Hey {{first_name | Founder}},
Most appraisal conversations in Delhi NCR are already over.
And most of them changed nothing.
A founder here in Cyber City told me this last week.
Team of 26 people.
Spent 9 days doing appraisals.
Every employee got feedback.
Every employee got a hike.
Two of his best performers still resigned within 30 days.
This isn’t a hiring problem.
It’s how appraisals are being run.
Most founders treat appraisals as a backward-looking conversation.
What did you do this year.
Where did you fall short.
Here’s your rating.
Here’s your hike.
Conversation over.
On paper, everything looks fair.
In reality, nothing moves.
Your best people walk out feeling:
“I did a lot… but what exactly am I building here?”
Your average people walk out thinking:
“Cool. Same job. Slightly more money.”
And you repeat the same conversation next April.
The companies that retain their best people in Gurgaon don’t run appraisals like this.
They flip the entire conversation.
They treat appraisals as a forward-looking contract.
Not review.
Contract.
The conversation sounds different.
Instead of:
“Here’s how you performed.”
It becomes:
“Here’s what you will own for the next 12 months.”
Specific ownership.
Clear outcomes.
One number that defines success.
Example.
Instead of telling your marketing lead:
“You need to improve lead quality.”
You say:
“You own ₹40 lakh pipeline from inbound in the next 12 months.”
Now both of you know what winning looks like.
Or your ops manager.
Not:
“Operations need to be smoother.”
But:
“You own reducing project delays from 18% to under 5%.”
Now the role has weight.
Direction.
Clarity.
And here’s what changes when you do this.
Your best people stay.
Because they can see a path.
Not just a salary.
Your average people either step up.
Or they expose themselves quickly.
And you stop having the same vague conversations every year.
This is the uncomfortable truth.
Most founders think hikes retain people.
They don’t.
Clarity does.
If someone leaves after a fair hike, it’s rarely about money.
It’s because they don’t know what they’re growing into.
Next time you sit across someone for an appraisal, try one shift.
Don’t end the conversation with a percentage.
End it with ownership.
One role.
One outcome.
One number.
Make it so clear that both of you can look at it 12 months later and say:
“Done” or “Not done.”
That’s when appraisals start working.
Rohan
FounderSignal
PS:
Forward this to whoever runs HR or team in your company.
Wednesday I'm breaking down the one marketing channel most Gurgaon founders completely ignore.
And why it's quietly generating more conversations than LinkedIn and cold calls combined.