Rhythms
Your monthly review
Decide which responsibilities to keep, improve, or retire using the work you actually completed.
The monthly review asks a bigger question than whether your employee completed a task: Is this helping the way I work? Use the answer to keep useful responsibilities, improve unreliable ones, and stop work that no longer matters.
A full month of perfect use is not required. Start with the examples you have and keep the gaps visible.
Choose your cue
Section titled “Choose your cue”Add this review to your existing monthly business review. Bring your weekly notes, a few finished outputs, and any corrections that kept recurring.
If you want to assess a business outcome, bring the relevant business record too. A polished follow-up draft cannot tell you whether a customer replied or a sale closed.
Compare the work with the purpose
Section titled “Compare the work with the purpose”For each repeated responsibility, write down:
- The original reason you handed it off.
- The work completed and where you used it.
- The review or rework it still required.
- The result you can verify, and what remains uncertain.
Distinguish what you observed from what you hope will happen. “I used four reviewed drafts” is a useful observation. “This will transform our sales process” needs more evidence.
Help me review these responsibilities and examples from this month: [add notes]. For each, summarize the purpose, work I actually used, corrections needed, and evidence of value. Separate observed results from estimates. Recommend one responsibility to improve next month.
Make a clear decision
Section titled “Make a clear decision”Choose keep, improve, or retire for each responsibility.
Keep work that reliably serves its purpose. Improve work where the value is clear but the brief, inputs, or review need attention. Retire work that is no longer useful, and confirm how to stop any recurring activity before assuming it has ended.
If you add a new responsibility, start with one reviewed example. Your employee’s access and available capabilities still determine what is possible. Review and approve remains part of the process as work becomes familiar.
Leave with next month’s brief
Section titled “Leave with next month’s brief”Record the responsibility, the next occasion, the source material, who reviews the output, and what success would look like. Choose a small change you can assess next month rather than a long list of new tasks.
If the evidence is thin
Section titled “If the evidence is thin”Use the next month to collect a few concrete examples. Do not fill missing results with guesses. If a technical obstacle prevents useful work, ask for help. Save broader changes in business priorities for your quarterly review.