Advocating for Your Team's Ratings in Calibration
Playbook
How to advocate for your team's ratings in calibration: walking in with evidence, knowing which ratings are contestable, and holding the line.
Manager Guides
Short, act-on-able checklists for the conversations managers actually dread: below-expectations reviews, promotion refusals, probation outcomes, and calibrating a team fairly.
Each guide takes one conversation you have to lead and sets out what to prepare, what to say, and what to do afterwards.
The Perform Review AI Coach takes the same ground deeper, writing a full session around your own goal and your own conversation, with a new session every month.
Looking at the other side of the table? See Career Guides.
Calibrating Ratings Fairly Across a Team
Playbook
How to calibrate performance ratings fairly across a team: rating against evidence, catching recency and pattern bias, and documenting why.
Coaching an Underperforming Employee Back on Track
Playbook
How to coach an underperforming employee back on track before a formal PIP: naming the gap, diagnosing the cause, and building a plan that works.
Direct Report Questions Checklist
Checklist
Performance review questions a manager should ask a direct report: reflecting on the period, uncovering blockers, and checking your own impact.
First-Time Manager's Performance Review Checklist
Checklist
A first-time manager's checklist for their first review cycle: learning the process, building an evidence habit, and calibrating expectations.
How to Check In With a Team Member Who Seems Checked Out
Conversation Guide
How to check in with a team member who seems checked out: opening with observation rather than accusation, and asking before you assume the cause.
How to Deliver a Below-Expectations Performance Review
Conversation Guide
How to deliver a below-expectations performance review: how to open, how to give the real reasons, and how to handle a difficult reaction.
How to End a Probation Period
Conversation Guide
How to run the end-of-probation conversation for both outcomes: confirming a pass with real feedback, and delivering a fail with clear reasons.
How to Give Feedback to a Direct Report Who Gets Defensive
Conversation Guide
How to give critical feedback to a defensive direct report: opening without triggering a shutdown, and what to do when they argue or deflect.
How to Handle a Direct Report Who Gets Emotional During a Review
Conversation Guide
How to handle a direct report who gets emotional during a review: pausing instead of pushing through, without walking back the feedback.
How to Resolve a Conflict Between Two Team Members
Conversation Guide
How to resolve a conflict between two team members: talking to each separately first, running the joint conversation, and making it stick.
How to Run the First 1:1 After a Performance Review
Conversation Guide
How to run the first 1:1 after a performance review: reconnecting after a formal rating and getting back to a normal working rhythm.
How to Talk to a Direct Report About Missed Deadlines
Conversation Guide
How to talk to a direct report about missed deadlines: opening with the pattern rather than the latest miss, and agreeing on what changes.
How to Tell Someone They Didn't Get the Promotion
Conversation Guide
How to tell a direct report they didn't get the promotion: how to open, what to say, how to handle the reaction, and how to give them a real path forward.
Performance Review Season Checklist
Checklist
A manager's end-to-end performance review season checklist: calibration prep, scheduling, ratings, delivery, and the follow-up after close.
Probation Period Management Checklist
Checklist
A manager's checklist for managing someone through probation: setting expectations, structured check-ins, and reaching a clear decision.
Rebuilding Team Morale After a Difficult Review Cycle
Playbook
How to rebuild team morale after a difficult review cycle: naming what happened, checking in with those who took it hardest, and moving forward.
Running Fair Reviews for a Remote or Hybrid Team
Playbook
How to run fair performance reviews for a remote or hybrid team: checking for proximity bias and building evidence that doesn't rely on visibility.
Team Review-Writing Checklist
Checklist
A manager's checklist for writing performance reviews across a large team: batching, templates, evidence systems, and timeboxing that work.
Writing a Fair Review for Someone Who Was on Leave During the Cycle
Checklist
How to write a fair performance review for someone who was on leave: prorating fairly, gathering evidence from before they left, and re-entry.
Writing a Review for a Direct Report You Inherited
Playbook
How to write a fair review for a direct report you inherited: gathering secondhand input, weighting old feedback, and being honest about the gap.