Performance Uplift

Thank you for exploring how to uplift performance in your team.

This programme is packed with actionable tools and insights designed to help you create clear expectations, drive accountability, and sustain high performance, all in a structured, achievable way.

Stop Just Fighting Fires

Across government, people leaders are being asked to do more with less. They are expected to lead through pressure, manage performance, keep people engaged, and deliver outcomes in complex systems. Many are stretched, reactive, and carrying the weight of change with little space to reset or embed new habits.

Research shows that organisations with clear expectations, strong feedback loops, and accountability mechanisms outperform their competitors by 25% or more (McKinsey & Company). This playbook provides the structure and tools to help you lead with clarity, embed performance habits, and drive real results.

Why We Created The Uplift Programme

Performance Uplift gives your leaders the clarity, tools, and confidence they need to perform under sustained pressure. It is a modular programme designed specifically for Tier 2 and 3 leaders and larger people-leader cohorts. The focus is always practical: leaders work on their real challenges, build shared habits, and strengthen the culture of leadership across your system.

We designed the Uplift Programme to help you lead with confidence, clarity, and consistency when managing performance. Many leaders struggle with setting expectations, addressing underperformance, and keeping high performers engaged. Without a structured approach, performance management can feel reactive, stressful, and ineffective.

We saw this challenge firsthand and wanted to help. We wanted to give you practical, actionable tools to take control of performance management and turn it into a proactive, ongoing process instead of an occasional tough conversation.

We've called this the Uplift Programme because performance management isn’t just about fixing problems, it’s about raising the standard, creating momentum, and building a culture of accountability that lasts. This Programme is here to help you do just that, whether you’re leading a transformation, strengthening team performance, or embedding leadership habits that stick.

How it works

Modular structure: 4–6 half-day workshops over 4–8 months

Cohorts at scale: 12–80 leaders per group

Practical toolkit: templates and resources for performance conversations, accountability, stakeholder mapping, energy management, and more

Methods that work: scenario simulations, spectrum lines, coaching reflections, story work – always applied to real leadership contexts

Scalable delivery: integrated into existing leadership forums, no big overheads or venue costs

How To Get The Most Out Of The Uplift Programme.

This programme is designed to be a practical, step-by-step guide for leaders who want to take performance management from reactive to proactive. Each section builds on the last, helping you move from setting clear expectations to embedding long-term accountability in your team.

Clearer expectations and stronger performance conversations

Confidence to lead under pressure and think strategically

More deliberate use of time and energy

Stronger stakeholder relationships and system influence

A shared language for leadership across the organisation

Tools they can apply immediately in their daily rhythm

If you're leading a team through change, transformation, or just aiming for higher performance, this programme gives you the structure and confidence to lead with clarity and impact.

Use it as a structured plan, a toolkit for tough conversations, or a resource to revisit when performance challenges arise. Adapt it to fit your leadership style and team needs, and most importantly, take action.

Options to go further

To deepen the shift and embed new behaviours across the system, you can add:

Leadership diagnostics (Leadership Circle, CliftonStrengths, TMP)
1:1 coaching for targeted support
Peer learning groups for accountability and momentum
Senior team coaching to role-model culture shifts
Implementation support linked to your strategic priorities

Results that speak for themselves

“The best PLD we had received – period.” – Senior Leader, June 2025
“I now have every confidence I can step into leadership spaces I previously stayed silent in.” – CEO, July 2025
“Our people loved Penny’s stories and her practical language and ideas.” – Sponsor, May 2025

Why this approach?

Grounded in reality – leaders apply tools to live issues, not abstract theory

Scalable and affordable – designed to fit within existing forums and budgets

System-focused – builds momentum and shared culture across your leadership cohort

Designed to fit your context

Performance Uplift is built to integrate with your existing leadership forums, calendars, and ways of working.

Sessions are interactive and energising, but easy to schedule alongside core business.

Leaders apply tools directly to live issues rather than abstract case studies, which means development happens in real time, without pulling people away from their work. The focus is always on practical impact, not extra overhead.

Our Track Record

Performance Uplift has been delivered across a wide range of government settings, always tailored to the leadership context. Recent examples include:

Senior regulatory leaders – equipped with tools for accountability conversations and leading through change.
Tier 3 managers in a large economic agency – focused on energy management, clarity of expectations, and stakeholder influence.
Cross-agency leadership forums – creating a shared language of performance and accountability across the system.
People leaders in a national service organisation – embedding practical tools for clarity and strategic focus during transformation.
Corporate and enabling functions – supporting finance, HR, and strategy leaders to strengthen impact and alignment with organisational priorities.
Justice and legal leaders – developing confidence to lead under sustained workload and to embed consistent performance conversations.

Across these contexts, the programme has consistently delivered:

Stronger performance conversations and clearer expectations
More strategic use of leaders’ time and energy
Greater confidence under sustained pressure
Visible culture shifts anchored in shared habits and tools

Final Thoughts: Leadership is an ongoing practice.

Performance leadership is not a one-time initiative. It’s an ongoing practice that requires consistency, adaptability, and a proactive mindset. As a leader, you will always be balancing multiple performance streams. Some team members may be in the clarity phase, others in structured improvement, and new challenges will arise along the way.

We want you to feel confident to continually assess, adapt, and reinforce expectations while staying committed to a culture of accountability and high performance. The most effective leaders understand that performance management is not about control. It’s about creating clarity, trust, and momentum within your team.

Holding People Accountable and Leading with Confidence

It is okay to call out performance issues while remaining a respected and effective leader. Your job is not to be liked all the time; it is to set a clear standard and support your team in reaching it. When you hold people accountable, you are not punishing them, you are helping them succeed by setting clear expectations and ensuring they have the tools and support they need to improve. Strong leadership requires balancing support with challenge, and that means having the courage to address performance concerns openly and constructively.