Most performance systems are ceremonies that produce nothing. Run yours through an Operator, an Empath, a CEO, a CFO, and a Skeptic — and design something that actually changes behavior.
The panel debates frequency (annual vs continuous), scope (rating vs feedback), and what the system is actually for.
The Operator and Skeptic design PIPs that are honest exits or honest revivals — not theater.
The CEO debates how to prevent grade inflation without forcing artificial distributions.
The CFO and Operator debate whether and how reviews should connect to comp.
Real questions. Multiple expert perspectives. Every time.
“Annual reviews vs quarterly vs continuous feedback — what fits our 25-person team?”
“Should we use ratings, no ratings, or rankings?”
“Force-rank distributions — useful or destructive at our scale?”
“PIP design for a long-tenured employee struggling with a new role?”
“Should performance reviews directly drive compensation, or be separated?”
“360-degree reviews — for everyone, for managers, or skip?”
Each expert thinks independently — they won’t just agree with each other.
The Operator
Turns strategy into the boring, sequenced work that actually ships.
The Empath
Reads the emotional, cultural, and team dynamics behind the decision.
The CEO
Holds the through-line on company strategy and stakeholder trade-offs.
The CFO
Pressure-tests unit economics, runway, and capital allocation.
The Skeptic
Questions every premise. Finds blind spots others miss.
A synthesized recommendation from your team of experts — not just opinions, but structured analysis.
Moderate Agreement
Key Recommendations
Synthesized Recommendation
Continuous feedback with semi-annual formal check-ins, not annual reviews. Use a 3-tier rating (exceeds / meets / below) for calibration purposes only — not public to employees. Decouple ratings from comp; compensation tied to role-level and market data with discretionary performance bonus. Skip force-ranking at your scale.
Full analysis continues with detailed reasoning, trade-offs, and next steps...
Watch Out For
Expert Opinions
The Empath represents what employees actually experience — usually different from what the policy intended.
The Skeptic blocks design choices that exist to look rigorous without producing behavior change.
The Operator weighs how each piece (cadence, ratings, comp link, calibration) interacts with the others.
Output includes a starter policy document you can iterate with HR/legal.
The questions people ask before they sign up.
Most companies under 50 employees should skip public ratings and use private calibration. Above 200 employees, formal ratings often help comp consistency. The Boardroom will calibrate against your specific stage and culture.
Quarterly check-ins with semi-annual formal reviews is the modern pattern for fast-moving companies. Annual reviews are recall-biased and behaviorally inert; the Boardroom will pressure-test your specific cadence.
Mixed evidence — direct links create defensive dynamics in reviews; decoupling can produce confusion about how comp actually moves. The Operator will design a hybrid that fits your culture.
Often a role-design problem, not a performance problem. The Empath and Skeptic will pressure-test whether the issue is fit or capability — different interventions for each.
Yes — share the role, the gap, and the proposed PIP structure, and the panel will pressure-test whether it's an honest plan or theater. Honest PIPs have clear criteria and a real chance of success; theater PIPs are usually exits in disguise.
Yes — sessions are private to your account. You can debate sensitive performance decisions without exposure.
Adjacent decisions, audiences, and methods inside SynthBoard.
When the performance system surfaces a real issue.
ExploreThe comp side of the performance system.
ExploreRecurring operator advisor.
ExploreSaaS-specific performance management patterns.
ExploreHow AI debate compares to HR consulting.
ExploreHand the policy to the Skeptic before rollout.
ExploreHow multi-Synth debate works.
Explore250 bonus credits at signup. 150 free every month. No card required.