Unlocking Growth Through Talent Reviews: A Guide for Startup Leaders


As a startup founder or leader, you’re constantly balancing urgent execution with long-term vision. You’re scaling teams, testing ideas, and making countless decisions every day. But one of the highest-leverage activities you can invest in, especially as your team grows beyond 20–30 people, is a talent review.

Talent reviews help you step back from the day-to-day and ask: Do we have the right people in the right roles for where we’re going next?

Here’s why they matter, and how to run one effectively.

Why Talent Reviews Are Critical for Startups

  1. Clarity on Performance and Potential

    Startups move fast. As teams grow, it becomes harder to keep track of who’s thriving, who’s struggling, and who’s ready for more. A regular talent review offers a structured way to evaluate current performance and future potential, beyond gut feel or one-off feedback.

  2. Proactive Succession Planning

    Even in early-stage companies, you need to be thinking about future leaders. Who could step into a key role if someone leaves or the org doubles in size? Talent reviews help identify successors and areas where leadership development is needed.

  3. Retention and Engagement

    When you recognize and develop high-potential employees, they’re more likely to stay and grow with you. Talent reviews surface these individuals and spark meaningful career conversations (before they start looking elsewhere!).

  4. Strategic Hiring

    By assessing the gaps in your current talent, you can be more focused and intentional in your external hiring. It ensures you’re not just filling seats, but building the team that can take you to your next stage.

How to Run a Talent Review

You don’t need to over-engineer it. Even a lightweight process can yield powerful insights. Here’s how to get started:

1. Define What “Great” Looks Like

Clarify what strong performance and high potential mean in your company. Align with your leadership team on how you define:

  • Performance: How well someone is delivering on outcomes, collaborating, and modeling your values.

  • Potential: Their ability to take on broader or more complex roles in the future.

Use simple rating scales or a talent matrix (like 9-box) if helpful, but don’t get bogged down in frameworks. The goal is clarity and conversation.

2. Gather Input from Managers

Ask managers to evaluate their team members on performance and potential. Encourage them to come prepared with examples. If you’re a smaller company without many layers, you might do this exercise together with your leadership team.

3. Facilitate a Leadership Calibration Session

Bring your leadership or functional leads together to review talent across teams. This helps ensure consistency, reduce bias, and highlight shared insights. Questions to guide the discussion:

  • Who are our top performers and how are we developing them?

  • Who’s ready for more?

  • Where are the biggest capability gaps?

  • Who may need support or coaching?

4. Identify Actions and Owners

Don’t let the review sit in a slide deck. Translate insights into action:

  • Promotions or stretch opportunities

  • Mentorship or coaching plans

  • PIPs or exit conversations if needed

  • Strategic hiring decisions
    Assign clear owners and timelines to follow through.

5. Close the Loop

Ensure managers are following up with their team members. A talent review isn’t a secretive exec-only exercise - it should lead to more clarity and development for your people.

Final Thoughts

In the early days of a startup, decisions about people often feel intuitive. But as your company scales, you need structure to keep your team aligned, motivated, and future-ready. Talent reviews help you do just that.

So carve out a few hours, bring your leaders together, and ask: Do we have the team we need to win?

You might be surprised by what you discover.

Want to learn more or find someone to guide you through this process? Book a free consultation with the team at Talent-Elevated today!

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