Evaluations: Tool for Growth or the Axe?
If the only time someone hears feedback is in their evaluation, that’s not development. it’s just the axe dressed up in paperwork.
Let’s talk about evaluations.
For people who are intrinsically motivated, evaluations can feel like a reflection point. For people who are extrinsically motivated, especially if pay is tied to them, evaluations carry a different weight altogether. But no matter how you look at it, one thing should be true: you should never hear something for the first time in your end-of-year evaluation.
As an instructional coach, I used to live by that. Growth happens in real time, not once a year. If you wait until the official evaluation to name what’s not working, you’ve failed the person you’re leading.
And that’s the problem with so many evaluations today. They’re a joke. People hate them because:
They’re surprises.
They lead to nothing.
They’re just done to check a box.
The manager doesn’t even know what the bar is, yet they expect you to hit it.
I’ve seen both sides of growth plans. Sometimes they’re exactly what they should be: a path to growth, with resources and clarity. But other times? They’re just the paper trail to your termination. A documentation exercise to build the case for your exit.
And that’s why people roll their eyes when they hear “evaluation.” It’s been weaponized. It’s become a gotcha.
You know what makes it worse? When someone’s evaluation is tied to a job they were thrown into with no onboarding. Companies love to say, “hit the ground running.” But that phrase usually means: we’re not giving you the training or professional development you deserve, but we’ll still hold you accountable like you got it.
An evaluation should not make your palms sweaty or your heart race. It shouldn’t feel like standing trial. Evaluations should remove ambiguity, not create it.
Because when they’re done right, evaluations are a tool for growth. They say: Here’s where you are. Here’s where we need you to be. And here’s how we’re going to help you get there. That last part matters because growth requires accountability on both sides.
On the leader’s side:
Did you set clear expectations?
Did you model what “good” looks like?
Did you give feedback before it got to this point?
Did you provide professional development and support?
On the employee’s side:
Are you taking the feedback seriously?
Are you applying the coaching, resources, and support?
Are you meeting the expectations that were communicated?
When those questions are answered with honesty, evaluations stop being subjective. They become clear, objective, and fair.
But when leaders weaponize evaluations, they expose themselves. Leaving people in ambiguity is basically saying: I don’t care how you’re going to eat next month. And that kind of leadership always comes back around.
Because here’s the thing: if you dig a ditch for someone else, you better dig two. The trap you set for them might end up catching you.
Evaluations are supposed to help people grow. Don’t make them the axe.
