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When the Problem Isn’t Performance—but the Manager

 

Most performance issues don’t start with employees.
They start with unclear leadership.

 

When feedback is vague, shifting, or retrofitted to justify decisions already made, performance reviews lose their purpose. They stop being developmental—and become destabilizing.

When expectations live only in a manager’s head, and quietly change year over year, people don’t know how to succeed. Trust erodes. Psychological safety disappears. Belonging becomes conditional.

 

Innovation thrives when people are trusted to think for themselves. When success is decided by one person’s preferences instead of collective feedback and shared standards—or by how closely someone matches a single manager’s expectations rather than outcomes, feedback, and growth—trust andn growth disappears, and organizations lose their edge.

 

People don’t disengage because they can’t grow.
They disengage because the rules keep changing.

 

A Story That Says the Quiet Part Out Loud

 

Late last year, a client shared a situation that made this dynamic impossible to ignore.

Just before Christmas, a senior project manager on her team was let go. The reason given was a lack of improvement in communication skills.

It didn’t add up.

She was known for strong delivery, deep product knowledge, and the ability to build trust across teams. Communication had never appeared as a development gap in her goals or reviews. There were no specific examples, no guidance on what needed to change, and no measures of success.

The expectation existed only in the manager’s mind—making improvement impossible.

One month later, during end-of-year reviews, that same manager told my client—also a senior project manager—that her communication skills were good.

But now, her project management skills needed improvement.

Nothing had been raised the year before.
No projects had failed.
Stakeholder feedback was positive and documented.

Last year, communication was the problem.
This year, communication is fine—but project management suddenly isn’t.

Same team.
Same manager.
Same role.

Both women had over a decade of experience.
Both were trusted.
Both delivered.

At that point, the issue was no longer performance.

It was leadership accountability.

 

 

What This Means—for Leaders and Employees

If you’re a leader:

 

• Define success clearly and early—don’t rely on unspoken expectations.
• Ground feedback in outcomes, evidence, and multiple perspectives.
• If a decision has already been made, choose honesty over vague justifications.

 

If you’re on the receiving end of shifting feedback:

 

• Ask for feedback in writing, with specific examples and measurable expectations.
• Compare new feedback against documented goals and prior reviews.
• Save delivery results and stakeholder feedback.
• Involve HR early when feedback changes or lacks evidence.

 

If the goalposts keep moving, recognize that this may not be about your performance at all.

It is failed leadership, a lack of clarity, fairness, and accountability.