Ignite Passion with Purposeful Reviews
Are your performance reviews a dreaded annual event? In this episode, Andrea and Michelle challenge the traditional approach to performance evaluations. They reveal why many businesses are missing the mark and how to transform reviews into valuable developmental conversations.
Discover the pitfalls of event-based reviews, comparing employees against each other, and relying solely on self-evaluations. Learn how to shift from judgment to development with regular check-ins, monthly one-on-ones, and a focus on future growth. Andrea and Michelle discuss the importance of setting clear expectations, delegating tasks for skill development, and recognizing discretionary effort.
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Ignite Passion with Purposeful Performance Reviews
Performance reviews have long been a staple in workplace management, but traditional methods often fall short. Many employees dread them, managers struggle to provide meaningful feedback, and organizations fail to see the improvements they hope for.
Instead of fostering growth and engagement, performance reviews can become “check-the-box” exercises that do little to motivate employees or enhance performance.
At Revela, we believe performance reviews should be more than a routine task to check off a list. They should be a dynamic process that encourages growth, enhances manager-employee communication, and supports leadership development. In a recent episode of our Leadership Hustle podcast, we discussed traditional performance management strategies and shared tips for making employee performance feedback more effective.
The Problem with Traditional Performance Reviews
Too often, performance reviews are treated as a scheduled event rather than an ongoing process. Andrea Fredrickson bluntly stated, “The feedback that people are getting is, ‘Here’s the one time of year we talk about your performance.’ That’s so wrong.”
This approach leads to a reactive environment, where feedback is delivered too late to be truly effective. Employees need regular input, not just an annual or bi-annual meeting.
Self-Evaluations
Many companies rely on self-evaluations where employees complete their own assessments before managers give feedback. The problem? Some managers use these self-evaluations as a crutch rather than conducting their own analysis.
Fredrickson pointed out, “The employee gives back their evaluation, and they're using that person's information to do their own. Like they're not doing their own judgment. They're not using their own feedback, their own thoughts about what this is.” This undermines the review's integrity and leads to a lack of genuine assessment.
Forced Ranking
Another significant issue is forced ranking, which involves comparing employees to one another rather than evaluating them against job expectations. Instead, performance should be measured by individual progress and contributions, not by how one employee stacks up against another. It’s about whether employees are meeting their expectations of their roles and improving over time, not comparing.
Why Traditional Performance Reviews Don’t Work
Traditional performance reviews often fail because they focus too much on past performance rather than future growth. Employees may walk away feeling judged rather than inspired to improve. Additionally, when feedback is limited to a once-a-year conversation, employees miss out on the continuous learning and development that drive long-term success.
A More Effective Approach to Employee Performance Feedback
If traditional performance reviews aren't working, what’s the solution? Organizations need a feedback system that promotes real growth rather than just documenting past performance. Employees thrive when given timely, relevant and actionable insights.
There are three recommended ways to provide opportunities for helpful feedback throughout the year.
1. Ongoing Check-Ins
These are quick, informal conversations that happen frequently. They can be as simple as recognizing great work or providing guidance on a specific task. The goal is to create a culture of continuous feedback, rather than waiting for a formal review.
People should be giving and receiving feedback all the time. If managers aren’t looking for opportunities to acknowledge strengths or correct issues in real-time, they’re missing a critical piece of leadership.
Frequent check-ins allow managers to provide guidance at the moment when it’s most valuable. This approach reduces stress and eliminates surprises during formal reviews. When employees receive timely, constructive feedback, they can adjust their approach and improve continuously rather than waiting months for a critique.
2. Monthly One-on-Ones
These meetings are deeper discussions focused on individual growth and employee development plans. They’re not just about performance on tasks but also about career aspirations and professional development.
Michelle Hill believes these one-on-one conversations are vital for discovering what individuals are passionate about, what they want to experiment with, and what they’d like to accomplish. These meetings should cover:
Current job performance against expectations
Skills the employee wants to develop
Opportunities for delegation and involvement in cross-functional teams
Any roadblocks or concerns the employee has
Managers who prioritize one-on-one meetings demonstrate their commitment to employee growth. These conversations build trust, improve morale, and help managers identify potential leadership candidates within their teams.
3. Annual or Semi-Annual Reviews (If Needed)
While some companies have moved away from annual performance reviews, they can still serve a purpose if they focus on summarizing progress rather than just evaluating the past. They must reflect ongoing conversations, rather than surprising employees with new feedback.
A well-executed formal review should be forward-looking. It should highlight accomplishments, areas for improvement, and opportunities for professional growth. Instead of simply rating past performance, managers should collaborate with employees to create development plans that align with individual and company goals.
Encouraging Discretionary Effort Over Basic Expectations
One critical shift in performance management strategies is recognizing the difference between meeting expectations and exceeding them. Employees should understand that simply meeting expectations keeps them in good standing, but going beyond—through innovation, problem-solving, or leadership—leads to growth and reward.
This mindset encourages employees to take initiative, think creatively, and seek ways to add value. It also shifts the focus of performance discussions from “what you did” to “how you can grow.” Managers should recognize and reward discretionary effort, reinforcing a culture of continuous improvement and ambition.
The Role of Leadership in Effective Performance Management
Leaders play a vital role in shifting performance reviews from an administrative burden to a valuable tool for growth. A key part of this is setting clear expectations and making one-on-one meetings with employees a priority. If expectations aren’t clearly laid out, employees don’t know what success is supposed to look like.
Additionally, leaders should focus on delegating tasks strategically. More experienced employees may have tasks that, while easy for them, could be valuable learning opportunities for others. By shifting responsibilities, teams become more skilled and engaged.
Leaders must also model the behavior they expect. If managers want employees to be proactive in seeking feedback, they must do the same. Encouraging a culture of open dialogue fosters trust and strengthens team dynamics.
Making Performance Reviews Meaningful
Performance reviews should be an ongoing process that encourages growth, rather than a one-time event that creates anxiety. Traditional methods often fail because they focus too much on past performance, lack continuous feedback, and fail to inspire employees to improve.
By incorporating ongoing check-ins, structured one-on-ones, and meaningful annual reviews, organizations can transform performance management into a valuable tool for employees and leaders.
At Revela, we believe in making performance feedback a growth-oriented conversation that empowers employees and strengthens organizations. If you’re ready to implement a more effective approach to performance management, our team is here to help.
Listen to the rest of our Leadership Hustle podcast for more leadership and growth strategies!
About the Hosts
Andrea Fredrickson
Andrea Fredrickson is a thought leader and consultant at Revela, an organization based in Omaha, Nebraska specializing in the development of leaders, culture alignment, and business strategy for private and family businesses of all sizes. Revela is one of the region's most experienced thought challengers, helping individuals and companies find their greatness. Andrea has built an amazing team by believing that fundamentally people want to be successful and become better versions of themselves.
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Andrea has degrees in education, management, and business. She is the author of Insight Unseen; How to lead with 20/20 business vision. She helps people see things differently, self-reflect, and never stop looking for ways to improve themselves on a personal and professional level. Andrea has spent more than 30 years researching and developing methods to help people communicate and lead more effectively.
When Andrea isn’t working with clients, you’ll find her spending time with her family & friends and making memories by exploring new cities.
Michelle Hill
Michelle Hill is a master facilitator and coach at Revela, an organization specializing in the development of leaders and aligning the culture of privately held and family businesses of all sizes. Revela is one of the region's most experienced thought challengers, helping individuals and companies find their greatness.
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An ambitious leader, Michelle has the natural ability to create forward momentum to build teams and get results. She inspires others to look within themselves and to challenge the status quo. She helps create high-performing environments. Michelle brings a diverse background: operations, employee development, and sales in the steel, hospitality, and consulting industries.
Outside of work, you will see her competitive side engaged in her daughter’s sports and ISU athletics. She loves life, her four-legged companions, and captures all the moments through her camera’s lens.
TRANSCRIPT
Andrea Fredrickson: On this episode of The Leadership Hustle, we're going to challenge how you're currently doing your performance reviews. Hello, and welcome to The Leadership Hustle for executives whose companies are growing fast and need leaders who are ready. Welcome back to the Leadership Hustle. I'm Andrea Fredrickson and I'm joined with Michelle today.
Michelle Hill: Yes. Good morning.
Andrea Fredrickson: And today this is we are recording episode 53. And so 53 means we are starting our third year for the podcast. So this is kind of exciting. I can't believe it's been I know it's been a while. I didn't realize how long it had been, but yeah, we've been doing these for a little while. So today we thought we would talk about, um, actually a scenario, a situation where I was watching a webinar and this webinar was about performance reviews, and I was curious about what people were saying about performance reviews. And I thought, to be honest with you, I thought we were a lot further down this road than we are, apparently. I just don't think people understand people who are management, people who are in HR. I just don't think people get what employees need from performance reviews.