Performance management should be one of the simplest parts of a manager’s job. Set expectations. Watch the work. Give useful feedback. Correct problems early. Help good people get better. Instead, many companies have turned it into a ceremony. Managers spend days collecting notes, filling out templates, assigning ratings, and preparing for a single formal conversation that tries to do too much at once. Employees walk in expecting judgment, politics, or surprise. Managers often arrive tired and late, hoping to get through the meeting without a fight.