Performance reviews—love ‘em or hate ‘em (okay, mostly hate ‘em), they’re a staple of corporate life. But why do they feel like a surprise attack instead of a roadmap for success? In this episode of Corporate Baggage, Whitney Siders and Catie Campbell dive into why traditional performance management is broken—and how leaders can actually drive results without micromanagement, forced rankings, or outdated RTO excuses. They discuss the messy reality of performance management, from activity vs. outcomes to why “return to office” is the laziest excuse for leadership failure. Whether your company’s system is a well-oiled machine or a dumpster fire of forced rankings, we’ve got strategies to help leaders cut through the noise and actually develop their teams. From measuring outcomes (not just activity) to creating leadership systems that actually work, we’re unpacking the baggage of performance reviews and repacking it with strategies that motivate, develop, and retain top talent.
✅ The massive disconnect between activity and outcomes in performance tracking
✅ How companies weaponize employee monitoring instead of investing in leadership
✅ The return-to-office excuse: Why it’s really about bad management, not performance
✅ The true cost of poor performance management—turnover, burnout, and disengagement
✅ Forced ranking, outdated metrics, and other corporate nonsense that needs to go
✅ What great organizations actually do to retain, develop, and promote top talent
✅ Practical strategies for leaders to take control of performance conversations (even in broken systems)
