When Leaders Struggle and Tech Fails: The Perfect Storm for Bad Performance Conversations

Performance conversations don’t fail because leaders want them to. They fail because of a lack of tools, context, and support.

In this candid session, Keith Metcalfe, President of Acorn PLMS and a 25-year leadership veteran, shares how the challenges he faced as a first-time leader still echo today, amplified by the complexity of modern HR tech.

You’ll explore the real reasons performance reviews often fall flat, why today’s learning systems, HRIS platforms, and spreadsheets aren’t bridging the gap, and how that disconnect leaves leaders unsupported.

Using real data and hard truths, this session makes the case for connecting performance and learning through a shared language of capability, so leaders can lead with confidence and organizations can drive meaningful growth.

Through this session, you’ll:

• Build a data-driven business case for aligning performance and learning strategies.
• Identify and apply your team’s capabilities to support practical, measurable growth.
• Co-create scalable, living competency frameworks without consultants or complex systems.