That's completely absurd - a good review should highlight and summarize the feedback you've been steadily getting on how you can be a better and more effective

That's completely absurd - a good review should highlight and summarize the feedback you've been steadily getting on how you can be a better and more effective employee. It should definitely highlight your success, but it shouldn't paper over what you could be better at. How the hell else do you improve? I've never had a report who didn't ask for more feedback, and the vast majority of people genuinely want to know how they can grow and become better what they're doing. This article talks a lot about forced ranking - I agree that is a pox on humanity. But actionable feedback is the lifeblood of improvement. Frankly, management that doesn't give actionable feedback and instead just tells you to keep doing precisely what you're doing is a sign you need to move on, because they don't care about your future.