Review season can feel like another task on the calendar, but it’s actually one of the most valuable leadership moments of the year. 

When done well, it gives your team clarity, strengthens alignment, and it sets the tone for the next year.

The real opportunity lies in how you approach it. Most leaders focus on the conversation itself, but the real impact comes from:

• How well you distinguish performance from potential, 
• How clearly you anchor your decisions in evidence, and 
• How thoughtfully you shape what comes next for each person.

This sets a tone for fairness, raises the bar for your team, and gives people a sense of direction they can trust and act on. When it isn’t, the noise around ratings grows louder, development plans become vague, and calibration turns into a negotiation instead of objective decision-making.

This week on The Manager Track, we’re digging into what a well-run review season actually makes possible and why this moment deserves more rigor and attention than it typically gets. 

In this episode, you'll hear both my take and the perspective of several HR leaders who added their point of view. With that, we cover:

• The distinction between performance and potential and why separating them changes everything
• Where common frameworks work, where they break, and what to watch for
• What it looks like to prepare for calibration with clarity and confidence
• How strong leaders use review season as a genuine reset for the year ahead

Listen or watch now on our Website, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and YouTube.

If you want to create more consistency and fairness across your team, or you’re supporting leaders who are heading into reviews, this is an episode worth sharing.

— RESOURCES MENTIONED —

• Grab the free New Manager Toolkit mentioned in the episode: archova.org/freetoolkits
• Learn how to turn your 1-on-1 meetings from time wasters, awkward moments, status updates, or non-existent into your most important and valuable meeting with your directs all week. Learn more at: http://archova.org/1on1-course
• Let us know what you think by sending an email to contact@archova.org
• Schedule a Leadership Strategy Call with Ramona: HERE
• Grab your copy of Ramona's best-selling book 'The Confident & Competent New Manager: How to Rapidly Rise to Success in Your First Leadership Role': https://amzn.to/3TuOdcP

— OTHER EPISODES YOU MIGHT LIKE —

• Episode 279 - The Behaviors That Make or Break Team Performance
• Episode 67 - How Do You Measure Your Own Performance?

— WHAT’S NEXT? —

Learn more about our leadership development programs, coaching and workshops at archova.org.

Grab your copy of Ramona's best-selling book 'The Confident & Competent New Manager: How to Rapidly Rise to Success in Your First Leadership Role': amzn.to/3TuOdcP

Want to better understand your leadership style and patterns? Take our free quiz to discover your Manager Archetype and learn how to play to your strengths and uncover your blind spots: archova.org/quiz

Are you in your first manager role and don't want to mess it up? Watch our FREE Masterclass and discover the 4 shifts to become a leader people love to work for: archova.org/masterclass

Love the podcast and haven’t left a review yet? All you have to do is go to ramonashaw.com/itunes and to our Spotify Page, and give your honest review. Thanks for your support of this show!

If this episode inspired you in some way, take a screenshot of you listening on your device and post it to your Instagram Stories, and tag me @ramona.shaw.leadership or DM me on LinkedIn at linkedin.com/in/ramona-shaw

* Disclaimer: Shownotes may contain affiliate links. That means that I am awarded a small commission for purchases made through them, at no added cost to you.