Your agency doesn't have a sales problem. It has a people problem. I spent 15+ years building teams, from scrappy startups, to scaling tech companies, to huge agencies like GroupM and WPP. Now, I give small agency owners the SOPs, frameworks, and hard truths they need to build high-performance cultures that run without them.
The TL;DR, Giving You An "Exceeds Expectations" On Your AI Review
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A bi-weekly roundup of eerily similar performance reviews February 22 - March 7 Where Do You Fall On The Tech Bell Curve?There's a bell curve in terms of technology adoption:
This curve doesn't only represent whether someone uses a technology or not, but also how they use it. When computers first launched there was a bell curve in terms of who knew they existed, then a bell curve of who had a home PC, then a bell curve of people who used computers to send emails, and today there's a bell curve in how people use AI. ChatGPT launched in 2022, blew everyone's minds, and now in March 2025, the AI market is valued at $196 billion. Whether you like it or not, AI is big, it's everywhere, and you're on that AI utilization bell curve...somewhere. My 83 year old father is on the AI bandwagon. If you've never used ChatGPT, then you're probably an AI Laggard. Later this month, I'm going to be hosting a webinar looking at a particular work practice- performance reviews- and the different ways the AI adoption bell curve has transformed how people are doing them. It shouldn't be a shock- people are using AI for performance reviews- and as I assemble my research, I'd love to hear from you: How do you use AI for performance reviews?
As newsletter subscribers, you get special access to step into the workshop and hear some early examples of how people TODAY are using AI to make performance reviews harder, better, faster, stronger. I've been conducting a litmus test on how AI is being used right now (especially as many organizations are coming out of their performance review season) and here's what people have said so far: Individual ContributorsI used AI to help me write my performance review. I input everything I worked on in the last half, plus all of my goals for the upcoming year, and it helped me put together a robust and comprehensive review. ManagersI have found it especially helpful for 'hard conversations.' I use it frequently to help me clarify my thinking before a conversation." HR LeadersWe encouraged managers to use Gemini (vs. CultureAmp, the tool we use) to help them craft feedback that is objective and sends the tone / message they want to send. e.g., 'Gemini, here is my draft, can you point out where it may be murky or need more objective data?' I worked on our performance management process and one thing we did was create a GPT that employees and managers could use to quickly find answers to their performance-related questions. In some of our materials for the performance review season, we highlighted how to simply and effectively utilize AI in your performance reviews. We emphasized the importance of using quality inputs and checking the 'final product' that AI gives you. Company-wide, we encourage all employees to utilize AI in what they’re doing, especially administrative stuff that will save time for all of us to focus more on the strategic side of what we do. However, I would agree that for performance reviews AI should be used more as a writing assistant for this purpose than a performance management advisor: this is where the inputs really matter. If you have a specific tracker or document to give it, that could be helpful to enrich the writing. Business LeadershipWe already had pretty high completely of our performance reviews (thank you leadership team who leads by example), but I do think overall reviews looked more robust this year compared to previous years. There is a need and desire amongst employees for greater guidance and guardrails on how to use AI, when to use it, etc but that guidance doesn't exist and thus we end up all over the place. HR leadership desires guidance too but the widespread adoption of AI has been so rushed and expansive it's hard to wheel it in. We realized AI was being used for performance reviews by managers after senior leaders noticed the feedback and language was eerily similar across candidates. When leaders asked, folks did admit that AI helped them do their reviews faster. The overall consensus was that the quality dipped, but they also admitted there wasn't any guidance given from HR on how to use it, let alone how to use it for reviews. Listen, everyone's on a different journey in a different context and I'm not intending for these twelve anecdotes to make you feel "ahead" or "behind." Instead, I want you to recognize that you, your employees, and the world you live in is getting forced on the AI rollercoaster ride and you can sit in the front, the middle, or the back, but you can't pretend that you're not on it. My vote? You should CHOOSE to sit near the front. Get inspired. Try something. Get uncomfortable. Make a mistake. Don't sweat getting on the early access list for the next Claude model to drop, but try using Claude with an email this week. If you're at a small marketing agency, this is the time to scooch a few seats closer towards the front. The marketing space is innovating faster than many other industries, a smaller organization can pilot and adopt new tech much faster, and martech vendors are shoving AI features into every hole their engineers can find. You're on the faster track- get with it. Pencil into your diary March 27th at 12pm EST for that upcoming webinar. Stay tuned! A TL;DR from the CROI checked with AI and your performance this year has been a little snooty. -Roman Noodles, Chief Ruff Officer A TL;DR from our sponsorsA TL;DR from the Archive- 10 Things I Hate About Remote WorkLater this month, 10 Things I Hate About You will celebrate its 26th anniversary. Revisit our guide on navigating remote work, as seen through the eyes of Kat Stratford and heartthrob Patrick Verona as they begrudgingly collaborate and end up falling in love...with their headsets and sweatpants.
My friend group has been using BoardGameArena a lot this winter. This website, where you can play hundreds of board games virtually, feels anachronistic:
What I've discovered is that I can emotionally only handle one virtual board game at a time. Sure, my playtime is about 5 minutes and then I have to wait until everyone else takes their turn, but it's constantly occupying my mindshare:
Some of the top BGA players are juggling dozens of different games at the same time. Ain't nobody got time for that. Theorycrafting my next move for hours, Dan from Learn to Scale Opt-out from the newsletter | Unsubscribe from all emails | Update your Preferences | | www.learntoscale.us, Boston, MA 02119 PS. These kittens serving burgers and fries in McDonalds should really be wearing gloves. |
Dan Newman
Your agency doesn't have a sales problem. It has a people problem. I spent 15+ years building teams, from scrappy startups, to scaling tech companies, to huge agencies like GroupM and WPP. Now, I give small agency owners the SOPs, frameworks, and hard truths they need to build high-performance cultures that run without them.
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