It is that time again. The time of year when my clients come to me for help with their performance reviews.

No matter if they are done once a year or if your company has them quarterly, performance reviews are a lot.

It’s not just the time. It’s not just digging through emails, Slack messages, Excel spreadsheets, calendars, and your memory banks to remember what you actually did this year.

It’s about all the inner noise that comes with it:

• Self-Doubt Loop“Did I even do anything that mattered this year?”
• Imposter Syndrome:“Someone’s going to realize I just got lucky on that project.”
• Compare and Despair:“I am certain other people have better results to show.”
• Overthinking/Perfectionism:“I need to be concise … and detailed. One more review before I hit send.”
• The “Dim My Light” Narrative:“Better to stay lowkey. I might be overstating my impact.”
• Identity Tangle:“This review makes me question my fit here. Do I even belong?”

And while there’s no way around the performance appraisal … remember this:

Your performance appraisal is one of the most powerful tools you have to drive your career forward.

Over the years of supporting my coaching clients during performance review season, I’ve seen how much easier and clearer the process can be with the right structure and support.

Enter The P.O.S.I. Process

What if you approached your performance appraisal not from fear, but from clarity?

Not from “I hope they see my value,” but from “Here’s the value I know I brought.”

What if you had a simple, repeatable way to reflect on your year that kept you grounded in the truth of your contribution—and in a mindset that supports your next step?

That’s where my P.O.S.I. Process comes in.

You’ve probably heard of the S.T.A.R. method (used for behavioral interviews). It is very effective. As I worked with my clients I knew there had to be an easier way. That is when I reworked the S.T.A.R. method for performance reviews … and infused it with a little something extra: Positive energy.

P.O.S.I. are the first 4 letters in the word positive and the acronym for my process for a reason! This process helps you remain positive throughout the performance review season. P.O.S.I. is your new go-to when the overwhelm and anxiety of doing your performance appraisal starts to build.

Here’s how it works:

P = Projects: Start with the major projects, initiatives, or workstreams you were part of. Big or small—you worked on it? It counts.

What were the key projects I contributed to this year?

O = Objectives: What were the goals of that initiative? What was the why behind the work? How did my work tie into the company’s larger strategic objectives?

What was this project trying to achieve—for the team, the client, or the business?

S = Steps You Took: Here’s where you talk about your role, your actions, and your leadership. What you did to make the project successful.

Where did I lead? What did I influence? What problems did I solve or move forward? What processes did I improve? What tools have I mastered in order to move the project forward? How did I uplevel others’ know-how on the team?

I = Impact: This is the part we cannot skip. You name what changed because of your contribution.

What shifted because of me … for the project, the team, and the org? What can be seen, measured, or felt because I was part of it?

The P.O.S.I. Process works because it helps focus the facts of your recent work.

You pick a project and go. Write your way through the P.O.S.I. Process. Watch your work take on a deeper meaning for you and have you feeling confident about what you did. You will easily align the impact of your work with what your leadership needs to know and what you want to make sure to share.

P.O.S.I. BONUS: Your clarity builds confidence. The inner noise quiets down naturally. The P.O.S.I. Process becomes the springboard to asking for that raise, pivoting to a leadership role or launching a job search and moving to an industry or role that is more reflective of who you are and the work you want to be doing NOW.

The way you describe your work and impact through the P.O.S.I. Process begins to shape what’s possible for you in your next chapter.

The performance review is something you look forward to with positive vibes knowing that it has now become part of your career strategy not something you just have to get done. Can you feel those positive vibes?