The Hidden Truth Behind Leadership Performance Reviews

As I observe workplaces and turn those moments into cartoons, I keep coming back to one uncomfortable question:

At senior levels, are Leadership Performance Reviews really assessing performance… or assessing how “safe” you seem to the person above you?

If safety becomes the quiet filter, how much of the review is actually about the work?

Is “Comfort” Quietly Leadership Performance Reviews?

When everyone in the room is already experienced and capable, what does a leader really evaluate? Is it impact and competence — or predictability, loyalty, and emotional comfort?

And if comfort starts outweighing capability, how does that shape who gets recognised and who gets overlooked?

Do Leaders Truly Want Independent Thinkers?

Leaders often say they value independent thinking. But do they? Really?

What happens when a senior executive starts thinking with the same clarity and confidence as the leader above them?

Does that resemblance feel like alignment — or does it start feeling uncomfortably close to the leader’s own influence?

Do Insecure Leaders Block the Right Successors?

If a leader feels threatened by the very qualities they should be nurturing, what happens to succession planning?

How many right-fit successors get sidelined not because they performed poorly, but because they performed too well?

And what long-term cost does the organisation quietly absorb as a result?

What Sparked This Cartoon?

This cartoon came from a simple thought:

Why do some leaders fear the very qualities they claim to value in future leaders?

Which led to the punchline: “You’re my clone — you think and act exactly like me. That’s precisely why I don’t trust you.”

If similarity triggers mistrust, what exactly is being reviewed?

What’s Your Experience with Leadership Reviews?

Have you ever felt that a performance review at the top had less to do with your work and more to do with how “safe” or “comfortable” you seemed?

Have you seen leaders reward people who echo them — or quietly sideline those who think too much like them?

I’d love to hear your experiences, observations, and perspectives. Share your thoughts in the comments — I read every one of them.

More Corporate Cartoons

If you enjoy workplace insights told through humour, you may like exploring some of my other cartoon pages:

• Performance Review Cartoons

• Toxic Workplace Cartoons

• Job Interview Cartoons

• Work-Life Balance Cartoons

  
  

Each page captures the quirks, contradictions, and quiet truths of corporate life — with a dose of dry humour.