Employee performance management is a fundamental component of leadership and directly supports the judiciary’s mission to uphold the rule of law. After all, employees are the backbone of the court. To that end, in my career as a court administrator I made improving employee performance a high priority. In that time, I learned a lot about what works well and what does not. In recent years I have been writing[i] and speaking[ii] about employee performance management to share that knowledge. I am happy to report that last week the National Association for Court Management published my article, “Performance Previews, NOT Reviews” in its Court Manager journal.[iii] Here is the first paragraph of that article:
Court staff are our most important resource, and their performance is at the heart of all court work. In this article, I explore how to create a high-performance work culture and environment by transforming traditional, backward-looking performance management into practices that are future-focused. We need to move beyond simply reviewing past performance and create a system where managers and staff can together improve their performance in the future. In other words, transform performance reviews into performance previews. An effective performance management system that does this helps employees thrive and excel in their work — and isn’t this what we really want to accomplish? Employees who excel result in a workforce that strives to achieve both their own AND court goals and objectives, thus fulfilling the court’s mission and purpose.
I encourage you to read the rest of the article at the link below.
But that’s not all, as I am making a presentation based on the Court Manager article at the NACM Midyear Conference in Albuquerque, New Mexico next week: “Unlocking Potential: Performance Management for a New Era.”[iv] Here is the program description:
We often say that “people are our most important asset.” Having that asset perform at a high level is critically important to the achievement of the court’s mission. This practical session will show how we can improve through a forward-looking, partnership approach that meets the needs of the modern workforce, transforming performance reviews into performance previews. We will explore the key goals and underlying assumptions of employee performance management, why those assumptions are often wrong and thus lead to counterproductive actions, and how we can do better in a forward-looking performance management system. We will explore the pitfalls and benefits of performance management from the perspectives of both employee and manager in the modern, evolving workplace. The focus will be on how managers and staff are partners who work together to create a continuously improving future. Finally, we will conclude with how an effective performance management system is a positive force in achieving workplace excellence, increasing public trust & confidence and upholding the Rule of Law.
I hope to see many of you at the conference, where NACM has put together another excellent program. Meanwhile, I encourage everyone to make employee performance management a high priority in your organizations.
[i] Vantage Point blog posts: (2018) Why are most employee performance evaluation systems terrible? – Court Leader and Employee performance appraisals — how do we make them better? – Court Leader and To rate or not to rate, is that the question? Key Design considerations for performance appraisals. – Court Leader; (2023) Coaching and Mentoring in Performance Management – Court Leader; (2025) Monitoring Employee Performance – Court Leader
[ii] “Staff Performance Appraisals are Terrible: We Can Do Better!” at the 2019NACM annual conference (Las Vegas, Nevada) and 2022 FCCA annual conference (Washington, DC)
[iii]NACM Court Manager journal, Vol. 40 #1, Winter 2026, NACM – Court Manager Performance Previews, NOT Reviews!
[iv] 2026 Midyear Conference – National Association for Court Management
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