Making performance management less painful

I hate summer. There, I said it. 

Too hot (and I don’t do well in the heat), too many people out and about, too much noise and sensory overload. We live right beside a park and while it’s beautiful, summer brings constant activity that can overwhelm me as an introvert with anxiety.

But Fall? Oh, Fall is my all-time favorite season. 

Cooler temperatures mean my long walks with Suki, my goldador, are blissfully quieter and peaceful. I’m snuggled up in my comfiest blankets. My reading socks from Indigo (Chapters) are permanently on. And I’m curled up with a book (or two â˜ș).

Fall is the time of the year I feel most energized, and I treat it like a “new year” more than January 1st, truth be told. As a solo entrepreneur, I regularly reflect and review my business goals. But come September, I go into deep planning mode. I recently opened the doors to the Lotus Learning Sanctuary - a coaching + development space for introverted leaders. As I go into strat planning, I’m excited to think about how best to nurture a community of peer learning and growth for my clients
and how to scale that to include personality-diverse teams come 2026. 

But many of my clients aren’t feeling as energized at this time of year. Instead, they’re dreading what Fall traditionally brings in corporate environments - preparation for year-end performance reviews.

What if we changed that?

For too long, leaders have been stressing out (and quite frankly, burning out) in trying to manage the performance process. This year, let’s finally transform performance management from being the most dreaded process to one filled with good energy, recognition, ease, and a positive path forward. For both the leader AND each of their team members. 

Performance conversations don’t have to be a painful burden - on anyone. In fact, they have the power to become moments of connection, growth, and clarity
especially when we approach them with intention and heart.

Three shifts to transform your performance conversations

These aren’t new. But they’re simple steps that can be taken easily, and which transform performance management from a dreaded process to conversations which unlock energy, commitment, and results. 

From “Feedback” to “Feedforward” - For too long, performance reviews have been designed with an orientation to the past. And let’s get real, they all too often dwell on what went wrong over the review period. But what becomes possible when we reframe that orientation to a focus on the present and future? When we ask questions like “What support do you need to thrive in the coming months?”, and “Where do you see your biggest opportunities for growth?”

From annual events to ongoing conversations - I don’t know about you, but I can barely remember what I did a week ago, let alone over the last 12 months. When performance conversations happen just once a year, they lose the richness of recognition “in the moment”, of opportunities to guide and mentor when things go off track, of helping your team members feel seen, heard, and valued in the day-to-day. Creating intentional space in your calendar for ongoing and regular coaching conversations will help nurture the best performance discussions. (side note - I would recommend reshaping your weekly, biweekly, or monthly 1:1s to to serve as coaching conversations)

From leader-led to collaborative - I’m glad to see that more teams are utilizing self-assessments as part of performance management. But there are still many that don’t, and on top of that, many of my clients feel like they have to lead performance conversations entirely. Not so! When you invite your team members to self-assess first, and then ask them to come prepared with their own reflections on wins, challenges, and what they need from you as their leader - this is where productive and meaningful performance conversations begin.

 

đŸŒ± Self-coaching prompts for leaders

As you prepare this Fall for performance conversations, ask yourself:

  • Where am I approaching performance discussions from a place of fear versus curiosity?
  • How might my own personality style (introvert/extrovert) influence how I give and receive feedforward?
  • What would make these conversations feel more human and less transactional?
  • How can I create psychological safety so that honest dialogue can happen?

đŸȘ· Reflection for this week

As summer transitions to Fall, what’s one conversation you’ve been avoiding that might actually bring clarity and connection if approached with care?

You don’t have to have all the answers. You just need to show up with genuine curiosity about the person sitting across from you (whether that’s in person or virtually).

Here’s to making this Fall a season of meaningful conversations and nurturing growth. 

Wishing you an enjoyable and restful weekend.

With care, Kris 🌾

 

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