Quality Performance Conversation

Getting a 36% uplift in performance from quality performance conversations

Performance conversations aren’t just a HR requirement – they are an opportunity to drive real engagement.

Focus on Strengths:

Research shows that when managers focus on strengths during performance conversations, it can lead to a 36.5% uplift in performance. That’s not all – engagement increases, productivity rises, and absenteeism drops.

Brandon Rigoni and Jim Asplund, ‘Global Study: ROI for Strengths-Based Development’, 2016.

Improving employee engagement with Strengths

When we first came across this data years ago, we said, “Tell us more!” It was the beginning of our commitment to a strengths-based approach to coaching and one that has grown in relevance as we look at the low engagement scores across our workplaces. The more recent studies support the data from 10 years ago.

Improving employee engagement with strengths, 736 research studies; 183,000 businesses; 3.3 million employees; 90 countries.

Today, workplaces are under pressure. People feel tired, under-valued, and stretched. Quiet quitting is a real issue. Gallup State of the Australian and New Zealand Workplace 2023, p.2

Most employees in Australia (67%) and New Zealand (67%) are “quiet quitting”. These employees are filling a seat and watching the clock. They put in minimum effort required, and they are psychologically disconnected from their employer.

Although they are minimally productive, they are more likely to be stressed and burnt out than engaged workers because they feel lost and disconnected from their workplace.

Coaching makes a difference

This is exactly where coaching makes the difference. Especially when it comes to the annual performance review. And that’s why we have built strengths-based coaching into coaching programs, particularly the Certificate IV in Workplace and Business Coaching (11314NAT) program.

Just look at the statistics below from Gallup’s latest State of the Global Workplace Report 2025.

Find out more by listening to our Coaching Café which looks at:

The power of strengths-based conversations
How coaching shifts the tone of performance reviews
Practical tools to help your team leave energised – not deflated

And we turn performance reviews into a genuine engagement strategy.

Missed the live session, catch up here

FREE Coaching Cafe Webinar

Join us

If you are a regular, you know the vibe and the great contribution that you make to our discussions; so we look forward to welcoming you and offering you a value-packed 30 minutes each Friday.

If you’ve not joined us for a Coaching Café, now is your opportunity to schedule this time for your professional and personal development. In addition, you have the opportunity to collect ICF CCEU’s for FREE. In no time at all, you’ll be looking forward to Friday lunchtimes, just like we all do!