Leadership reviews aren't exams...
... they're forums to move your work forward. Here's how.
I still remember the sweaty palms, the pounding heart, that sinking feeling of “Oh god, it’s my turn.”
Leadership reviews used to feel like school exams — high-stakes, nerve-wracking, and painfully performative. I didn’t realise it at the time, but I was carrying my student mindset into the workplace: thinking I was being evaluated every time I spoke.
I’d rehearse what I wanted to say in my head, trying to get the words just right. Then, when my turn came, I’d fumble through my update — and that’d trigger a barrage of follow-up questions. It felt like an interrogation in front of the entire room.
Now, when I’m in a review, I can see it with more perspective. I see a manager trying to decipher what’s actually going on — trying to connect the dots through questions. I see a young professional growing more anxious, scrambling to say something that makes the grilling stop.
Many such meetings later, I’ve learned to see both sides with more empathy.
The biggest shift? To stop seeing these reviews as an exam. And to start seeing them for what they are: a forum to get help on problems I’m facing; a forum for leadership to gather information, and to help unblock the team.
If you received this from a friend or colleague, please subscribe to The Career Starter Kit to receive it directly in your inbox every week.
What is a leadership review?
It’s that recurring meeting where a senior leader — often your skip-level or even higher — reviews the team’s scorecard with everyone. Its attended by the wider org- your team and your partner teams. Your work likely shows up as one line item in that scorecard, marked red, yellow, or green.
When your turn comes, you give a quick update on your line item. The leader will typically follow-up with a few clarifying questions. There may be some takeaways or next steps to close async. Then it’s on to the next update.
It sounds straightforward. And yet — for a young professional, this is usually the most visible, most expensive and quite possibly the most anxiety-inducing meeting on the calendar.
But leadership reviews don’t exist to make your life miserable.
For leaders, these reviews are an information-gathering forum. Look at it from the leader’s POV: A leader is accountable for delivering outcomes using the people, budgets, and tools they’ve been given. They break those goals down, assign them to teams, and distribute resources — maybe two people working on Goal A with Budget X, and another team on Goal B with Tool Y.
Now, at the end of the cycle, the leader owns the full picture. And throughout the journey, they’re trying to keep tabs on:
Are we on track – or do we need to adjust timelines, expectations or focus?
Are we set up to execute- or do we need to shift resources or step in to remove obstacles?
Are we working towards the right goals – or do we need to pivot based on new information?
Your updates in these reviews are one of the real-time inputs leaders rely on to stay informed. They also help update other partner teams.
As Andy Grove, the legendary Intel leader, put it in High Output Management, “The basic purpose [of these reviews] is to get learning and teaching going between employees several organisational levels apart. The junior person will benefit from the comments, criticisms and suggestions of the senior manager, who in turn will get a different feel for the problems from people familiar with the details.”
Reviews are a structured way for leaders to hear what’s actually happening from the people doing the work. Once you start seeing it that way — as an information exchange, as a teaching and learning forum — the whole meeting starts to feel a little different – less intimidating, more constructive.
What ‘good’ looks like
Leadership reviews don’t judge you for how perfectly things going, or how calmly you say, “All good.” You’re being judged on something far more important — how well you understand your own piece of the puzzle.
Good doesn’t mean everything’s green. Let’s be real — nobody has everything on track all the time. And pretending you do? That’s a red flag in itself.
What good looks like is this clarity:
“Here’s what’s going well, here’s what’s not, here’s what I’m doing about it — and here’s where I could use some help.”
Good means the leader doesn’t have to peel back five layers to figure out what’s going wrong. You’ve already laid it out clearly. You’ve shown you’re on top of things — even the messy bits. And you’ve made it easy for them to step in where needed.
That’s what earns you trust. That’s what builds your credibility.
Getting good at leadership reviews
Start by giving leaders a sharp, clear topline update. Show them how you’re using the resources they’ve handed you — time, tools, team, budget — to move the needle on your goals. That’s the core.
But don’t stop there.
Use the review to share what you’re learning. It could be insights about execution— what’s working, what’s not. It could be signals from your customers, shifts in the competitive landscape, or even patterns you’re noticing within the team. All of that helps leadership update their mental model. It helps them see what’s changing — and what they might need to adjust at their level.
And all that cross questioning from leaders? They’re not meant to grill you – they’re just how leaders ensure they’re gathering the right takeaways, update their mental models, nudge your thinking and figure out where they can help.
The clearer your update, the easier it is for leadership to take away the right insights — and the smoother your review will go.
What does it take to do this? Prep. Lots of prep.
Here’s how to get started:
1. Stay close to the ground — all the time.
Leadership reviews shouldn’t be the first time you are checking in on your own work.
Have a regular cadence of check-ins — whether that’s reviewing dashboards, talking to customers, or syncing with your team. That ongoing rhythm will keep you informed and make prep much easier when review time rolls around.
2. Before your next review, take a step back and ask yourself:
Where am I genuinely stuck?
Where do I need leadership’s help — whether that’s alignment, budget, or a decision?
What have I learnt since the last review that is worth updating leadership on?
3. Frame a sharp update. Ideally, a couple of days before the meeting. Once you know the outcome you want from the review, prep backwards from that. Use this simple structure to get started:
Top-line goal vs current status
“Our goal for the [quarter] is X. We’re currently at Y (vs timeline or milestone).”
What’s on track — and why Give data or a leading indicator that shows why you believe it’s on track.
“Our current run-rate is abc, which puts us on track to exceed the target by Y.”What’s off track — and what you’re doing about it Break this down into:
What’s off track and why
What you plan to do or have already done
Whether you need help from leadership
Here’s an example of what this looks like:
“We’re behind on X because Y happened. Here’s how we handled it, and what we’re doing to get back on track.”
“We don’t need help yet, but if Z happens, I’ll loop you in for [approval/alignment/resource].”
“To get back on track, we’ll need [specific support — extra budget line, a cross-team sync, or approval on Plan B.]”
3. Fill the gaps. As you write, you’ll likely spot areas where you’re unsure of the ‘why’ or don’t have complete data. That’s normal.
Treat that as a signal to investigate — talk to your team, dig into the numbers, connect the dots.
Pro tip: Early in your career, this prep takes longer. Over time, you’ll get faster — because you’d have built in more day-to-day rigour.
4. Share your update with your manager — before the meeting.
Ideally, send it a day in advance. It gives them a chance to fine-tune your messaging, get aligned, and know where they might need to step in to support during the review.
5. If you’re asking for help — let stakeholders know in advance.
If you’re going to raise a blocker, call out a dependency, or request support — especially from someone in the room — give them a heads-up before the meeting. Nobody likes surprises in front of their boss.
Alright, so the prep is done — now comes the moment itself.
During the review: what to keep in mind
Start with a sharp update.
Stick to the format you prepped. Keep it top-line, crisp, and outcome-focused.If follow-up questions come your way, take a breath — and answer as clearly as you can.
You don’t need to sound perfect. You just need to sound like you know what’s going on.If you don’t know something, don’t guess. Say what you know — and what you’ll follow up on.
If you’re unsure, it’s totally okay to say: “My understanding is [X], but let me double-check and I’ll share the right data with you by EOD.”
Trying to wing it and getting caught can hurt your credibility — better to commit to clarity and follow through.If you need help mid-answer? Loop in your manager gracefully.
You can say: “Here’s my view, but I’ll invite [manager’s name] to add their perspective.”
It shows ownership and gives your manager a natural way to jump in.Bonus tip: Don’t zone out when it’s not your turn.
Yes, it’s tempting to check emails or finish that pending deck. But leadership reviews are a front-row seat to what’s top of mind across the org. It’s real-time learning from every level of the business.Here’s what you can pick up by listening in:
What leadership is doubling down on right now
Where pressure is building across teams or goals
What new initiatives or pivots are brewing
How your stakeholders are framing their work — and their wins
That context helps you align better, communicate smarter, and sometimes even pre-empt what leadership might ask you next time.
After the review
Follow through on what you said you would.
If you committed to sharing data, following up on a decision, or reaching out to someone — do it.
Don’t wait to be chased.
Being proactive after a review is one of the simplest ways to build trust and show you’re reliable.
Leadership reviews can feel nerve-wracking — especially early in your career.
And yes, the prep takes time. You might catch yourself thinking, “I could’ve knocked out three other tasks in the time I spent on this one update.”
But here’s the thing: this is one of the highest-leverage meetings on your calendar. It gives you direct visibility to senior leaders. It gives leaders a window into your thinking. And if you use this time well — not just to respond and react, but to proactively move your work forward — the return on that investment is huge.
And over time that prep will get easier. You’ll build more rigour into your day-to-day. Soon, you’ll find that clear, confident updates are your default — not something you scramble to put together last-minute.
The Leadership review Do’s and Don’ts
✅ Do’s
1. Use reviews to move your work forward
→ Don’t just treat them as updates. Think: What support do I need to unlock progress? Start there, and prep backward.
2. Prep like it matters - because it does
→ Review your dashboards. Write down your update. Practice the wording.
3. Lead with the topline
→ Be concise upfront. Then go into context or detail as needed.
4. Be honest about where you need help
→ Clarity and courage count more than pretending everything’s fine.
5. Loop in your manager and stakeholders in advance
→ Share your planned update the day before. It gives them a chance to align, strengthen the message, or step in if needed.
6. Listen to the rest of the review — even when it’s not your turn
→ This is where you pick up what leadership cares about, what your peers are solving for, and how to frame your work in that context.
🚫 Don’ts
1. Don’t pretend everything is under control when it’s not
→ Leadership can sense it, and it delays the help you actually need. Speak up.
2. Don’t hide mistakes or surprises
→ If something went wrong, call it out early. Explain what happened, what you learned, and what you’re doing to fix it — not just this time, but so it doesn’t repeat again.
3. Don’t guess when you don’t know
→ It’s okay to say, “I’ll check and get back by EOD.” That’s better than giving a half-baked answer in the moment.
4. Don’t surprise someone with a call-out or request in front of leadership
→ If you need to raise something about another stakeholder’s work, let them know beforehand. Surprises make people defensive.
What do you find tricky about leadership reviews? What would be on your readership review checklist? I’d love to hear. Please do comment below.