Navigating Performance Review

I've always moved through my work quietly, steadily, and with intention. I show up, I support, I anticipate, and I deliver. That has always been enough for me. The world I operate in, however, measures value through metrics, forms, and ratings - structures that never fully capture the depth of what I do or how I do it.

Performance reviews have always felt foreign. They ask for boosting, self-promotion, and quantifying impact in a way that doesn't match my nature. My instinct has always been to brush through it in five minutes, submit the bare minimum, and return to the real work -- because the real work is where my integrity lives.

But this year, something shifted. I decided to meet the process halfway. Not because I suddenly aligned with it, but because I chose to respect how the world measures performance -- even if it's the antithesis of how I measure myself.

With a little more effort, I allowed my voice to expand. I used clearer, more comprehensive language. I named the work I actually do. I acknowledged how I support transitions, how I evolve with the organization, and how I quietly hold structure together behind the scenes.

None of it was boosting. It was simply truth. Truth I've always known but rarely articulate. I chose "Meet Expectations" not out of modesty, but out of honesty. And then - for the first time - I supported that rating with real examples of my contribution. I honored my nature, but I also honored the system just enough to let my work be seen.

This wasn't about the review. It was about reclaiming a little of my voice. It was about learning how to navigate a structure that doesn't define me, but still affects me.

This year, I stepped into the process with integrity. Quietly. Deliberately. In my way.