Ami Graves
CHRO at Bell Techlogix, Inc.
Bell Techlogix, Inc.
Episode 83
Ditch Annual Reviews: Unlock Agility & Engagement with Rolling Objectives
Current chapter: Built by People podcast features insights from world's top HR leaders
Built By PeopleAugust 1, 2025 · 8:13
Thesis
“Traditional annual performance reviews are largely ineffective and demotivating for employees; HR leaders should embrace a shift to agile, continuous rolling objectives to foster higher engagement, better adaptability, and improved retention by focusing on ongoing feedback and development.”
Show notes
Only 14% of employees say their company's performance management process actually motivates them to do their best work. Ami Graves read that Gallup statistic and decided to blow up the system entirely.
As CHRO at Bell Techlogix, Ami has spent 25 years in HR — and she's the first to call herself an "HR misfit." While most of her peers were defending the annual review cycle, she was quietly piloting a shift to rolling objectives: a continuous, goal-oriented feedback model that replaces the once-a-year ritual with ongoing, specific conversations between managers and employees. The results were measurable — improved engagement, better adaptability to shifting priorities, and a visible downward trend in attrition.
Her implementation advice is refreshingly tactical: start with a pilot in a high-performing, agile team. Train your managers on the "why." And resist the HR instinct toward risk-aversion — because in performance management, the riskiest thing you can do is keep doing what isn't working.
- Why annual performance reviews fail — and the specific manager behaviors that expose the problem
- How rolling objectives work in practice, and how to customize them by team or business unit
- The step-by-step implementation approach Ami used, from pilot to full rollout
- What measurable outcomes Bell Techlogix saw in engagement and retention after the switch
- Why HR leaders should "kick the ribs" — and what that actually means for innovating people processes
This episode is brought to you by Previ — an employer network that saves employees thousands on the necessities they already pay for, at no cost to the company.
What you'll take away
- 1Traditional annual performance management systems often suffer from manager inconsistency, low buy-in, and poor employee engagement (a Gallup stat indicates only 14% of employees find them encouraging).
- 2When implementing a new rolling objective system, consider starting with a pilot program in an agile, high-performing team to test and refine the process before a company-wide rollout.
- 3Thorough manager training and clear communication of the 'why' behind the shift are crucial for success, enabling leaders to provide consistent, meaningful feedback.
- 4Rolling objectives facilitate more frequent and specific goal-oriented conversations, which helps employees stay on track, adapt to shifting priorities, and leads to improved engagement and retention.
- 5HR leaders should challenge their inherent risk-averse nature and be willing to innovate and 'take the risk' on new approaches like rolling objectives that benefit employees and the company.
What most organizations get wrong
- •Amy Graves considers herself an 'HR misfit' for moving away from the conventional annual performance review process, noting that 'not a lot of my peers were doing this,' highlighting her early adoption of rolling objectives.
- •She advises HR practitioners to 'take the risk' in areas beyond compliance, pushing back against the common HR tendency to be risk-averse, especially in innovating people processes.
In Ami's words
“I can't tell you how many times I would have managers say, can I just copy and paste from what I wrote last year? Nothing's changed. Oh, those kinds of things are hard and frustrating. Just low engagement.”
This quote highlights a critical pain point and common sentiment among managers that traditional performance reviews are a burden and lack value.
“Gallup put out that 14% of employees think that the performance management process as it exists today encourages them or incentivizes them to continue to do their best work. So that's a sad number.”
This statistic powerfully illustrates the widespread ineffectiveness and demotivating nature of conventional performance management systems.
“Looking back, what I would recommend to those that have an interest in moving towards rolling objectives, I would say that process should include probably like a pilot or like a— pick a group or a team that's like, you know, really good performers, a lot of projects or a lot of agility within that function, and use them as kind of a pilot group.”
This provides practical, actionable advice for HR leaders considering a similar transformation, emphasizing a cautious, phased approach.
“Employees really enjoy that feedback that kind of tells them you're on the right path or, hey, we got to shift. Or what happens too if you're on a team that's just very agile and priorities shift so quickly, very hard to capture that in an annualized process. So doing that in a rolling objective setting is just way more beneficial.”
This explains a core benefit of rolling objectives, highlighting how continuous feedback directly supports employee engagement and adaptability in dynamic work environments.
“I'd say kick the ribs.”
This concise, impactful phrase serves as a rallying cry for HR leaders to embrace innovation and challenge the status quo by taking calculated risks.
The problems this episode addresses
- •Managers struggle with consistency and buy-in for annual performance reviews, leading to superficial evaluations (e.g., copying past feedback).
- •Traditional performance management systems are failing to engage employees or motivate them to perform their best work, as evidenced by low satisfaction rates.
- •Annual review cycles are inflexible and cannot effectively capture or adapt to rapid shifts in priorities, especially in agile teams.
- •The use of arbitrary performance numbers (e.g., 'a 3' or 'a 4') in reviews can demotivate employees and hinder productivity rather than fostering growth.
- •HR practitioners often operate with a risk-averse mindset due to compliance concerns, which can stifle innovation in people processes.
In this episode
Built by People podcast features insights from world's top HR leaders
Amy on The Built by People Podcast
Amy Graves is the CHRO of ValtechLogix
Top HR Executives on Human Resources
You've overhauled your traditional performance management system to move to rolling objectives
What Went Wrong With Our Performance Management System?
Can you walk us through the implementation process of your new rolling objective system
WSJDLive: The Process of Rolling Objectives
Rolling objectives are better for managers and employees than annual goals
Employee Experience: Rolling Objectives
Amy, if an HR leader wanted to transform their performance management approach, what steps would you recommend
Tim Ferriss: The Transformation of Performance Management
Amy, what parting advice would you like to share with our community
Amy Levine on the Rise of Risk-Taking in Human Resources
Topics covered
Organizations and entities mentioned
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