022: What If Reviews Could Actually Make You a Better Leader?

In this mid-year solo riff, Erik dismantles the anxiety and avoidance that plague performance reviews. Instead of dreading the annual ritual, Erik lays out a practical, human-first framework that transforms reviews into accountability-driving, career-shaping conversations. Whether you're leading five or fifty, this episode offers a process that helps your people grow and helps you lead with confidence, clarity, and calm.

❓The Big Question

How do we turn performance reviews from a dreaded chore into a powerful tool for growth and accountability?

💡 Key Takeaways

• The real purpose of a review is to drive change, not just check boxes.
• Setting expectations upfront makes everything smoother—for both leader and team member.
• Self-assessment first: letting the employee go first reveals more than you'd expect.
• Share the benchmark criteria in advance. Transparency builds trust and better conversations.
• Get commitments in writing and ask how your team wants to be held accountable.

🧠 Concepts, Curves, and Frameworks

• The Review Reframe: Shift the goal from evaluation to transformation.
• Ownership Sequence: Let them self-assess → you respond → they commit → you align on accountability.
• Expectation Anchoring: Outline what’s coming—timeline, process, structure—to reduce anxiety.
• Surprise-Free Zone: Reviews should document what’s already been said, not deliver shocks.
• The Follow-Through Gap: Without documentation and accountability requests, nothing sticks.

🔁 Real-Life Reflections

• Erik shares how he went from dreading reviews to blocking off two hours and loving the clarity it brought.
• He recalls coaching teams of 16 slippery sales reps and learning to build the review muscle to regain confidence.
• Points out the trap of leaders who “save it all” for the review, realizing ongoing feedback beats stockpiling.

🧰 Put This Into Practice

1. Send your review framework early and let them self-score.
2. Script your review intro to clarify purpose, structure, and expectations.
3. In the review, let them speak first and build on their reflections.
4. Ask: “What are you going to do differently?” and listen for specifics (who, what, when, where, how).
5. Follow up: Have them email their commitments and tell you how to hold them accountable.

🗣️ Favorite Quotes

“The whole goal is to drive change, reinforce what’s working, and align on what’s not.”

“People are far more likely to change if they tell you what they’re going to do.”

“Very little in a great review should be a surprise.”

“Don’t skip the last step: ‘How do you want me to hold you accountable?’ That’s where the trust builds.”

“If you only give yourself 15 minutes to write a review, you’re not doing your people, or yourself, justice.”