Public Sector Leadership: Managing Performance & Difficult Conversations

Management Responsibilities

- Explore performance management and your responsibilities as a leader

- Agility, risk aversion, and organisational expectation

- Understand and contextualise employee engagement

The Risks of Employee Disengagement

- Engage with risk and manage the consequences

- Explore what disengagement looks like

- Apply appropriate conduct and best practice APS models

Engaging with your Team 

- Understand value drivers and tailor conversations

- Clarify performance and link to business plans

- Navigate challenges of difficult conversations

Providing Performance Feedback

- Tackle underperformance with consistency

- Facilitate two-way performance conversations

- Reinforce support with consistent feedback

Preparing for Tough Conversations

- Use effective communication strategies

- Build rapport and understand its importance

- Uncover biases in your communication tendencies

Tailor your Communication Style

- Adjust your style and deliver the correct message 

- Ask the right questions for better results

- When to act, and when to listen

Essential Conflict Resolution Skills 

- Become an active listener

- Manage emotions for positive communication

- Handle conflicts and adapt communication

Pre-empting Performance Conversations

- Normalise performance conversations

- Plan, monitor, and set performance indicators to spot red flags early

- Embed purpose in performance management