Performance Review Cartoon – When Confidence Meets KPI Reality

Ravi
Dec 1
2 min read

Black and white performance review cartoon showing a female manager telling an employee that while his self-appraisal claims he “moved the needle,” the KPIs show it actually moved in reverse.

What Inspired This Performance Review Cartoon

Performance reviews are fascinating because they reveal two parallel universes: the story we tell ourselves about our work, and the story the KPIs tell the organisation.

This cartoon comes from that uncomfortable — but hilarious — gap. As someone who has watched this dynamic unfold over and over again, I couldn’t resist capturing the moment in a single frame.

The Gap Between Self-Appraisal Narratives and KPI Reality

I’ve seen employees walk into appraisal meetings full of confidence, armed with perfectly polished self-appraisal narratives.

They talk about “moving the needle,” “pivoting,” “driving impact,” and all the classic pieces of corporate jargon. But when the KPIs appear on the screen, the room suddenly feels colder.

This cartoon was born from that contrast — the difference between the narrative and the numbers.

Corporate Jargon and the People Who Thrive on It

Every workplace has a few people who thrive not because of what they deliver, but because of how impressively they talk about what they intended to deliver.

Some individuals are experts at:

reframing failures as “strategic pivots”
calling chaos “agile adaptation”
labelling inaction as “thoughtful prioritization”
selling jargon as impact

They survive — sometimes even thrive — on optics, not outcomes. This cartoon is my gentle nudge at that archetype.

How Do Performance Reviews Work in Your Workplace?

I’d love to hear your experiences:

Have you worked with someone who “moved the needle”… but backward?
Do self-appraisals usually match reality in your workplace?
Have you seen people talk their way into great ratings despite poor outcomes?
Or maybe you’ve seen the opposite — people who worked hard but couldn’t package their narrative well enough?
Does your workplace reward delivery, storytelling, or both?

Share your thoughts — I will read every comment and give a candid response.

If you liked this one, you might also enjoy other cartoons on performance reviews.