Reviewed by Anne Boiling for Readers' Favorite

Sam Culbert considers Performance Reviews as intimidation and fear. His reasons for hating performance reviews are:

1. Performance reviews focus on finding faults and placing blame.
2. Performance reviews focus on deviations from some ideal as weaknesses.
3. Performance reviews are about comparing employees.
4. Performance reviews create a competition between boss and subordinate.
5. Performance reviews are one-side-accountable and boss-dominated monologues.
6. Performance reviews are a thunderbolt from on high, with the boss speaking for the company.
7. Performance reviews mean that if the subordinate screws up, then the subordinate suffers.
8. Performance reviews allow the big boss to go on autopilot.
9. The performance review is a scheduled event.
10. Performance reviews give HR people too much power.
11. Performance reviews don't lead to anything of substance.
12. Performance reviews are hated, and managers and subordinates avoid doing them until they have to.

Instead, he proposes a Performance Preview that holds people accountable for their actions and their results. It would give managers and their employees the kind of feedback they need for improving their skills and to give the company more of what it needs.

He purports three questions should be asked:
1. What are you getting from me that you like and find helpful?
2. What are you getting from me/the company that gets in your way and which you would like to have stopped?
3. What are you not getting from me/the company that you think would make you more effective? Tell me how that would help you specifically to do your job better?

While I think the author is right, he could have summarized this and it would have been a little easier for the reader.