When Annual Performance Reviews Fail

By Filip Ivanković

Director, New Rebellion

Filip has led enterprise marketing functions, managed a $40M budget and delivered 30% growth on a $200M base. An ex-CMO with experience across agency, client and vendor roles he understands where marketing delivers and where it gets stuck.

New Rebellion was built to create something sharper. A model that connects strategy to delivery, fast.

Am I the only one who thinks a lot of performance reviews are missing the mark?

Every year we sit through meetings ticking boxes and rating tasks completed but rarely do these reviews capture genuine impact. People walk away feeling misunderstood, demotivated or simply disengaged. Are we wrong to expect more from performance evaluations?

Traditional performance reviews often measure tasks rather than real business results. Even though reviews are common in workplaces they usually miss what truly matters especially in marketing roles.

Activity over impact

Focusing on busy work instead of meaningful results

Problem: Teams measure activity rather than impact encouraging people to look busy without adding real value.

Risk: Resources and time are wasted on tasks that don’t genuinely improve business results.

Solution: Clearly define outcomes and focus on meaningful achievements rather than task completion.

Benefit: Teams prioritise impactful work leading to sustainable long-term growth.

Wrong metrics

Choosing simple numbers that don't reflect genuine success

Problem: Teams select metrics that are easy to track but do not correlate to actual business success. (E.g. social media views instead of ROI.)

Risk: Efforts are directed toward superficial results, reducing true business impact and potentially demotivating the team.

Solution: Select metrics closely linked to real business goals like revenue growth customer acquisition or retention rates.

Benefit: Teams align efforts with genuine business success driving meaningful results and improved morale.

Unclear goals

Vague objectives causing confusion and lower productivity

Problem: Goals are unclear causing uncertainty around expectations and accountability.

Risk: Reduced motivation productivity and inability to accurately assess performance.

Solution: Establish clear measurable goals aligned directly with business outcomes ensuring all team members understand expectations.

Benefit: Increased clarity drives better performance accountability and overall business success.

Lack of regular feedback

Annual reviews missing opportunities for continuous improvement

Problem: Providing feedback only a few times annually limits opportunities to correct issues quickly and adapt strategies effectively.

Risk: Performance issues persist longer than necessary impacting overall business results.

Solution: Implement ongoing feedback sessions allowing frequent adjustments and immediate improvements.

Benefit: Continuous improvement keeps teams agile responsive and aligned with business goals driving consistent growth.

Aligning with career aspirations

Reviews not considering what people genuinely want to achieve

Problem: Performance reviews often overlook individual career goals and long-term aspirations, focusing only on short-term tasks.

Risk: People can become disengaged if their personal goals and career paths are not acknowledged leading to reduced motivation and higher turnover.

Solution: Align individual performance goals with each person's long-term career aspirations and development paths.

Benefit: People stay motivated by seeing how their current roles directly support their long-term growth creating compounding gains in both individual and organisational success.

What's the opportunity?

Performance reviews should genuinely reflect what people achieve and their career aspirations. They shouldn't be routine tasks, but opportunities for meaningful goal setting.

Both parties should consider if their current system effectively captures:

Genuine impact
Relevant metrics
Clear and measurable goals
Continuous feedback
Alignment with personal career goals

When done well, performance reviews inspire teams, boost engagement and lead to sustained success. Does your review process truly serves its intended purpose or simply upholds an outdated routine?