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Don’t Call It a Performance Review If You Never Gave Feedback

 

Some conversations shouldn’t come as a surprise.
But every year, employees walk into reviews with no guidance, no clarity, and no idea what they’ll hear - because no one told them all year.

 

They’re expected to perform without direction.
And then held accountable for expectations that were never shared -
or visions that were never communicated, or goals that were never realistic to begin with.

 

This isn’t feedback. It’s a delayed reaction.
And it erodes trust more than it builds growth.

 

The truth is: most performance reviews aren’t about performance.
They’re about silence that lasted too long.

• No goal-setting
• No development check-ins
• No real-time feedback when it mattered most

 

So when a raise doesn’t happen or progress stalls - it’s not always about the employee’s capability.
Sometimes it’s about what they were never given: structure, support, or standards they could actually meet.

 

We’re not here to blame.
We’re here to name what gets overlooked in fast-paced teams, stretched-thin leadership, and companies that mean well - but fall short on consistency.

 

This week’s Insight Pause isn’t about calling anyone out.
It’s about calling the process forward.

 

Because real development doesn’t wait until year-end.
It happens in the conversations that come before the review.

 

Reflection:

• If a team member is underperforming - have they been guided, or just watched?
• And if someone’s doing well - do they know it? Or are you quietly expecting more?

 

 

✍🏼 Written by Abigail Richard

Founder of arickard | Coach & Consultant | Author of Self-Love Blueprint & Unbreakable. Supporting leaders and changemakers to regulate their nervous system, gain clarity, and find calm - so they can lead with presence, purpose, and emotional depth.

 

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