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As performance season rolls around, make sure your feedback to your reports isn’t a surprise.
Performance review season is a time of year when employees are both most anxious and most hopeful. I’ve seen it many times before: misunderstandings, mismatched expectations, and inevitable surprise when managers’ reviews don’t match personal expectations.
Reviews are supposed to clarify growth, not cloud it. Yet far too often they become moments of shock rather than reflection, leaving people to wonder how feedback went unheard all year. Avoiding that trap means cultivating transparency, consistency, and empathy throughout the year to turn performance reviews from moments of anxiety into meaningful conversations for growth. Whether you manage a large team or lead a small one, this is how you make sure no one leaves the room surprised.
The “no surprises” philosophy
In my organization, we have a simple rule for performance review season: no surprises. If a team member hears something for the first time in their reviews, it’s not their failure; it’s a failure on us as leaders. The “no surprises” philosophy isn’t about being soft, but being fair. It keeps everyone aligned, focused, and accountable, long before that review form is due.
Transparent practices lead to productive performance reviews
Performance reviews should never be a surprise, and the way to avoid this is to lead with transparency all year long using;
- Logic – Leading with transparency is logical because it eliminates ambiguity. When feedback is timely and specific, people understand what’s working, what’s not, and why. Guesswork is replaced with clarity, and team members focus their energy on what truly matters to drive growth.
- Empathy – It’s empathetic because it respects the emotional weight of performance conversations. I’ve seen the surprise feedback knock people off balance, turning what could be a moment for growth into one of doubt, distress, or anger.
- Effectiveness – It’s effective because it starts with trust. When people trust that feedback is honest and consistent, they don’t waste energy guessing where they stand. That clarity builds accountability, confidence, and sustained performance. Supported people don’t just stay engaged, they grow.
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When your performance reviews go as expected with your reports, not only do the team members win, but so do you as their manager.
If clarity, conviction, and a coaching mindset are a part of your leadership principles, this philosophy supports them well. It compels you to stay attentive and be intentional. You aren’t saving up feedback for some big reveal; you’re engaging in the work as it happens, calling the plays mid-field. This means regular self-evaluation; Have I been clear? Have I set the proper expectations? Am I supporting this person’s growth?
What you get is accountability for the leader, not just the report. No vague, year-end summaries, but proactive and specific feedback. You get easier and cleaner reviews. And even more, it reinforces coaching relationships all year long.
Consistent 1:1s
The most reliable way to avoid surprise reviews is to have consistent and structured 1:1 conversations with your direct reports. For 1:1s to be meaningful, they have to be frequent, ideally once a week, or at least every other week. The rhythm matters because feedback loses power when it’s delayed. Regular conversations provide leaders with the opportunity to address small issues before they escalate, recognize successes while they’re still fresh, and track progress in real-time rather than doing so in hindsight.
During these conversations, I focus less on status updates and more on reflection and alignment. I start with questions like, “What’s going well?” and “What’s blocking you?” Once we’ve covered the immediate priorities, I go deeper: “What would you do differently next time?” or “What part of this work challenged you the most?” These questions surface insights about ownership, communication, and decision-making, the raw material for meaningful feedback.
When I notice a pattern or a gap, I bring context. For example, if someone consistently produces quality work but goes quiet when deadlines start to slip, I might say, “Your work is always solid, but when timelines shift and I don’t hear about it until the end, it puts pressure on the rest of the team. Let’s talk about how we can surface those risks earlier.” This anchors the feedback in shared reality rather than assumption and opens space for problem-solving together.
After that dialogue, I reset expectations based on what we’ve discussed – not as a reprimand, but as a realignment. It might sound like, “Let’s make it a habit to flag risks as soon as you sense them, even if you’re not sure yet how big the impact will be,” or, “If something starts to slip, loop me in early so we can adjust priorities together.” Setting or resetting expectations in this way keeps communication open and proactive. It turns feedback into action and reinforces the idea that growth isn’t about perfection – it’s about staying aligned along the way.
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Be specific and actionable
Feedback can’t be vague; otherwise, the results will be ambiguous too. If there’s no measurement, there can be no improvement.
Instead of saying, “You’ve been moving too slowly on your work lately,” opt for specific examples like, “This is the third sprint where the estimates have been missed. Let’s figure out what’s contributing to this pattern.” Both statements address some aspect of the issue, but only one works toward a solution. What’s even better about the second option is that it leaves room for collaboration, understanding, and learning.
Track conversations over time
It’s essential to keep a historical log of 1:1 conversations, not for bureaucratic purposes, but for clarity and continuity. Documenting discussions helps both you and your report see progress over time, spot patterns, and stay accountable to what was agreed on. It also eliminates the need to rely on memory or interpretation when review season comes around. With notes from past conversations, you can trace growth, revisit commitments, and keep feedback grounded in facts rather than impressions. To maximize the productivity of the conversations, both parties should add topics of discussion into a shared doc before the meeting, so that you’re prepared.
Asking for feedback from your reports
Feedback isn’t just top-down; it should go both ways. You want your reports to feel comfortable telling you what they need to make them and the team better, especially if it’s something you can deliver.
Providing feedback isn’t always easy for everyone, and at times, soliciting it can be difficult, too. Here are a few questions I have used to not only receive feedback, but also build psychological safety and trust.
- “Is there anything I can do to make your work easier or more enjoyable?” This question lets them know that you not only care about the result but also how they get there.
- “Am I doing anything to make it harder for you to be successful?” I want to know if I am presenting any roadblocks impeding my report’s progress.
- “I want X to handle this situation, what do you think about that? Is there anything I’m missing?” With this, I invite people into my decision-making process, where appropriate, to ensure I gain the proper perspective and encourage collaboration.
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Final thoughts
A good performance review should feel like a recap, not a reveal. The best ones confirm what’s already been discussed, what’s going well, where someone is growing, and what’s next. When you lead with transparency, provide feedback in real-time, and maintain consistency in the conversation, the review season becomes less about evaluation and more about evolution.
As leaders, our responsibility is to make sure that no one is blindsided. We don’t do this because it’s easy, but because it’s honest. When people know where they stand all year long, performance reviews become what they’re meant to be: a moment to recognize progress, realign goals, and reaffirm trust.
