The Compass
Reflections, strategies, and real leadership insights to help you navigate change, challenge, and growth.
Performance Reviews Are Broken. So Let’s Fix Them
I’ve been through more performance reviews than I care to admit.
Every year, it was the same routine; a polite one-hour autopsy of the past year, filled with vague feedback, forced ratings, and the obligatory “areas for development” that no one ever followed up on.
It always felt more like a ceremony than a conversation.
So, let’s call it: performance reviews are broken. But instead of just complaining about it, here’s how to rebuild something that actually works.
Why ‘Nice’ Leaders Fail (and What Great Ones Do Differently)
Early in my career, I thought being nice was leadership. Smiling through tension. Softening every bit of feedback. Keeping everyone happy.
I believed harmony built trust. Over time, I realised: it didn’t.
What it built was confusion. Mistrust. Even resentment.
Why 'Nice' Leaders Fail (and What Great Ones Do Differently)
In many organisations, niceness is the mask that hides fear and a lack of clarity.
‘Nice’ leaders smile in meetings, nod in agreement, and write warm Slack or Teams messages — all while sidestepping the conversations their teams desperately need.
They delay decisions, dodge discomfort, and use kindness as a shield from accountability.
But let’s be clear: niceness without clarity isn’t leadership. It’s self-protection dressed up as empathy.