. How to Ask for Feedback That Will Actually Help You by Peter Bregman It can be hard to draw out the truth from the people around you. Your Performance Review Went Really Wrong by Shyamli Rathore In this case, what should you do? Like what you see? This article is adapted from our weekly newsletter.

Acing Performance Reviews: Our Favorite Reads

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