Prepare for the review conversation

Prepare me for the review conversation.

1. **What I want out of it**, ***in order.* **Rating, scope, money, a specific project, or just to be heard — these need different conversations and you get one**
2. **What they will open with**, given what I submitted
3. **The three things I need said out loud**, even if the meeting goes elsewhere
4. **Questions to ask them:**
   - What would have made this period a level higher
   - ***What they would have done differently in my position*** — **more useful than asking what I did wrong**
   - What they want to see next period, ***specifically enough to check against later***
   - **What is decided elsewhere and not by them** — *worth knowing before pushing*
5. **What to do if the rating is lower than I expected** — ***ask what the specific gap was, do not argue the rating in the room.* **Arguing in the meeting rarely moves it and always costs something**

**Also:**
- ***What not to bring up*** — comparisons to colleagues, anything I am not ready to hear an answer to
- **What to write down during** — ***the commitments, with their wording***
- **What to confirm in writing afterwards**, and how to ask for that without it reading as distrust

⚠️ ***Do not predict what they will say about my performance.*** **Prepare the conversation, not the verdict.**