Do performance reviews create anxiety and stress for you and your team? You are not alone. Traditional performance appraisal processes based on bell curves and clearly defined ratings can stifle growth, create trust issues, and fail to recognise the full potential of your people.
In "From Ratings to Growth", experienced leader and mentor Vijay Kulkarni provides an approach to a more effective process. This how-to book highlights how you can use empathy rather than judgement and engaging conversations rather than box-ticking on form processes. Vijay Kulkarni shares over 26 years of experience and provides an engaging and human-centred structure underpinned by two thoroughly tested approaches:
The 9-Box Grid—move away from simple performance ratings and examine and develop future potential.
The Ideal Team Player Model understands the reasons behind performance by examining the values of Humble, Hungry, and Smart.

You will learn how to:
Recognise hidden talents and potential leaders in your team.
Have feedback conversations to involve psychological safety and trust.
Create custom development plans for personal and organisational purposes.
Address difficult conversations with empathy and structure, from coaching poor performance to guiding high performers.
Develop a comprehensive leadership succession plan and align overall work activities with the strategic vision using tools like the Balanced Scorecard.

Vijay Kulkarni includes many examples from his professional experience, active reflection (worksheets) for participants, and individual 'Manager's Playbooks' to assist in every application, from building a team to ongoing development.
Please consider this book a roadmap for developing a culture where people feel valued, engaged, and empowered to create and grow. We need to focus on the person and stop evaluating them.

If you are a manager, leader, or HR professional who wants to create a better, more engaged team, this book is your opportunity to journey from ratings to growth.