In this episode, I answer a listener question about how to design a performance review that actually works, and whether peer feedback and 360s are worth the effort. After building performance systems for around 50 startups, my honest take is that peer feedback is conditional. It can drive real behavior change, or it can turn into a polite round of compliments nobody believes. The difference comes down to how you build it, and what sits underneath it.

I walk through what performance management is really for, where most reviews break down, and a framework I call the Trust Stack: the four parts you need in order before any review system holds up.

1. The three questions every performance system has to answer, and what happens when reviews lose track of them
2. How to define good and bad performance using observable behaviors
3. The three main reasons reviews fail
4. Why a feedback culture has to exist before any review system can work
5. The conditions that make peer and 360 feedback useful
6. The Trust Stack

If you want help building a performance system that your team actually trusts, the work I do inside an HR Sprint covers exactly this. Book a free diagnostic call here: https://bit.ly/4lgwLXW

Do you have a question that you’d like me to answer on the podcast? You can reach me at [email protected] or message me on LinkedIn.