As we take the next step into socio-conscious workplace practices, arbitrary tick-box processes like those generic and soulless performance reviews are becoming and will be obsolete. The way you design the best performance management systems for businesses into the future depends on who you are designing them for because the workforce is changing. 

Let’s start with employees. They’re no longer looking for a pay cheque, they are looking for purpose, fulfillment, joy and growth. They expect (read: expect) leaders to have the skills to bring out the best in them. So, if your leadership team is not highly skilled in transformational leadership, now is the time to invest in growing this capability.  

Secondly, the self-employed. If organisations are concerned about a talent shortage now, self-employment is on the rise as people become more fed up with the status quo and create the kind of soul-lit, flexible and purposeful work they crave and deserve. For those of us seeking to employ in the future, we are not only competing with other companies, but the allure of doing your own thing on your own terms as well. Of course – not everyone has what it takes to build a profitable business. That doesn’t seem to be the driving factor for the future, though. It’s more doing something you love to fill the cash tank and then going on that vacation you want when you want.  

If this sounds all doom and gloom, please stick with us because it’s actually super exciting. Organisations can tap into this phenomenon in a number of ways to maintain their competitive advantage – and understanding how to develop high performing teams beyond the tick box is for a key advantage. 

High on the lists of employee wants:  

• The ability to bring their true selves to work and evolve in a way that remains true to them. 

• Organisations and roles that align to their unique talents, strengths and sense of purpose.  

• Highly self-aware leaders who have done the work on themselves and can do the deeper work with employees. Your leadership team will simply not be respected otherwise.  

You might be surprised that while forward-thinking organisations are light years ahead in this regard, many organisations are clinging desperately to the way they’ve always done things. This presents the perfect competitive opportunity for you.  

At the core of team engagement and performance management for 2025 and beyond will not be a debate about whether you mandate office days or harness a hybrid workforce. It will be your ability to tap into and harness a genuine trust culture that listens to and responds to what individuals really value and want. These are the motivators for performance, and this is why performance management is out and personal growth is in. Now that we’ve set the scene for this, how do we make it work? 

Personal growth in our professional lives can, and must be, transparent, measurable, rewarded and aligned to business objectives. Placing this concept at the centre of your performance strategy and model will help people to not only be more engaged in their work, but more engaged in the development process itself.