Make Performance Management About Connections

By Claude Werder, Vice President and Principal HCM Analyst, Brandon Hall Group

When I talk to HR leaders about what keeps them up at night, performance management always comes up. Not surprising. What is surprising — well, maybe not surprising but certainly concerning – is that their questions usually surround performance reviews and ratings.

Therein lies the crux of the performance management problem. Modern performance management needs to be about managers connecting with their team members about performance and careers. The key to re-inventing performance management is reshaping manager behaviors so that coaching and developing their employees become “job 1.”

In every organization, there are excellent managers who demonstrate these qualities and behaviors. But Brandon Hall Group research shows there are just not enough of them.

Managers meet at least weekly with each team member in less than 30% of organizations. These meetings between managers and employees are commonly referred to as “check-ins.” That is accurate because most of the time the conversation is checking in on current and upcoming work. Coaching, learning and performance and career conversations take a distant back seat.

What Managers Cover with Employees During Check-Ins

Source: Brandon Hall Group Performance Management Study

These meetings need a new name. They need to be a collaboration for the mutual benefit of the company and the employee. These frequent conversations – we recommend weekly or biweekly – should be about:


The critical question is how to change the performance management mindset from its institutionalized process focus on evaluations and ratings to an employee-centric mindset of coaching and continuous development.

In many organizations, this requires a culture change that starts at the top. We’ve developed resources that can help, including a tool for making the business case for modern performance management, which includes selection of enabling performance-management technology.

Only members of Brandon Hall Group have access to these resources, but I am happy to share one with you in exchange for a few minutes of your time to discuss your performance management challenges and successes. I am always looking for new insights.  You can contact me at [email protected].

-Claude Werder, Vice President and Principal HCM Analyst, Brandon Hall Group

Claude Werder is Brandon Hall Group’s Vice President and Principal HCM Analyst. He focuses on Leadership Development and Talent Management. Brandon Hall Group is a leading research and analyst firm with Practices in Learning & Development, Talent Management, Leadership Development, Talent Acquisition and Workforce Management/Core HR.

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Mike Cooke

Chief Executive Officer of Brandon Hall Group Mike Cooke Prior to joining Brandon Hall Group, Mike Cooke was the Chief Executive Officer and co-founder of AC Growth. Mike held leadership and executive positions for the majority of his career, at which he was responsible for steering sales and marketing teams to drive results and profitability. His background includes more than 15 years of experience in sales, marketing, management, and operations in the research, consulting, software and technology industries. Mike has extensive experience in sales, marketing and management having worked for several early high-growth emerging businesses and has implemented technology systems to support various critical sales, finance, marketing and client service functions. He is especially skilled in organizing the sales and service strategy to fully support a company’s growth strategy. The concept of growth was an absolute to Mike and a motivator in starting AC Growth, in order to help organizations achieve research driven results. Most recently, Mike was the VP and General Manager of Field Operations at Bersin & Associates, a global analyst and consulting services firm focused on all areas of enterprise learning, talent management and talent acquisition. Tasked with leading the company’s global expansion, Mike led all sales operations worldwide. During Mike’s tenure, the company has grown into a multi-national firm, conducting business in over 45 countries with over 4,500 multi-national organizations. Mike started his career at MicroVideo Learning Systems in 1992, eventually holding a senior management position and leading all corporate sales before founding Dynamic Minds. Mike was CEO and Co-Founder of Dynamic Minds, a custom developer of software programs, working with clients like Goldman Sachs, Prentice Hall, McGraw Hill and Merrill Lynch. Also, Mike worked for Oddcast, a leading provider of customer experience and marketing solutions, where he held a senior management position leading the company into new markets across various industries. Mike also serves on the Advisory Board for Carbon Solutions America, an independent sustainability consulting and carbon management firm that specializes in the design and implementation of greenhouse reduction and sustainability plans as well as managing the generation of carbon and renewal energy and energy efficiency credits. Mike attended University of Phoenix, studying Business Administration and Finance. He has also completed executive training at the Chicago Graduate School of Business in Chicago, IL.

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