All insights
LeadershipCulture5 min read
Calibration as a leadership skill
Most managers can give feedback. Few can calibrate it consistently against the rest of the team, the role expectations, and reality. That gap shows up in promotions, attrition, and trust.
Calibration sounds like an HR process. It's actually a leadership skill: the ability to assess where someone sits — against the role, the team, and reality — in a way that matches how the broader organization would assess them.
What miscalibration looks like
A manager who promotes their team aggressively and then loses credibility when their people don't perform at the new level. A manager who's stingy with praise and watches strong performers leave. A team where the rating doesn't predict outcomes at all.
How to calibrate better
- Get out of your own org regularly — what does "strong senior" look like elsewhere?
- Co-rate with peers, not just up the chain.
- Test ratings against actual outcomes a year later.
- Be more willing to be wrong about your own people than about others'.
A manager who calibrates well becomes a multiplier. One who doesn't is a noise source.