You’re insane if you’re still doing this:

Some smart dude named Albert Einstein said that. Yet, CEOs all over the world keep doing this one thing, over and over, despite the brain damage…

The annual review – the most hated business activity on the planet.

Don’t get me wrong – performance management & feedback is essential for high performance teams. But you don’t need the traditional annual review to pull it off.

This week’s article goes into crazy detail on how I manage performance WITHOUT annual reviews. Sound too good to be true? It’s not, check it out.

The main reason people don’t like them is the enormous amount of time it takes for everyone involved. Even if the review is done well, the tradeoff of time is very questionable.

But here’s the real reason I hate annual reviews – the feedback is usually fake. Yes, fake. Here’s what I mean.

So let me get this straight – you go through this exhausting process that everyone hates, and then the end result isn’t even helpful? Correct.

Yes, this is the definition of insanity. But there is another way…

Your team (and your sanity) will thank you.

Till next week,

Never say die 🏴‍☠️

Scot

HIGHLAND 🔥
‘Group Think’ may be killing your best ideas  

You get ten people in a room, two people do all the talking, while everyone else checks Slack. After 15 minutes, the loudest voice wins, regardless of the strength of the idea.

That’s groupthink. And if you’re not actively fighting it, it’s likely creeping into your leadership meetings, strategy sessions, and company decisions.

In our latest Highland masterclass, I break down a few of these exact scenarios that can happen, especially in your Leadership Meetings.

Here’s a few tips for brainstorming specifically:

• ✅ Share the problem in advance – Give your team at least 24 hours to think about the problem before the meeting.

• ✅ Start with solo work – Kick off with 15 minutes of quiet time where everyone distills thoughts

• ✅ Gather first, then discuss – Get all ideas on the table before anyone starts reacting.

• ✅ Team ranks ideas, then make the call –Take the team’s input, but as leader, it’s your job to be tie breaker.

The full session and templates are live inside Highland. If you’re serious about scaling and looking for an operating system for your startup, apply here: www.joinhighland.com