According to a recent Gallup research study, only 14% of employees feel their performance reviews inspire improvement. Most miss the opportunity, and the reason is simple: they don’t come prepared.
Performance reviews are not just about reflecting on the past.
They're moments to align on where you're headed, close outstanding gaps to get there and to instill confidence for your readiness to take on that next level.
Too many people walk into reviews hoping for recognition instead of steering the conversation. Big mistake.
And speaking of mistakes, here's a few others that hold you back:
→ Skipping your self-evaluation and leaving your boss to do the heavy-lifting
→ Forgetting key accomplishments because you haven't tracked them consistently
→ Getting defensive when receiving feedback
→ Staying too tactical in mindset
→ Avoiding explicitly stating your goals to remove ambiguity
This also often results in you learning new constructive feedback for the first time in a review...feedback you never gave yourself the chance to action beforehand.
So instead, let's make sure you run point on your performance review the right way. Here's how.
3 ways to nail your performance review
1/ Build a strong performance narrative
Turn your review into a compelling story, not a list of tasks.
Your goal in a review isn't to just speak. It's to show your impact.
Don't assume others know what you did and how you delivered on it.
In fact, I was coaching our clients this week on this and one of the questions that came up was, how detailed should I be in my review if it's realistically just my manager who reviews it?
Despite who's looking at your review, you always want it to be complete. So much so, that if a stranger looks at it, there is no question in their mind about the results you've driven.
Be concrete and specific in your accomplishments listed, like:
“I’ve driven 3 initiatives tied directly to our OKRs. Our new workflow saved 25% in ops costs.”
“When I joined, I owned X. I now lead Y, mentor 3 teammates, and built the roadmap for Z.”
“My CX work helped raise our NPS score by 12 points, which backs our retention strategy.”
Pro tip: Bring screenshots of praise emails/messages you received from other stakeholders that showcase your influence and impact on the broader teams.
[Check out my 7 power scripts to use in your performance review]
2/ Focus on your evolution, not just the work
Your performance review isn’t a replay of your job description.
It’s a reflection of how far you've come to fast-track your next steps. Your goal is to show you're not just delivering, you’re evolving. That’s what gets you promoted faster.
This is exactly what helped our client secure her internal pivot and promotion and have the best performance review she ever had. Together, we identified the gaps holding her back (internal perception, lacking advocates, self-advocacy, personal branding and strategic visibility) to fast track her next move.
Ask yourself:
→ Where was I this time last year?
→ What feedback did I receive and how did I act on it?
→ What capabilities have I stretched or acquired?
→ How has my role or impact grown as a result?
“After last year’s feedback about my data skills, I enrolled in a SQL course, built our performance dashboard, and now lead monthly analytics reviews with senior leadership.”
“I received feedback to sharpen my stakeholder influence. I’ve since taken the lead on cross-functional planning sessions and helped align 3 departments on our product roadmap.”
Pro tip: Don’t wait for others to bring up your growth. If you don’t own your evolution, no one else will.
3/ Be future-forward
The best performance reviews are clear roadmaps for the future. Walk in ready to define what’s next.
Ideally, you are having consistent career conversations each quarter so your review is more a point for alignment rather than learning new information.
When you lead with vision, you shift the conversation from passive evaluation to proactive career design.
→ Set clear, measurable goals:
“Next year, I’d like to lead our expansion into the LATAM market. Can we align on a 12-month plan with clear KPIs so I can own this end-to-end?”
“I want to improve our onboarding experience and reduce ramp-up time by 30%. I’d love to own a sprint initiative to deliver that.”
→ Share your longer-term vision:
Executives make bets on people who have direction and who support the goals of the business. Clarify what path you're aiming for and why it aligns with the business.
“I’m interested in moving into a product strategy role. Over the next 6 months, I’d love to shadow the product team and take on a cross-functional pilot project to test fit.”
→ Plan your transition, before it's needed
If you’re gunning for a promotion, show that you’re already thinking at the next level, including how you’ll leave your current seat stronger than you found it, and what you can bring to the next position.
“If I step into the new role, I’ll train my replacement, document all core workflows, and ensure zero drop-off in team performance over the transition period.”
You also don't want to become so invaluable in your role that it makes it feel more like a hassle to promote you than to keep you where you are. We've helped many of our clients overcome this trap.
For example, this client had previously been passed over for a senior-level promotion because of this. Through our coaching, we identified the right growth levers that were missing, which secured their target promotion within just 6 weeks of working together.
Bonus: Ask for clarity and accountability
Never leave your performance review without confirming exactly what’s expected of you next.
→ Clarify metrics: “What would success look like for me in this role 90 days from now?”
→ Align expectations: “Is there anything I should do differently to be seen as ready for the next level?”
→ Get it in writing: Summarize agreed next steps via email post-review to create shared accountability.
Doing so builds mutual clarity and creates a paper trail that protects your progress.
You've got this!
P.S. If you're at a point where you're ready to transition into a better role, secure a more senior position or grow faster in your career, check out my recent workshop👇
This week’s mission: Use these 3 power moves to prep for your review and position yourself for growth:
- Document your wins quantitatively. Write down your top 5-10 specific achievements from the past 6–12 months. Include measurable outcomes like time saved, revenue driven, client impact, process improved, etc....
- Request 1 piece of feedback. Reach out to a peer, mentor, or manager and ask: “What’s one area you’ve seen me grow in this year, and one thing I could improve further?” This gives you language for your evolution and helps avoid surprises in the actual review.
- Draft your 1-sentence future pitch. Write a clear, concise line about what you want next. Example: “I’m aiming to lead a cross-functional project next quarter to prep for a future move into people leadership.” This becomes your anchor when you walk into the room.
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