RIP to the Performance Review ☠️

It’s Time to Ditch Performance Reviews in 2025 (Seriously, Just Toss Them!)

Let’s talk about performance reviews. You know, those sit-downs where you tell your team members how they’ve been doing, give them a grade (or at least it feels like one), and hope they leave motivated instead of deflated.

Here’s the thing: performance reviews are outdated. Yep, I said it. In 2025, I’m challenging you to toss them out the window. Instead, let’s focus on something way better—growth and development plans.

Why Performance Reviews Don’t Work for Orthodontic Teams

For most people on your team, a performance review can feel like judgment day. The focus is all on what they’ve done (or didn’t do) over the past year. It’s not inspiring, it’s stressful.

Orthodontic practices are fast-paced. Between patients, schedule changes, and managing workflows, your team doesn’t need a yearly “grade.” What they do need is support to grow into their roles and turn their jobs into fulfilling careers.

The Better Way: Growth and Development Plans

Here’s the big shift: stop grading people and start growing them. Instead of looking back and critiquing, let’s look forward and build. Growth plans are about:

Strengths and skills. Is your assistant amazing at patient communication? How can you help them sharpen that skill even more?
Career goals. Does your scheduling coordinator want to move into a lead role? Let’s map out a path for them to get there.
Ongoing progress. Instead of a one-and-done review, have regular check-ins to talk about how they’re growing and what they need to succeed.

How to Make the Switch

Skip the grading. No scales, no “areas of improvement” lists. Instead, start with, “What do you love about your job?” and go from there.
Tailor the plan. Talk to each team member about their strengths, challenges, and goals. Create a simple, clear plan for growth.
Focus on coaching. Think of yourself as a mentor, not a judge. Help them see opportunities to improve and celebrate their progress along the way.
Tie it to the big picture. Show them how their role helps the practice thrive and make sure their growth aligns with your goals as a business.
Check in regularly. These conversations shouldn’t be once a year! Make them part of your culture.

The Payoff for Your Practice

When you stop evaluating and start empowering, the whole vibe of your practice shifts. Your team feels valued, supported, and invested in. That means better patient care, happier staff, and a stronger practice overall.

So, orthodontic leaders, let’s make 2025 the year we break up with performance reviews for good. Your team deserves better. Let’s help them grow, not grade them.