Performance & the Yardstick
Ratings are relative to the level, not to each other. • Optimize the review process for speed; never optimize an individual's due process for speed.
Overview
The firing half of the system does not begin with firing. It begins with the same yardstick the hiring half used, now pointed at people already on the team. If you cannot state "at expectations" for a given level in writing, you have no standing to call anything "under" it. This part sets up the measuring instrument so the harder parts that follow are fair.
The rubric is the hiring pillars, in review clothing
Use the same pillars from Part 02, rated against the bar for the person's level. A compact, level-relative scale works best — for example Exceeds · Meets · Developing · Below — because it forces the rater to compare the person to their level's expectations rather than to their peers. A strong senior and a struggling staff engineer are judged against different bars, and the scale makes that explicit.
| Rating | Meaning against the level bar |
|---|---|
| Exceeds | Consistently above the bar for the level; role-models the behavior |
| Meets | Reliably at the bar; growing as expected |
| Developing | Below on some pillars; needs guidance and support over a defined window |
| Below | Consistently under the bar; not a match unless something changes soon |
A separate cycle-wide rating names the tiers
Alongside the pillar ratings, a small company-wide set of tiers names where someone stands overall, and two of those tiers are load-bearing for this system:
- Top tier — consistently far above the bar; a model for the values.
- Strong — meets and sometimes exceeds; growing well.
- Coach & support — appreciated but inconsistent; receives clear guidance and support over a defined three-to-six-month window. This is the formal "on notice" tier.
- Off-track — has consistently not met expectations over a period; signals "not a match unless there are immediate changes." This is the pre-exit tier.
Naming these tiers matters. "Coach & support" is not a vague worry; it is a declared state with a clock and a support commitment. "Off-track" is not a surprise; it is a state the person has already been told they are in. The tiers are what make the no-surprises promise operational.
Speed on the process, fairness on the person
Keep the cycle lightweight so it actually happens: twice a year, a six-month look-back, self-assessment plus manager assessment plus upward feedback shared only with the skip-level, and no heavyweight 360 unless a specific case needs it. The goal is a cadence managers will run honestly rather than dread. But the individual's due process — a written plan, a fair window, correct pay, sign-off — is never where you save time. The lightweight cycle is what earns you the right to move fast; the individual protections are what keep it fair.
The forward-looking growth artifact
Each person keeps a one-page growth document they fill in themselves: their top interests, where they want to be at six, twelve, and twenty-four months, and what they need from their manager. It is brought to a one-on-one and revisited. This does two jobs at once. It orients coaching toward what the person actually wants, and it quietly builds the paper trail that expectations were set collaboratively — which is exactly what you want on file if the relationship later moves toward an improvement plan.