Mid-Year Reviews Are a Joke—Unless You Make Them Matter
For leaders, meaningful reviews start with asking better questions—not just "What have you done?" but "What keeps you here?"
Mid-year reviews are more than a chance to assess performance—they’re a rare opportunity to understand what energizes your team, what’s getting in their way, and how you can help them thrive. In fact, your next check-in might be the most important stay interview you ever conduct.
Try these questions to shift the tone:
What gets you excited to come to work each day?
Which tasks or projects give you energy—and which drain it?
What is keeping you here?
If you could change one thing about your job, team or the organization, what would it be?
Leaders who listen with genuine curiosity often uncover the answers to retention, engagement and productivity—not just performance.
The No-Surprises Rule
No one should walk into a review and be caught off guard. Feedback is best when it’s frequent and timely. As Kim Scott notes in Radical Candor, the most effective feedback is given in the moment—not months later when the opportunity for growth has passed.
So ask yourself:
What feedback have I been sitting on that should have been shared weeks ago?
How can I make feedback more of a rhythm than a ritual?
Focus on Strengths and Growth
Employee engagement is critical, and three questions that leaders must ask include:
What percentage of your role includes activities that engage your strengths?
How would you define growth?
What can I do to help get you there?
The goal isn't to deliver feedback and move on—it's to create a two-way conversation that builds trust and strengthens connection.
Leaders, ask yourself:
Do I know what each team member considers their greatest strengths?
How does each person on my team define growth, and am I supporting their individual definitions?
Team Members: Come Prepared to Lead Your Growth
It's important for direct reports to show up prepared as well. This isn't a passive experience where you wait to be evaluated—it's your opportunity to actively shape your development.
Throughout the year, keep track of all the kudos you received. If you have an email folder with those saved accolades, it's easier to refer to specific examples of your impact. Help your leader understand when you are at your best, when you find yourself getting stuck, what you need from them to be more successful and how you are going to hold yourself accountable.
Come ready to discuss: What's gone well this year? What lessons have been hard-earned? Where do you want to stretch in the next six months—and what support do you need to get there?
Team Members, ask yourself:
What evidence do I have of my contributions and growth over the past six months?
When do I perform at my best, and what conditions make that possible?
What specific support do I need from my leader to reach my next level of growth?
How will I hold myself accountable for the commitments I make in this conversation?
The Bigger Picture Matters
We've found that the best mid-year reviews don't just check boxes. They touch on values, culture and the bigger picture. They surface opportunities that might otherwise be missed. And they remind us that leadership isn't about getting it perfect—it's about getting better, together.
We recently worked with a cohort of high-potential leaders in mid-level manager roles who dreaded review season and were anxious about giving honest feedback. Reframing the idea that honest feedback is an act of respect and caring, and incorporating real questions and genuine listening into regular check-ins, opened the door to deeper trust amongst team members leading to better team dynamics and a renewed sense of purpose.
The breakthrough came through "Best of Me" conversation prompts that started with "You get the best of me when..." This simple framework led to truly understanding what conditions allow each person to thrive, what support they need to excel and how to create environments where everyone can do their best work.
Questions to consider for both Leaders and Team Members:
How do our individual goals connect to our team's mission and the organization's values?
What opportunities might we be missing because we haven't had this deeper conversation?
What do we risk by not having this conversation?
Complete these prompts and share them with your team/leader.
"You get the best of me when…"
“You get the worst of me when…”
“This is what I need from you…”
“You can count on me to…”
Making It Sustainable
When mid-year reviews become meaningful conversations about growth, engagement and possibility, they stop feeling like something to get through and start feeling like something to look forward to.
Ready to turn check-ins into real change? We welcome a discussion.
Clarity, connection, and growth start here.
