Case Study

As performance review season approached, challenges surfaced across the organization:

• People Managers lacked tools and confidence to lead effective performance conversations. 
• Individual Contributors were unclear on expectations and how to advocate for themselves.
• Teams experienced inconsistent review practices and growing anxiety around feedback and promotion.

Design and implement a learning solution that empowered both People Managers and Individual Contributors to:

• Navigate performance reviews with psychological safety.
• Improve clarity, confidence, and consistency in conversations.
• Build a scalable, people-centered approach to performance enablement. 

To meet the challenge, I led the end-to-end development and delivery of a multi-pronged learning strategy:

• Needs Assessment: Conducted dual-sided diagnostics (Managers + ICs) to identify key gaps and opportunities.
• Stakeholder Alignment: Partnered with HR and the project sponsor to align on strategy and learning goals.
• Customized Learning Spaces: Designed separate sessions for Managers and ICs to support open dialogue and peer learning.
• Content Development: Created all training materials, coaching guides, and session assets—grounded in real employee stories.
• Delivery & Facilitation: Co-led sessions with HR leaders across time zones; provided session recordings and resource-rich recaps.
• Ongoing Support: Measured impact through surveys, follow-ups, and peer-learning initiatives on internal platforms.

This was the first time AWS had created dedicated learning spaces for both People Managers and ICs during performance review season.

Key Outcomes:

• Increased Manager Confidence: Post-training surveys showed significant gains in managers’ confidence to lead effective reviews.
• Improved Employee Engagement: ICs felt more supported and prepared to advocate for their career growth.
• Scalable Model: The program was adopted across teams as a best practice for people-centered enablement.

“I thought this session was extremely insightful. I loved hearing real examples from employees—it made everything feel more actionable.”

“This was my first session at Amazon, just one week in. I learned so much—it gave me a roadmap for shaping my career here. Thanks, Kikelomo!”

“I’ll definitely start working on a brag sheet and promotion doc after this. It gave me clarity I didn’t even know I needed.”