Even well-designed performance reviews can end up rewarding self-promotion over performance. 
 
Most firms put a lot of effort into trying to get this right. But something I've seen play out more than once — and that often goes unexamined — goes something like this. 
 
Someone relatively new is put forward for a high rating on the back of a strong first impression. Visible, polished, confident, and strongly supported by influential people. 
 
Alongside that, there are concerns — but not from voices that have the ear of decision-makers. Around judgement, discretion, or how they operate day-to-day. 
 
When those are aired, they are not given much weight assuming they are acknowledged at all. 
 
The rating goes through. The individual is labelled as high potential. 
 
They are on the fast track to feeling untouchable. 
 
Over time, those early concerns cause real problems. 
 
If performance evaluations are meant to be a fair and accurate assessment of performance, this is where they can fall short. 
 
When we reward self-promotion and strong sponsorship without properly testing the underlying performance, we send a message about what really counts.  
 
And the inverse risk is just as real. People who deliver consistently, carefully, and ethically often don't publicise their impact. They are not performative — they perform. They are the lifeblood of the firm, and often the platform that more individualistic individuals stand on. 
 
If firms aren’t careful, they lose them. And that is when they realise they have a very difficult hole to fill. 
 
Performance reviews are moments when trust is built or eroded — when the firm sends a powerful signal about what it really values. 
 
We need to look twice at who appears impressive, and check how their results are delivered. Is there a gap between appearance and reality? 
 
Otherwise, we risk rewarding confidence over judgement, and self-promotion over integrity. 
 
How well do your performance reviews really distinguish between the two? 
 
If this is something you’re thinking about — particularly in building a genuinely high-performance culture — I’m always interested to compare notes. Get in touch.