30 mins: Receiving better performance reviews

What you'll learn:

Rachael Fitzjohn is back with the flip side! After tackling how to give better performance reviews, she’s now helping you master receiving them. As someone who has been on both sides of countless reviews, she knows the difference between walking out deflated versus feeling energised.

While only 14% of employees feel inspired to improve after their review, you don’t have to be passive; you can shape the outcome.

Three steps to better performance reviews:

1. Preparation is queen: Gather evidence and capture what you delivered, how you contributed beyond outputs, and where you grew. Frame your examples as a story: ‘Here’s what I set out to do, here’s how it went, and this is what I learned.’
   
2. Guide with curiosity: Performance reviews are two-way dialogues. Ask questions like ‘What’s one thing I do really well that I should double down on?’ or ‘What would exceeding expectations look like in my role?’ This shows you care about improving and makes your manager give more detailed feedback.
   
3. Turn feedback into fuel: Frame feedback as a shared project between you and your manager. Things like ‘I’d really like to work on that over the next quarter – could we check in on it then?’ or ‘If I were aiming for a more senior role, what skills would you want to see from me?’

Stuck in a rut with your current manager? Be transparent: ‘My development is really important to me. I’d love to approach our reviews differently – can we try this?’ Most managers want it to work for you, but just don’t have all the answers.

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