It’s Performance Review Season, y’all!

Each review takes me a little over 2 hours to complete but I promise… it’s worth every minute!

First things first: DO NOT write the review directly in your HRIS

Anyone who has ever lost a fully written review thanks to a system glitch knows the pain I am trying to save you from. Create reviews in a Word doc first.

Pro tip: Start this Word doc at the beginning of the year and keep a running list of wins, growth moments, and reminders. Future-you will thank you!

M Y   S I X   S T E P   M E T H O D

1. Review your sources

Do a quick scan: emails, calendar, goals, scorecards. Anything that helps reconstruct the year. Every time I do this, I’m shocked at how much I forgot even happened.

2. Make a list of strengths and opportunities

Turn what you found into bullet points. Don’t worry about flow, this is a brain dump of the good and noteworthy.

3. Categorize the list

Take each bullet and drop it into your performance review categories (ours have 5, like Financial Impact and People Development).

No categories? No problem! Group by projects or use buckets like self, team, customer, business.

4. Turn bullets into sentences.

Now, it’s time to craft the story.

Start with strengths, end with opportunities for growth. Connect the themes and show why it matters.

Confession: I do use AI at this stage to check clarity or help rephrase. BUT… I always keep the final wording in my voice. Reviews should sound authentic, not like a polished legal brief.

5. WAIT! (Trust me.)

Give yourself at least 24 hours and read it again. Come back with fresh eyes; you will make changes.

6. OK, GO

Copy > Paste > Submit

A note on holding the Performance Review conversation

This tip came from my leader, and it’s been a game changer for me.

I share the written review a day before our meeting.

This gives the space to process, reflect, and show up with clarity. And, perhaps just as importantly, they get to drive the conversation.

I simply ask three questions:

  1. What were the highlights of what you did well?
  2. What opportunities do you agree with, or need more clarity with?
  3. How can I help best support you this year?

Final Thoughts

Performance Reviews get a bad rap because we often save all the feedback until the end of the year. I think they can still be an important moment in a year-long environment of constant development and praise.

Here’s my rule: I don’t add anything to my year-long Word doc unless I have already talked about it with the person, positive or constructive.