As a PM, Give Me a 1-10 Rating | John's Tips 2024W34

Learn how I use a private 1-10 rating system in 1:1s with my engineers to gather feedback on my PM performance. Discover how this method drives continuous improvement and fosters actionable insights.

This one was an interesting one, and I’ve been doing it with the engineers on my team for 2 months now with really good outcomes.

In our one-to-one sessions, I’ve introduced a simple yet powerful exercise: I ask them to privately rate my performance as a PM over the last month on a scale of 1 to 10.

Importantly, I don’t require them to share this rating out loud or even write it down (yet) - it’s purely for their own reflection. The purpose here is to remove any pressure or discomfort that might come with quantifying feedback publicly.

After they’ve considered their rating, I ask them a straightforward question: What could I do to improve that rating by just one point?

The aim of this question is to encourage them to think about specific, incremental improvements rather than overwhelming them with the need to identify everything that could be better.

Side note: If you are a PM who doesn’t do 1:1s with your engineers, why not?

You really should be, or else you’re missing out on opportunities to optimize your collaboration and team effectiveness.

This feedback approach draws inspiration from two sources. First, it draws from Kim Scott’s Radical Candor, which I encountered during a training session in a previous role. I even have a page stuck to my monitor with six different feedback methods she recommends, one of which is the scale method:

The concept here is about rating a problem on a scale from 1 to 10 and focusing on moving that rating up by just one point, rather than striving for an elusive perfect 10. Very useful in other scenarios, but also useful in this one too!

The second piece that inspired me to do this was from the episode of Lenny’s podcast with

Nikhyl Singhal

, which delved into the complex area of manager feedback, something I’ve been trying to improve on over the past few years.

Historically, giving and receiving hard feedback hasn’t been one of my strengths. I find it uncomfortable, and it’s an area where I know I need to get better.

Real-world applications? Absolutely.

This wouldn’t be a useful blog without it. One of the most tangible pieces of feedback I received through this method so far involved our Sprint planning process.

An engineer pointed out that we didn’t have enough stories ready for refinement, which was causing delays. I could have easily blamed this on still being in my onboarding phase (three months into the role), but deep down, I knew I wasn’t satisfied using that excuse. This was clearly an area where I needed to step up.

We set a goal to improve this aspect by one point over the following month, focusing on having more stories prepared in advance. We did achieve that goal, and as a result, our Sprint planning became more efficient, leading to a noticeable improvement in our workflow.

Why is this so effective?

The beauty of this method lies in its focus on continuous, manageable improvements. By not asking for the rating directly, I’m reducing the stress and potential fear that often accompany giving critical feedback.

If someone internally rates me a 5, they don’t have to say it - they just need to help me identify what I can do to become a 6.

This approach makes the feedback process less intimidating for them and more actionable for me.

Now, that said, I do have a section on our 1:1 document - by the way, you should have a doc to track tasks from past 1:1s - where they can add the score if they feel comfortable doing so at some point in the future. It’s not something I’m going to force, and we may never end up with a score written down. That’s completely okay.

Can you do it?

Of course! If you’re looking for a way to gather more actionable feedback in your role, whether as a PM or in any position where feedback is crucial, consider giving this Scale Feedback Method a try. It might just be the nudge you need to take your performance - and your team's - to the next level.

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