For many law firms, January starts the beginning of the performance review process—providing a perfect vehicle to empower employees by acknowledging their contributions over the course of this difficult year.

If provided effectively, feedback plays an essential element of ongoing development, engagement and improved performance. However, many law firm partners and other evaluators struggle with providing honest and constructive feedback for a variety of reasons including a lack of skills or an aversion to having tough conversations. Even those with the skills and courage to provide honest feedback may be ineffective at evaluating performance because unconscious biases can impact our ability to objectively evaluate other people.