Putting Your Performance Review Into Action (Part 1)
So, you’ve survived performance review season. The meetings are done, the feedback is delivered, and the document is signed. Now what? For most people, the review gets filed away in a digital drawer, never to be seen again until next year. But if you want to actually grow your career (and make next year’s review a breeze), this is exactly where the real work begins.
In this episode of The Glass Sessions, we kick off a two-part series on how to turn that static document into a dynamic roadmap for your year. We break down the immediate steps you need to take to move from feedback to clarity, ensuring that you aren't just "busy" this year, but impactful.
Actionable Tips & Takeaways
Translate Feedback into Measurable Goals
Decode the vague themes: Feedback often comes in broad strokes like "be more strategic" or "improve communication." Your first job is to translate these into concrete, measurable actions. What does "being strategic" actually look like in your daily role?
Make it trackable: If you can’t measure it, you can’t prove you did it. Turn qualitative feedback into quantitative goals (e.g., "Lead 3 cross-functional projects" instead of "Collaborate more").
Use AI to Find Your Blind Spots
Your objective analyst: We’ve said it before, and we’ll say it again: AI is your career co-pilot. Paste your review text into a tool like ChatGPT (anonymized!) and ask it to identify core themes, strengths, and potential blind spots. It can often spot patterns in the language that you might miss because you are too close to the work.
Align with Your Manager’s Priorities
The "Secret Sauce" of promotion: Your goals shouldn't exist in a vacuum. Ask your manager explicitly: "What are your top priorities for this year?" Then, build your goals to directly support their success. When you solve your boss’s problems, you become indispensable.
Check for alignment: Don't assume you know what matters most. A quick confirmation conversation can save you months of working on the wrong things.
Identify and Close Skill Gaps
Build a learning plan: Once you know what you need to achieve, identify the skills you are missing to get there. Do you need a course on data analysis? A mentor for public speaking? Be proactive in building a curriculum for yourself (refer back to our "Continuous Learning" episode!).
Create Simple Systems
Don't rely on willpower: Ambition is great, but systems are better. Set up simple tracking mechanisms - like a monthly calendar reminder to review your goals - so that progress happens on autopilot rather than in a mad dash at the end of the year.
Tips for Managers
Co-Create the Plan
Don't just dictate: The best goals are the ones employees feel ownership over. Sit down with them to translate their feedback into a plan. Ask, "How do you see yourself tackling this area of growth?"
Clarify the "North Star": Your team can't align with your priorities if you haven't shared them. Be explicitly clear about what the department's focus is for the year so they can hook their individual wagons to that train.
Support the "How": If you give feedback that requires a new skill, help them find the resources (budget, time, or mentorship) to acquire it. Expecting growth without providing support is a recipe for burnout.
Your performance review isn't the finish line; it’s the starting gun. By taking the time now to translate feedback into a clear, aligned, and systemized plan, you set yourself up for a year of intentional growth rather than reactive survival.
Stay tuned for Part 2, where we’ll discuss how to maintain this momentum throughout the year!
