Picture this: you’re sitting in your annual review, and your manager says, "You're doing great work. You might even get promoted next year."
Here’s what successful folks know: by the time your annual review arrives, the big decisions have already been made. In many companies, budgets are due before reviews even happen, meaning your manager's hands may be tied.
Research shows men are promoted based on potential while women are promoted based on performance. The good news? Understanding that changes everything - women who use their mid-year review strategically can hear "yes" a full year earlier than those who don't.
How? Use your mid-year review to do the work now. 👇
1. Schedule the meeting
If your company doesn't schedule mid-year reviews, take the initiative:
Hi [boss],
I've been reflecting on the first half of the year and would love to get your thoughts on my progress and how I can set myself up for a strong second half. Can we grab 30 minutes in the next couple of weeks?
2. Use the relational ask formula
Research shows women are significantly more successful, and experience far less backlash, when we use the relational ask formula:
Past Performance + Future Vision + Your Ask + Stop Talking 😊.
Here’s an example:
As you know, in the first half of this year, I've successfully [accomplishment]. I believe we can [future goal] by year end. In order to continue increasing my impact, I wanted to talk about being promoted to VP. What would I need to demonstrate to show I'm ready for that opportunity?
Then stop talking. Let your manager respond.
3. Co-create your checklist
We know that objectivity reduces bias, so you want to walk away with a clear, specific list of what you need to accomplish to hear “yes” at your annual review.
While you’re co-creating this list, you may want to ask clarifying questions like:
What would that look like?
Is there anyone else I need to convince?
If it's not clear HOW you will achieve something on the list, ask about that too. One client was told she needed to demonstrate she could run a P&L - which isn't exactly something you can pop out and buy. When she asked how she could show that, her manager realized he needed to actually give her the opportunity. He did, and 6 months later she got the promotion.
4. Create a paper trail
After the meeting, send a follow-up note confirming what you discussed:
Thank you for taking the time to meet with me today. As you know, we were able to accomplish x in the first half of this year. As we discussed, I enjoy my job and am looking for ways to increase my impact and make it to VP. Based on our conversation, I understand I will need to demonstrate a, b and c to be considered for promotion. I’ll be focusing on these in the second half of this year.
5. Check the boxes, and let others know
Every time you accomplish something on your list, let your manager know by sharing what item on the checklist you achieved AND the impact that achievement has on the business.
Guess what - we delivered a 10% increase in sales! This puts the team in a great position to exceed our annual targets.
This reinforces your performance in real time and creates a searchable paper trail when preparing for your annual review.
The goal is simple: by the time your review rolls around, what you are asking for should feel like a foregone conclusion - something you and your manager have been building toward together for six months - NOT the beginning of a conversation.
Plant the seed now, remove the guesswork, and hand them the answer on a silver platter.
You got this. 🎉
P.S. If you want to figure out your market value before your next negotiation, I was recently quoted in Real Simple on exactly that topic. You can check it out here.
