This post takes a real, honest look at why traditional performance reviews are hurting employee engagement and performance - and the surprisingly simple fixes that can change everything.

Let me ask you something: When was the last time you left a performance review feeling genuinely energized about your work?

Yeah, I thought so.

Here's the uncomfortable truth we need to talk about: Most performance management systems are doing the exact opposite of what they're designed to do. Instead of improving performance, they're systematically undermining it. And if you're a manager or HR professional reading this, there's a good chance your current approach is missing the mark - despite your best intentions.

The CORE Essentials - Three Things Humans Require to Thrive

After 30 years of working with leaders and their people across every industry imaginable,

I have identified three dimensions that are key for elevating human potential and optimizing performance. I refer to them as the CORE Essentials (de Groot, 2025) – they are more than needs – they are deep-seated human requirements for thriving.

These requirements are not just nice, they’re necessary, and they can be fulfilled at work in very significant ways.

Connection – People need to feel they belong, that they're trusted, that they matter, that their relationships at work matter.

Clarity – They need to know exactly what's expected, why it matters, and how success is measured. They require clear direction, purpose and above all, predictability.

Control – They need to feel some sense of agency over their work and environment.

Some people refer to this as autonomy, but it’s much more than that – it’s about being a co-author in their own story.

This might seem like basic stuff, right? Yet here's what's mind-blowing: Traditional performance management often undermines all three CORE Essentials—unintentionally.

To learn more about the CORE Essentials and their impact on performance, check out Brivia’s Free Webinar, Helping or Hurting: 8 Reasons to Rethink Your Performance Management.

The Annual Review: Missing the Mark on What Matters Most

Let's be honest about what most performance reviews actually accomplish:

They weaken connection. Nothing says "I don't really know you" like sitting down once a year to discuss someone's entire professional existence based on half-remembered incidents and generic feedback.

They muddy clarity. We set vague objectives like "improve communication skills" or "be more strategic," then wonder why people struggle to hit moving targets.

They reduce control. Goals are handed down from above. Metrics are imposed rather than collaborated on. People become passive recipients rather than active participants in their own development.

And then we scratch our heads when engagement scores flatline.

The PIP Problem: When Good Intentions Go Wrong

Let's talk about the Performance Improvement Plan - often well-intentioned but rarely well-executed.

PIPs are meant to be development opportunities, but they often feel like professional isolation chambers. Here's someone who's already struggling, and our solution inadvertently makes them feel more scrutinized and less supported than ever.

The irony? We're using the very approach that may have contributed to the performance issue to try to solve it.

What People Are Really Thinking

Here's what keeps me up at night: While we're busy perfecting elaborate performance management systems, people across all performance levels are quietly disengaging. They're not leaving because they hate their jobs - they're leaving because they're frustrated with how we approach their development.

Every person on your team has untapped potential. The difference between so-called "high performers" and everyone else isn't always about talent - it's often whether they feel genuinely supported in their growth.

People don't need more oversight. They need more trust. They don't need clearer metrics. They need clearer purpose. They don't need more feedback. They need more meaningful recognition and the belief that their manager sees and supports their potential.

The Shift That Changes Everything

What if - and stay with me here - instead of managing performance, we start developing it?

This isn't semantic wordplay. It's a fundamental reimagining of how we approach human potential at work. Performance management assumes people need correction to be fixed. Performance development assumes people need connection and clarity to flourish.

The difference is profound:

• Instead of annual reviews, we have ongoing conversations
• Instead of imposed goals, we have collaborative objectives
• Instead of deficit-focused feedback, we have strength-based development
• Instead of compliance, we have reliance (true engagement)

The Questions That Will Transform Your Approach

Before your next performance conversation, ask yourself:

1. Am I building connection or creating distance?
2. Am I providing clarity or adding confusion?
3. Am I giving this person more control or taking it away?

If you can't answer those questions confidently, there's room for improvement.

The Simple Framework That Actually Works

Forget the elaborate systems. Here's what effective performance development looks like:

1. Regular Check-ins (Not Check-ups) - Monthly conversations focused on: What's working? What's challenging? What do you need from me to succeed? That's it.

2. Collaborative Goal Setting - Start with "What do you want to accomplish?" Then, work together to align individual aspirations with the organization’s needs, goals, and priorities.

3. Strength-Based Development - Instead of only fixing weaknesses, amplify strengths. Help people become phenomenal at what they're naturally good at. To learn more about strengths-based development, check out Brivia’s webinar, Beyond Fluff: The Truth about Strengths-Based Leadership.

4. Recognition That Actually Matters - Specific recognition that connects individual contributions to meaningful outcomes. Not a generic "great job," but "Here's how what you did made a real difference." Be sure to focus on behavior and the positive impact!

The Ripple Effect You Might Not Expect

Here's what happens when organizations make this shift:

Best performers stop looking for the exit. Struggling employees start engaging differently. Middle performers—the ones who've been coasting—suddenly become your most improved players.

But the real magic happens at the team level. When people feel genuinely supported in their development, they start supporting each other. When they feel trusted with meaningful work, they start taking ownership of outcomes. When they feel connected to purpose, they start caring about results in ways that no performance management system could ever mandate.

The Reality Check

Look, I'm not suggesting this transformation is easy. Changing how you approach performance management means changing how you think about people, work, and leadership itself. It means having more conversations, being more vulnerable, and accepting that performance management is not performance development.

But here's the thing: If your current system isn't delivering the engagement and results you want, what do you have to lose?

Employee engagement has been stagnant for decades. Turnover is crushing budgets. And let's be honest - everyone dreads performance review season.

Your Next Move

Start small. Pick one person on your team and try a different approach. Instead of talking about what they need to improve, ask them what they want to develop. Instead of setting goals for them, set goals with them. Instead of focusing only on the struggle, start with their strengths. Instead of managing their performance, invest in their growth.

Then pay attention to what happens. Not just to their performance, but to their engagement, their energy, and their willingness to take on new challenges.

Because once you see what's possible when you treat people differently – like people with potential instead of people with problems - there's no going back to the old way.

And that's exactly the point.

Stephen de Groot is President and CoFounder at Brivia. He is the author of Responsive Leadership (SAGE, 2016) and Getting to Better: A New Model for Elevating Human Potential at Work and in Life, (Fall, 2025). To learn more about Stephen, his work and the Brivia approach click HERE