Why High Performance Might Be Ruining Your Company

Let’s Stop Bragging About It

While we often design our companies to operate like precise mathematical formulas, it's crucial to remember that people are not variables in these equations. They bring with them a wealth of experiences and emotions that can’t be quantified.

In every meeting, every deadline, every performance review, there are ghosts in the room. The ghost of a childhood rulebook. The echo of a critical parent. The survival instincts of growing up unseen or unheard.

It's important to recognize that we all carry our personal histories and experiences from home to the workplace, whether we're aware of it or not. Acknowledging this can lead to a more empathetic and understanding culture.

Before the next leadership retreat, the team-building initiative, or the latest corporate wellness launch, pause. Not for the sake of efficiency. But for honesty.

Before you ask others to follow, ask yourself: Would you want to work for yourself?

Instead of viewing yourself solely as the visionary or the title, consider yourself as the person responsible for your tone, your expectations, your silences, and your moods. If you were on the receiving end of your own leadership, how would it feel? This perspective shift can lead to a more empathetic approach to leadership.

This is not a rhetorical question. It’s the question. Because no wellness perk, no productivity strategy, and no mission statement will matter if the culture you create isn’t one you yourself could endure.

The Mirror Every Leader Avoids

Years ago, I found myself frustrated with the very structure I helped uphold. I was pouring my energy into training, mentoring, and thoughtful delivery, but the environment only measured results in numbers. Clients closed. Targets met. Profit over people.

When I finally allowed myself to acknowledge the emotional cost of staying in this environment, I realized it was too high, contrary to my values, and detrimental to my self-worth, and I left.

That moment cracked something open in me. And maybe it can be the same for you, too.

Psychological Safety Is Not a Luxury

According to McKinsey, teams with high psychological safety are more productive, creative, and resilient. But here’s the part many leaders miss: you can’t install psychological safety like software.

You build it moment by moment, through tone, trust, and your response to the inevitable messes of human work.

Do people feel safe bringing up problems before they explode?
Can someone make a mistake without fearing emotional exile?
Is the environment that of a team or a competition?
Do team members feel heard when they disagree, or simply tolerated?

Safety lives in body language, in silence, and in how we respond when someone dares to be real.

Corporate Wellness Won’t Save You

Gratitude boards. On-site yoga. Mental health webinars. Unlimited PTO.

All beautiful in theory.

But if your ‘team’ is walking on eggshells and competing with each other, these initiatives become coercive decoration, not healing.

No perk will fix a culture that punishes honesty or rewards burnout.

Teams Are People, With Pasts, Patterns, and Pressure

Every person who logs into your meeting carries a home inside them. Different households. Different emotional languages. Some were raised in silence. Some with chaos. Some with hyper-independence.

They bring all of it to work, even when they try not to.

If you don’t acknowledge this, you’ll misread everything.

Resistance may be trauma.
Conflict avoidance may be fear.
Silence may be exhaustion.

Lead with empathy, not just organizational charts. Understand that each person in your team has a unique background and emotional makeup, and it's your role as a leader to create an environment where they can thrive.

Before Teamwork, Remember Humanity.

It's easy to get caught up in the tasks and deadlines, but it's crucial to remember that your team members are human beings with their own stories, struggles, and strengths. Treat them with the respect and understanding they deserve.We expect seamless collaboration from people raised on different rules. That’s unrealistic.

Diversity isn’t just demographic; it encompasses emotional, psychological, and cultural aspects as well. Leadership isn’t about smoothing over differences. It’s about making space for them.

Ask instead of assuming.
Listen instead of fixing.
Slow down long enough to see who’s in the room.
You don’t need culture-building exercises as much as you need empathy.

Rethinking “High Performance”

We’ve glorified high performance as the holy grail. But by traditional standards, it’s often inhuman.

It values consistency over care. Volume over depth. Compliance over authenticity.

The workplaces where people perform best are those where they feel:

Safe
Valued
Encouraged

Real performance grows from belonging. Not pressure.

What Are We Actually Rewarding?

Most companies reward the visible: clients closed, hours billed, metrics tracked.

But what about:

The teammate who de-escalates conflict quietly?
The trainer who checks in after hours?
The employee who brings depth, not speed?

If we only reward what’s loud, we’ll lose what’s meaningful.

Shift the question from “What did you produce?” to “How did you show up?”

Motivation Is Personal, And So Is Growth

People don’t perform positively because they’re told to. They perform better when they’re inspired to. And what moves each person is unique.

One is driven by structure.
Another by freedom.
Another by meaning.

Your job as a leader isn’t to enforce pressure. It’s to create personalized environments where people can thrive.

You Are Someone’s Emotional Climate

You’re not just a manager. You are the weather in the room.

You are:

The pause after a mistake
The tone after feedback
The trust between meetings

Leadership is not about being infallible. It’s about being repairable.

Would You Want to Work Here?

If you had no title or equity, would you stay?

Would you feel seen, safe, and respected?

If not, don’t spin it. Own it. That answer is your compass.

For Aspiring Leaders

You don’t need a title to lead. Start here:

Listen before you lead.
Ask before you assume.
Care before you calculate.

That’s leadership. No office required.

This Is the Mirror Not to shame you - But to set you free.

Start Here

Would you want to work for yourself?
Would you want to work here?
What part of your upbringing still shapes how you show up?
Who on your team might be carrying an invisible weight?

If your answer to any of these is “I’m not sure,” you’re not failing. You’re awakening.

And That’s The Start Of Real Leadership.

A Personal Note

I’m not what most companies call “high performance.” I don’t produce fast. It takes me a whole day to write a blog like this. I craft every word with thought and care.

But what I create is meaningful. Intentional. Deep.

If you’ve ever felt like you’re not productive enough, not fast enough, you’re not broken.

You might just be someone who leads with care. And that’s exactly what the corporate and working world needs more of.

If You’re Looking for a Workshop…

If you’re looking for someone to teach your team how to optimize productivity or squeeze out more performance, I’m not your person.

But if you want to help your people feel more human, lead with care, build trust, and create a culture rooted in purpose, not pressure, then Let’s Talk.

Let’s build something meaningful.