Jordan Corn - Performance Reviews: Festival of Fiction or Growth?

TheInquisitor Podcast with Marcus Cauchi

In this episode, Jordan Corn and Marcus Cauchi dissect the deeply flawed traditional approach to employee performance evaluation, the "Annual Festival of Fiction". They challenge the idea that reviews serve their intended purpose and share actionable frameworks for leaders to build continuous growth systems, rather than just checking boxes.

Key Themes for Leaders and Managers 1. The Broken System: Checking Boxes vs. Driving Growth

Traditional performance reviews are often theatre: they replace truth with formality and create anxiety instead of growth. When managers simply mark a three on a scale to avoid justification, they are "checking a box".

The problem is systemic: reviews often exist as a paper trail for pay decisions and compliance, not for meaningful reflection or planning. Some reflection is better than none, but if the process isn’t valuable or valued, it won’t change much.

2. Relationships Come First

Effective performance management starts with the manager-employee relationship. Reviews fail if the manager is a bully, a micromanager, or insecure.

• Psychological Safety and Vulnerability: Managers must earn the right to tell the truth by showing vulnerability, asking where staff need help and seeking their advice.

• Bidirectional Feedback: Feedback should flow in all directions. Employees need to feel safe critiquing management, and managers must be willing to listen without defensiveness.

3. Frequency, Focus, and Continuous Improvement

Waiting a year is too long. Annual reviews without ongoing feedback are "like washing once a year". Real performance management is continuous, like adjusting a plane mid-flight.

• Agile Coaching: Regular micro check-ins: monthly 15–30 minutes or daily three-minute updates keep everyone aligned.

• Focus on Strengths: Lean into what people do well. Reviews should energise, not dwell on weaknesses.

• Separate Compensation: Tying pay to reviews is "absolutely inane" and undermines their value.

4. Systemic Issues: Hiring and Alignment

Problems often start at recruitment. High turnover results from compromise, or searching for mythical “purple unicorns,” creating systems built to reject rather than select the right fit.

• Self-Awareness: Reviews can become "behavioral reviews," helping employees understand how they show up and how others respond.

• Preparation Over Ambush: Managers should prime employees a week in advance and encourage reflection from both sides. The goal is to synchronise reality, not sanitise it.

Final Takeaway

If you can’t run a review rooted in honesty, psychological safety, and growth - or if you limit them to once a year - Jordan Corn says, "throw the whole thing out". Instead, leaders should redesign the process around the human being first, then fill in whatever is required for compliance.

For teams stuck in the "Festival of Fiction," Marcus shares systemic models to "model and scale human judgment" and even measure trust as a hard metric, helping embed learning, dignity, and accountability into management practices.

Connect with Jordan on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/jordan-corn/

Connect with Marcus https://www.linkedin.com/in/marcuscauchi/

And if you'd like to be a guest contact me https://www.linkedin.com/in/suzannecauchi/