SESSION OVERVIEW
Balancing performance and wellbeing is an essential skill for staff who lead people in higher-education environments, especially those overseeing student leaders or managing teams. It requires a deep understanding of individuals, clear communication and the ability to hold space for both support and accountability.
This session offers practical strategies for navigating the complexities of performance management, including when mental health or personal challenges need to be responded to at the same time. Participants will explore how to:
- Assign tasks and set expectations that are clear, achievable and responsive to individual circumstances
- Give feedback that is constructive and trauma-informed
- Raise performance concerns in ways that reduce defensiveness and build trust
- Follow fair and transparent performance management processes that support both accountability and wellbeing
- Communicate with empathy while maintaining professional boundaries and role clarity
Participants will leave with tools and techniques to manage challenging conversations, support staff and student leaders through challenges, and maintain team cultures that are both compassionate and high-performing.
PRESENTER
Kim Copeland is Director and Principal Consultant at Avyon Consulting. She is a consultant and trainer with a strong focus on people-centred approaches. Drawing on her social work background and executive leadership experience across government, military, higher education and non-government sectors, she works across all levels of organisations to support leaders and teams to embed trauma-informed approaches and strengthen human-centred practice.
Kim specialises in creating safer, more responsive workplaces by improving policies and practices, building trauma-aware frameworks and practices, and guiding cultural transformation. Her work relevant to this session includes supporting staff who lead and manage complex teams, oversee student leaders, and those who need to respond to challenging behaviours with clarity, care and accountability. She brings a practical, systems-focused lens to leadership development, helping people build cultures that prioritise wellbeing, uphold standards, and support inclusive, high-performing environments.