Beyond Reviews: Why Informal Feedback is Key to Effective Leadership Traditional performance reviews often fail to meet a team’s immediate and evolving needs. While formal reviews have their place, they neglect a key element of effective leadership: offering regular feedback. A recent study found that 33% of employees prefer continuous, informal feedback over traditional or annual reviews (1). This highlights the growing need for leaders to rethink how they engage with their teams, support their development, and build stronger connections. Formal evaluations alone aren’t enough to help today’s employees thrive; they require realtime, ongoing and meaningful communication to perform at their best. The Limitations of Traditional Performance Reviews While still common, annual performance reviews are becoming increasingly ineffective. Many employees find them overly formal and frustrating, especially because of their delayed timing. In fact, another recent study revealed that only 26% of employees believe these reviews effectively address their performance or development needs (2). Their rigid, infrequent nature makes them poorly suited for today’s fast-paced, ever-changing work environment. Annual reviews often focus on past performance rather than offering timely, actionable guidance for improvement. This retrospective approach can feel disconnected from the real-time challenges employees face, which can hold back both individual and team growth. Furthermore, the structured format of these evaluations Traditional performance reviews often fail to meet a team’s immediate and evolving needs. While formal reviews have their place, they neglect a key element of effective leadership: offering regular feedback. A recent study found that 33% of employees prefer continuous, informal feedback over traditional or annual reviews (1). This highlights the growing need for leaders to rethink how they engage with their teams, support their development, and build stronger connections. Formal evaluations alone aren’t enough to help today’s employees thrive; they require real-time, ongoing and meaningful communication to perform at their best.
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