The Angel Edit: How The Top 1% Prep for Performance Review Conversations

The Angel Edit: How The Top 1% Prep for Performance Review Conversations

Read Time: 5 minutes

Topics Covered: Promotion Strategy, Salary Negotiation, Self-Advocacy, Feedback Loops, Career Ownership

It’s performance review season. And my inbox is flooded with messages that sound like this:

“Hey, my manager’s in town for the first time in three years. How do I bring up a promotion?”

“I’ve got a review meeting in two hours. Any quick tips to negotiate my salary?”

If you’re only thinking about these conversations hours before they happen, you’re already too late.

Top performers know this:

your career is your responsibility, not anyone else’s.

So when you walk into a high-stakes meeting unprepared, without clarity, data, or a relationship to back your ask, you’re putting your success in someone else’s hands.

Imagine if a colleague came to you with a big request out of nowhere, with no context, no track record of building trust, and no groundwork laid, you’d hesitate too.

These conversations aren’t one-offs.

They’re the result of weeks (or months) of thoughtful preparation, from building your business case, to gathering proof of impact, to strengthening relationships with decision-makers.

Here is how you get ahead of the conversation:

1. Track and Quantify Your Wins

Don't wait for the official performance review system to open. You need to proactively build a continuous “win list”.

• Gather Testimonials: Create a simple Google Form or survey to gather data points and verbatims from clients and stakeholders throughout the year. Ask questions like: “On a scale of 1-10, how satisfied were you with my partnership?”
• Use Visuals: Put together visuals of different milestones, events, or highlights. This helps leaders remember your impact over the entire 12 months, rather than just the last couple of projects.
• Collect Data: Be a data collector for your own career. These proof points are essential for building a rock-solid case.

2. Conduct a Continuous Feedback Audit 

Performance is a journey, not a once-a-year conversation. You need to build strong relationships with those who influence decisions.

• Go Beyond Your Manager: Build relationships with peers of your manager and key stakeholders. Ask them how they currently rate your performance.
• Seek Insight: Ask for honest feedback on what they feel it would take for you to get to the next level. This means you enter the official performance conversation with data, proof points, and clarity on the gap you need to close.

3. Practice and Own the Ask

The final step is translating your hard work into a confident negotiation. 

• Rehearse Your Ask: Anticipate tough questions. Practice framing your value using powerful stories and data.
• Frame the Value: Ensure you are recognizing the team's effort and the manager's support. Then, pivot to show how your growth contributes directly to the team and the organization's goals.
• Show, Don't Just Tell: Use your preparation to showcase all the great work you've done. 

Promotions and pay raises aren’t handed out for effort alone.

They’re earned through clarity, strategy, and proactive ownership.

If you want more tools and frameworks like this to truly level up your career, join the waitlist for the Career Accelerator here.

So as you head into review season, ask yourself: Am I being reactive, or am I leading my career?

You’ve got this. Don’t wing it.

Rooting for you, 

Angel Kilian

Founder  l Career inFocus