Your Performance Review Process Assumes the Worst. Jeff Pearson's Boss Never Did

The Human Connection Podcast · Jul 7, 2026 · 22m

"Assume the best until somebody proves themselves that their intentions aren't the best. Everybody knows what happens when you assume."

You've built an org that hits its numbers. You've also built one where the quiet performer, the one who stopped raising their hand in standups, gets written off as disengaged — because nobody asked what they're actually carrying. That's not a culture problem. That's a leadership habit, and it compounds every time you fill in a gap with a guess instead of a question.

Jeff Pearson has survived seven brain surgeries — the first at two weeks old — and built a…