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LeadershipCulture5 min read
The performance review that doesn't lie
Most performance reviews are a polite ritual that everyone leaves vaguely dissatisfied with. The honest version is uncomfortable and far more useful.
Standard performance reviews collapse into one of two failure modes: vague compliments that tell the person nothing, or a list of grievances that should have been raised six months ago. Either way, the person leaves the room with no new information.
What honesty actually looks like
A real review names the specific things this person could do better, with examples, and the specific things they're underrated for. It tells them where they stand relative to expectations for their level. It doesn't surprise them — because nothing in it should be the first time they're hearing it.
What ruins it
- Saving the hard feedback for review time.
- Calibrating to be nice rather than accurate.
- Comparing to others instead of to the role.
- Conflating compensation conversations with performance ones.
A review the person can't act on isn't a review. It's HR theater with a meeting invite.