Powerful Performance Conversations

On Thursday 6th June, the C4DI Media Suite buzzed with energy as over 50 individuals gathered to delve into the significance of Powerful Performance Conversations.  

Every business in the country is looking for ways to engage and retain their people in these times of persistent change. At the heart of this lies the need to empower every person through a commitment to creating a culture of belonging, satisfaction and connection.  

This Talent+ event, taking place as part of the Humber Business Week, kicked off with a networking lunch, catered by Nibble, fostering an environment where attendees from various businesses and organisations could engage and build valuable connections. This initial segment set a collaborative tone for the day, encouraging participants to share their experiences and insights. 

Following the lunch, Olly Burdett, lead of the Talent+ programme at Future Humber, introduced the event’s speaker, Felicity King. Felicity, the Director of Learning and Development at Edwards & Pearce, is a renowned human behaviour specialist. With over 25 years of experience in personal development and leadership, she holds an impressive range of postgraduate qualifications in leadership, leadership development, coaching, emotional intelligence, performance psychology, and various approaches to mindset and resilience. 

Felicity commenced her session by exploring the concept of Powerful Performance Conversations, shedding light on why these critical discussions often do not occur. She attributed this to several factors, including evolving work patterns and locations, staff shortages, and the inherent fear and anxiety surrounding performance-related dialogues.

Drawing from Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs, Felicity underscored the essential nature of addressing human needs in the workplace. She emphasised three crucial points:

• The need for security and a sense of belonging, with everyone working towards a common goal.
• The capability to achieve personal objectives within a clearly defined framework, akin to a well-marked playing field.
• The importance of providing unconditional and enthusiastic support to one another. 

Felicity then presented some headline statistics about the current state of workplaces and employee engagement:

• 52% of employees have not had a review in the past 12 months.
• 70% of employees feel disengaged due to 'silo' leadership.
• 51% of people are actively job hunting.

These figures highlighted the pressing need for effective performance conversations to encourage engagement and retention. Felicity further discussed the importance of adopting a language of behaviour, which distinguishes actions from personality traits. She noted that this approach drives organisational change and helps prevent the pigeonholing of individuals, allowing for a more dynamic and adaptable workforce. 

Throughout the session, attendees were encouraged to share their experiences and best practices regarding performance conversations and feedback within their own organisations. This interactive element provided valuable insights and created a sense of community and shared learning among the participants. 

We extend our thanks to everyone who attended our Talent+ event. Your presence and participation made the event a resounding success. If you attended and would like to provide feedback, please click here.  

Please keep an eye on our future opportunities as we look forward to continuing this important dialogue and supporting the growth and development of the talent across the Humber region. 

Post-Event Resources