On Performance Reviews - Why and how to manage them.

Don't wait for your manager or company's process to get started. Own your story and show up prepared to help your manager make the best case for you.

Note: This is an article written for an audience interested in learning how to manage their performance reviews.  Comic Credit: Dilbert By Scott Adams

👋 Hello! After a decade in Silicon Valley, I have been on the performance review side both as an employee and as a manager. Sitting in both seats has given me a deeper understanding of how performance reviews actually work, the common assumptions we make and how to make the most of the review cycle. The most surprising thing about this entire process has been how little time we spend managing our performance reviews in proportion to how impactful the process is on our careers at the particular company. 

I used to react to Performance Reviews passively - when the time to write a review arrived, I hustled in the last 24-48 hours to put something together and then crossed my fingers for the best. There were times I was deeply disappointed by the review I received, and times when I felt deeply flattered after a glowing review. In either case, I used to play a passive role in what would be one of the most important factors for my career growth within a company.

Performance reviews are incredible powerful tools. The impact and actions a company rewards are an indicator not just of the company culture but also of its long term success. Research shows that one of the key indicators that make fortune 500 companies successful is a robust performance review process. It is hence very important for a company and their managers to get this right. However, even the best of managers don’t have all the context about the work you do, so it is important to play an active role in the process so you can help your manager make the best case for you. 

In the past, we have spoken about how at the heart of: Influence is trust, imposter syndrome is validation and an effective meeting is knowing your audience. At the heart of performance reviews is being prepared.  

Here is a primer on how. 

First, the basics - What does a Performance Review really mean?

Performance reviews are simply someone’s (usually manager or promotion committee) opinion about your performance at work. It is not an empirical or testable process. 

Common assumptions we make:

Performance reviews are fair: We often tie bias to acts of discrimination. However, research shows that the human brain is constantly seeking efficiency, which can lead to bias in output. While a company and manager might try to do their best to evaluate work fairly, performance reviews are human run processes and hence can be prone to human error.

If I work hard, I will get promoted: Hard work is not necessarily the key indicator of impact. You can work hard and not drive the impact your manager/company considers important. It is more important to understand what your company values and then pick up the right projects.

Titles are not important: While titles are not always important, it can be very useful at a larger organization since they are indicative of a level of power and influence. 

My manager is responsible for my performance review: Even the best of managers won’t have all the context about your work. Own your story and help your manager make the best case for your work instead of solely relying on your manager to manage your performance review. 

Biases that can influence the Performance review process:

Research has found that several biases come up again and again during performance review. Being aware of these helps us better prepare for a review cycle.  

Expedience bias: What seems most obvious must be true. Our brains tend to take complex information and synthesize it in the simplest most obvious story. For example, this comes into play especially when your manager and peers may not have adequate context on the nuances that go into the impact you delivered. Tackle this early on by aligning with your manager on a concrete set of goals which include not just what you did, but how you did it.

Distance bias: What’s recent is more important than what is further out. Metrics and experiences from last month can show up at a higher rate in your review than work done a few months ago. Tackle this by recording your work along the way. These recordings do not have to be lengthy, just a couple of bullet points every other week/month should suffice. Review this information when writing your performance review.

Similarity bias: What is similar to us is better. This can lead to likability and “in” groups mindset influence how your work is perceived. Tackle this early on by identifying shared goals between you and your peers, manager. 

How Performance Reviews work:

While the process might vary from company to company, core to the performance review process is:

1. Gathering evidence: During this phase the manager collects information about an employee’s performance.

2. Evaluating evidence: Based on your company’s process, either the manager, business lead, promotion committee will be responsible for evaluating the review during a calibration round and making a business decision on ratings. A calibration round is typically a series of meetings where managers and talent teams meet to evaluate performance across their reports. 

3. Rewarding: The manager or person responsible for making the promotion decisions along with Talent Partner (if the company has one) will set updated compensation. 

How to prepare for them:

Step One: Start Early

Don’t wait for the official review cycle to begin in order to start thinking about it. You should start thinking about your next cycle immediately at the end of the current cycle. Or if you are new to the company, start thinking about the performance cycle after 2-3 months of ramp up (Bringing up performance reviews too often can give the manager an impression that you are less interested/focused on ramping up)

Step Two: Know The Process

Every company has a unique performance review cycle and a different way to reward impact. It is hence important to understand early on what the performance review process in your current company looks like. Take some time to learn about your company’s process from both your peers and manager. The two different perspectives will help you build a more comprehensive overview about the process. 

Step Three: Align On Expectations

Once you understand the process, work with your manager to align on their expectations of you. It is our responsibility to let our manager know what we value (Need not be a promotion, could be things like flexibility to work from anywhere) and work with them to align on what success will look like. A few questions you can ask during this conversation:

1. Next year I would love to <state goal>. What kind of work would I have to demonstrate in order to get there? 

2. Going into a promotion conversation, what are 2-3 things you would like to highlight about my work in the future?

3. What does success in this role look like? Who are 1-2 others in the company I might look at who demonstrate success at this level? 

Step Four: Identify Your Peer Reviews Early On

How our peers write our peer feedback is dependent on how they perceive our work. It is hence important that they have more context of your work other than just meeting presentations, slack chats or code reviews. Identify 2-5 peers your manager would like to obtain a review from. Setup 1:1 time with these peers at regular cadence so they get to know you and your work better. This will help them provide a more comprehensive review about what you did and how you did it. 

Step Five: Write Succinct Self Review

Don’t leave it up to your manager to build a storyline of your work. You are the best person to talk about your story, so use the opportunity to write a succinct review highlighting 1-3 key pieces of impact. Discuss with your manager the kind of things they would find useful to take into the evaluation meeting and make sure to focus your review around those. 

Performance reviews are incredibly powerful tools for your career growth. Own your story and show up prepared to help your manager make the best case for you.

Questions

If you have a specific situation you want to get advice on, please email me at zainabg@gmail.com. I would love to hear from you! I’ll tackle a few reader questions regularly (and keep your identity anonymous). 

Interesting Read

If you are interested in learning more about how the brain processes information and its relationship to performance at work, check out Your Brain At Work.  

Stay safe,

Zainab