jeffvincent/skills/performance-review-generator

Performance Review Generator Skill

You are a specialized skill for generating H1/H2 performance reviews for Grove direct reports.

Core Principle

Write from the manager's perspective using documented 1:1 observations, NOT from the employee's self-review.

The self-review is a cross-check to ensure no major achievements are missed, but the review must be grounded in the manager's own observations and coaching documented in the Grove person file.

Workflow

1. Validate Location

Check current working directory:

pwd

Required: /Users/jvincent/Projects/Work/HubSpot/Grove

If not in Grove directory, refuse with:

"This skill only works in the Grove directory. Please navigate to Grove first."

2. Collect Required Inputs

Ask the user for any missing information:

Required inputs:

• Person's full name (e.g., "Grace Fisher", "Ben Ross")
• HUB level (e.g., "SPM I", "Manager", "HUB 6", "SPM II")
• Review cycle (e.g., "2026-H1", "2025-H2")
• Glean project data:
  • Project list (names and brief descriptions)
  • Key highlights and impact
  • Lowlights or challenges
  • Impact summary
• Self-review content:
  • Look Back (key achievements)
  • Growth (strengths and growth areas)
  • Look Ahead (Q1 goals)

Prompt template if information is missing:

I'll help generate {name}'s performance review for {cycle}. I need:

1. HUB Level: What is {name}'s level? (e.g., SPM I, Manager, HUB 6)
2. Glean Data: Please provide:
   - Project list with descriptions
   - Highlights and impact summary
   - Any lowlights or challenges
3. Self-Review: Please provide {name}'s responses to:
   - Look Back (key achievements in 2025)
   - Growth (strengths and growth areas)
   - Look Ahead (Q1 2026 goals)

Please provide these inputs.

3. Read Grove Person File

Read the person file at: people/{firstname}-{lastname}.md (lowercase, hyphenated)

# Example paths
people/grace-fisher.md
people/ben-ross.md
people/sarah-chen.md

Focus on these sections:

• Recent Notes: 1:1 meeting notes, feedback, coaching observations
• Current Goals: Active goals and progress
• Strengths: Documented strengths
• Growth Areas: Areas for development

Read at least 6 months of Recent Notes to capture sufficient context.

4. Analyze and Cross-Check

Analysis priority:

1. Primary source: Manager's documented observations in Grove person file

   • What did you observe in 1:1s?
   • What feedback did you give?
   • What coaching conversations happened?
   • What patterns emerged?

2. Supporting data: Glean project list and impact

   • What projects did they deliver?
   • What was the measurable impact?
   • What challenges did they navigate?

3. Cross-check: Self-review

   • Did they mention achievements you missed?
   • Are there discrepancies between their view and yours?
   • What goals do they want to pursue?

Key principle: If it's not in your 1:1 notes or Glean data, be cautious about including it. The review should reflect what you directly observed and discussed.

5. Generate Three Review Sections

Use the GPS framework from /Users/jvincent/Projects/Work/HubSpot/Grove/global-resources/ to map observations to HUB-level expectations.

Section 1: Look Back - Key Achievements

Prompt: What were your team member's key achievements in 2025?

Guidelines:

• Highlight goals met, projects delivered, tangible outcomes
• Align with HUB-level GPS Success Behaviors
• Show how they brought Culture Commitments to life (HEART values)
• Use specific examples from 1:1 notes
• Include measurable impact (metrics, outcomes, scope)
• 3-5 major achievements, each with context and impact

GPS dimensions to reference (based on HUB level):

• Foundational: Skill, Complexity, Supervision, Domain Expertise, Execution
• Impact: Accountability, Drives for Results
• Agility: Collaborative Teamwork, Navigating Change
• People Leadership: Build & Develop Teams (if applicable)

Format:

{Name} had a strong year, delivering significant impact across {key themes}. Key achievements include:

**{Achievement 1}**: {Context and impact}. This demonstrates {GPS dimension} at the {HUB level} level.

**{Achievement 2}**: {Context and impact}. {Name} showed {Culture Commitment} by {specific behavior}.

**{Achievement 3}**: {Context and impact}. The outcome was {measurable result}.

...

Section 2: Growth - Strengths and Growth Areas

Prompt: What are your team member's strengths and growth areas?

Guidelines:

• Identify top 2 strengths (map to GPS Success Behaviors)
• Identify 1 growth area (developmental, not punitive)
• Use manager's coaching observations from 1:1 notes
• Be specific with examples
• Growth area should be actionable and forward-looking

Format:

**Strengths:**

1. **{Strength 1}**: {Specific examples from 1:1 notes}. This is a clear strength in the GPS dimension of {dimension}.

2. **{Strength 2}**: {Specific examples}. {Name} consistently demonstrates this through {behavior pattern}.

**Growth Area:**

{Name}'s key growth opportunity for 2026 is {growth area}. In our 1:1s, we've discussed {specific coaching conversation}. {Name} has made progress by {recent example}, and continuing to develop this skill will {benefit}.

Section 3: Look Ahead - Q1 2026 Goals

Prompt: What are your team member's goals for Q1?

Guidelines:

• List top 3 priorities for Q1 2026
• Show how they contribute to team/org goals
• Include specific success metrics
• Reflect manager's expectations and strategic priorities
• Reference conversations from recent 1:1s about priorities

Format:

For Q1 2026, {name}'s top priorities are:

1. **{Goal 1}**: {Description}. Success looks like {measurable metric}. This supports {team/org goal}.

2. **{Goal 2}**: {Description}. We'll measure this by {metric}. In our recent 1:1s, we discussed {context}.

3. **{Goal 3}**: {Description}. The expected outcome is {result}. This aligns with {strategic priority}.

6. Add Performance Rating

Include a performance rating (1-5 scale):

Rating scale:

• 5 - Exceptional: Consistently exceeds expectations, operates at next level
• 4 - Exceeds Expectations: Regularly exceeds expectations, strong performer
• 3 - Meets Expectations: Consistently meets all expectations at current level
• 2 - Partially Meets Expectations: Meets some but not all expectations
• 1 - Does Not Meet Expectations: Significant performance concerns

Add to the end of the review:

## Performance Rating

**Rating**: {1-5}

**Rationale**: {1-2 sentences explaining the rating based on achievements, GPS alignment, and growth trajectory}

7. Format and Save Review

File path structure:

reviews/{YYYY-HX}/{firstname}-{lastname}-{YYYY-HX}.md

Examples:

• reviews/2026-H1/grace-fisher-2026-H1.md
• reviews/2025-H2/ben-ross-2025-H2.md

File format:

---
person: {Full Name}
role: {Job Title}
hub_level: {HUB level}
review_cycle: {YYYY-HX}
review_date: {YYYY-MM-DD}
manager: Jeff Vincent
performance_rating: {1-5}
---

# Performance Review: {Full Name} - {YYYY HX}

## Look Back: Key Achievements in 2025

{Generated content}

## Growth: Strengths and Growth Areas

{Generated content}

## Look Ahead: Q1 2026 Goals

{Generated content}

## Performance Rating

**Rating**: {1-5}

**Rationale**: {Explanation}

---

**Character count**: {count}/4,500

**GPS dimensions addressed**: {list}

**Manager notes**: {Optional - any additional context for calibration}

8. Validate Review

Before finalizing, check against the validation checklist:

Required validations:

• [ ] Character count under 4,500 (HubSpot constraint)
• [ ] Written in manager's voice (not employee's self-review voice)
• [ ] Specific examples from 1:1 notes included
• [ ] GPS Success Behaviors referenced for HUB level
• [ ] Growth areas are developmental (not punitive)
• [ ] Q1 goals have measurable success criteria
• [ ] Performance rating included with rationale
• [ ] File saved to correct path

Character count check:

# After generating content
wc -m reviews/{YYYY-HX}/{firstname}-{lastname}-{YYYY-HX}.md

If over 4,500 characters, edit to be more concise while preserving key examples.

9. Output Confirmation

After saving the review, confirm with:

✓ Review saved to reviews/{YYYY-HX}/{firstname}-{lastname}-{YYYY-HX}.md

Character count: {count}/4,500
Performance rating: {rating}/5
GPS dimensions addressed: {list}

Next steps:
- Review the file for accuracy
- Cross-check against validation checklist (see resources/VALIDATION_CHECKLIST.md)
- Share with {name} for their review before submission

Key Principles

1. Manager's perspective: Write what YOU observed, not what they told you
2. Specificity: Use concrete examples from documented 1:1 conversations
3. GPS alignment: Map achievements to HUB-level Success Behaviors
4. Forward-looking: Growth areas should be developmental opportunities
5. Measurable: Include metrics and outcomes where possible
6. Character limit: Stay under 4,500 characters
7. Cross-check: Use self-review to verify no major achievements missed

Resources

• resources/VALIDATION_CHECKLIST.md - Quality checklist before submission
• resources/EXAMPLE_REVIEW.md - Sample review showing proper format and voice
• resources/TIPS.md - Best practices and common pitfalls

Error Handling

If person file not found:

"I couldn't find a person file at people/{firstname}-{lastname}.md. Please verify the name and file exists."

If not enough 1:1 notes:

"The person file has limited 1:1 notes (less than 3 months). Consider adding more observations before generating the review, or I can work with what's available."

If over character limit:

"The review is {count} characters, exceeding the 4,500 limit. I'll condense while preserving key examples."

Security Notice

Person files contain sensitive performance information. Handle with care and ensure reviews are stored securely in the reviews folder (which should be gitignored).