Performance and development shouldn’t be a once-a-year conversation.

I’ve spent much of my career working with organisations to develop their people and improve performance.

One thing I’ve learned is that people don’t develop according to a calendar. They learn, gain experience, face new challenges, develop confidence and demonstrate their competence throughout the year.

So why do we so often treat performance and development as something to review periodically, rather than something we continuously support?

For me, meaningful performance and development conversations should help people understand:

• What they’re doing well.
• Where they could develop further.
• What support they need to perform at their best.
• What their personal aspirations are and the opportunities available to them.

But there’s another important consideration.

Individual development shouldn’t happen in isolation from the organisation’s objectives.

As businesses grow, take on major projects, expand into new markets or adapt to changing technologies, their capability needs change too. We need to ensure people have opportunities to grow with the organisation, developing the knowledge, skills and experience needed to support its ambitions while also achieving their own.

That means understanding the capability the business needs, both now and in the future, and aligning that with people’s strengths, aspirations and development.

When we connect performance, competence, learning and development in this way, we’re not simply helping people grow. We’re building the capability the organisation needs to succeed.

Are performance and development conversations in your organisation genuinely connected to business objectives and future growth, or are they still largely driven by a formal annual appraisal and review cycle?