A performance rating should never be the first time an employee learns how their supervisor sees their work. The gap between successful and exceptional performance may depend as much on clear expectations, timely feedback, and honest conversations as it does on the employee—and that starts with leadership.

Institutional knowledge doesn’t live in policies or procedures—it lives in people. As experienced employees leave and organizations change, both leaders and employees have an opportunity to preserve what matters, challenge what no longer does, and build new capability for the future.