- A career rooted in helping people perform better
- Why traditional performance management no longer works
- Moving from performance management to performance enablement
- Connecting performance, potential, and development
- Advice for HR leaders starting out
- The future of performance management
- Why Nick is a Work Better Champion
We are fortunate to partner with Betterworks customers who continually share their expertise and experiences with fellow customers and the broader HR community. Their generous contributions make them true Work Better Champions, and we are profoundly grateful for their insights. Meet one such champion, Nick Haap from KeHE Distributors, as he explains why he left the old ways of doing performance management behind and hasn’t looked back since.
The traditional performance management approach has drifted away from how work actually happens. But the disconnect didn’t happen overnight — it slowly fell out of step with the reality of work.
Nick Haap, Director of Talent Management at KeHE Distributors, has spent his career closing that gap and ensuring that the company’s performance approach enables employees to progress, not plateau. His focus: replacing outdated performance reviews with a continuous performance management approach that helps people improve in real time. The purpose? Engage employees with insights and information that unlock their true potential.
That belief is what makes Nick a Betterworks Work Better Champion. It’s also why his perspective resonates with HR leaders rethinking how performance should work today.
A career rooted in helping people perform better
Nick didn’t begin his career in HR. He started in architecture before realizing his passion wasn’t designing buildings; it was understanding people.
That curiosity led him to industrial-organizational psychology, where he learned how behavior, motivation, and performance show up at work. Since then, Nick has built his career in talent management roles focused on helping employees grow, not just measuring them.
Why traditional performance management no longer works
Nick has watched the same performance management debates repeat for years: ratings versus no ratings, annual reviews versus quarterly check-ins.
To him, the problem isn’t the format. It’s the outcome.
“People avoided performance conversations because they weren’t getting value from them,” Nick explains. “Feedback came too late to matter.”
Annual reviews rely on memory. Development conversations lag behind real work. Employees feel surprised — and trust erodes. Nick realized that the goals of traditional performance management — measurement and activating performance — were failing under an outdated framework of annual goals and biannual reviews.
Moving from performance management to performance enablement
At KeHE, Nick had the opportunity to rethink performance management altogether.
Instead of once-a-year reviews, the organization introduced a regular cadence of check-ins focused on:
- Results from the previous quarter
- Clear priorities for the next quarter
- Development needs and support
The goal wasn’t more process. It was more clarity.
“If someone is surprised at year-end, that’s a failure of the system,” Nick said. “Clarity is kindness.”
This continuous approach gives managers and employees time to adjust, learn, and improve — while the work is still happening.
Connecting performance, potential, and development
One of Nick’s proudest achievements is connecting performance management with talent development.
KeHE combined performance and talent reviews into a single workflow that happens annually. This reduced duplication, gave the company deeper insights into the potential of employees below the VP level, and created clearer development guidance for employees at every level.
Rather than treating growth as an afterthought, development is now built into the performance cycle itself, reinforcing a culture of continuous learning. Managers and employees have a regular cadence of conversations to discuss quarterly results, goals, and development progress and plans. The focus is on discussing the items that matter most, helping employees think about their future success, and setting those expectations.
Advice for HR leaders starting out
Nick’s advice for early-career HR and talent leaders is simple:
- Stay curious. Learn what’s working across organizations.
- Use AI thoughtfully. Remove busywork so you can focus on people.
- Invest in change management. Systems don’t change behavior; leadership and clarity do. Change management training will help HR leaders guide their organization’s shift to a performance enablement mindset.
“Most of talent management is about changing behavior,” Nick explained. “And that takes trust, not tools alone. Organizational psychology and talent management are equal parts art and science.”
The future of performance management
Looking ahead, Nick sees skills-based talent management playing a much larger role.
Breaking roles down into skills opens new possibilities for career paths, succession planning, and internal mobility — especially when supported by AI that keeps skills current.
The future of performance management is less about static roles and more about helping people apply their strengths where they matter most.
Why Nick is a Work Better Champion
Nick shares his experience to help others see what’s possible in talent management.
“If I can help someone earlier in their career understand the path forward,” he said, “that’s worth it.”
That mindset — clear expectations, regular conversations, and systems that help people grow — is what it truly means to work better.
Do you want to become a Work Better Champion? Let us know!
