Why High-Performance Comes from a Place of Well-Being
Photo @nickpage on Unsplash
Here's an uncomfortable truth: performance and well-being are treated separately in organisations, even though they're intrinsically linked.
The problem? Well-being interventions aren't taken seriously because they're not explicitly connected to hitting targets and getting more work done. Meanwhile, performance training fails when people are running on empty.
It's a vicious cycle. And it's costing organisations billions in lost productivity.
The Performance Paradox
Research from the Corporate Leadership Council studying 50,000 employees found that wellbeing initiatives increased employee performance by up to 20%. Yet most organisations still treat well-being as a "nice to have" rather than a performance necessity.
Here's what the data actually shows: when you prioritise well-being, performance follows. When you sacrifice well-being for performance, both eventually collapse.
I've watched this play out countless times in my coaching work. High-performers running themselves into the ground, convinced that rest equals weakness, until their bodies force them to stop.
The other way around works too. People who have lost their mojo, and get learn to access their High-Performance state again with learning to self-regulate their stress and anxiety, by controlling their time, or by communicating differently.
If performance is a question of energy...
It's when we're in a positive state that we find the energy, courage and strength to step out of our comfort zone. That's when we find confidence to try new things, apply new learnings and experiment with new ways of being.
When we're in a negative state, we have low energy and have to fight against ourselves to get things done. Everything becomes harder when we feel resistance and operate from depletion.
The neuroscience backs this up: Research by Dr Barbara Fredrickson at the University of North Carolina shows that positive emotions literally broaden our cognitive resources. Her "broaden-and-build theory" demonstrates that positive emotional states expand our awareness and encourage novel thoughts and actions.
In contrast, negative emotional states narrow our focus to immediate threats, useful if you're being chased by a predator, terrible if you're trying to solve complex business problems or lead a team through change.
Do you not have days where you accomplish a day's work in 4 hours, and other days when it takes you 4 days to do a day's work?
That's not about your competence. That's about your energy state.
The Energy Equation
According to The Process Communication Model®, when we have more energy, we can better adapt to situations by accessing parts of ourselves we may not usually use. When we have low energy, we lack the ability to adjust, we can become rigid and resort to familiar patterns, which may not be helpful if the situation requires flexibility.
Research by Jim Loehr and Tony Schwartz in their groundbreaking work The Power of Full Engagement found that energy, not time, is our most precious resource. They studied elite athletes and found that the key to sustained high performance wasn't working more hours—it was managing energy through strategic recovery.
The same principle applies to business leaders. Energy management is linked to how we manage our thoughts, feelings and bodies.
Most people resort to exercise, sleep optimisation or nutrition to increase energy. Yes, that helps. But it's not enough when you're under severe pressure or managing a crisis.
The Emotional Battery
Leaders who can manage the quality of their thoughts and emotions have a competitive advantage in managing their energy.
This is where The Process Communication Model® becomes powerful. It reveals your psychological needs that create energy to recharge your emotional batteries. When these emotional needs aren't met, you're more prone to negative emotions from stress because your battery is empty.
Think of it like your phone. You can have all the apps and tools, but if the battery is at 3%, nothing works properly. You need to charge it.
Your emotional needs are your charger.
The Stanford research by Emma Seppälä found that leaders who prioritised their own well-being had teams that were:
31% more productive
36% more satisfied
44% more likely to stay with the organisation
That's not soft skills. That's hard ROI.
The Performance Well-Being Formula
Here's what I've observed in my work with leaders: when mental, emotional and physical needs aren't being met, you don't have the energy to adjust and adapt in the way needed to optimise decision-making and performance.
Just like leaders are mindful of how they communicate when persuading a team to back their decisions, equal attention should be placed on: How do I make sure I show up with positive energy when I start my day?
This is fundamental because energy is contagious. The way you show up influences your team.
Research from Sigal Barsade at the Wharton School on "emotional contagion" shows that emotions spread through teams like viruses, both positive and negative. Leaders set the emotional tone. If you're stressed, depleted and running on fumes, your team feels it. If you're energised and positive, that spreads too.
The leaders I work with are always surprised by the productivity increase in their teams simply because they show up in a positive state.
Yes, it can be that simple.
Why We Resist This
However, because we're conditioned to perform from a place of overworking and sacrifice, it can be hard to believe that we can perform better working less and with more joy.
Easy to say, much harder to do, because it involves re-educating our subconscious patterns.
We've been taught that:
Rest is laziness
Boundaries are weakness
Suffering proves dedication
If it's not hard, you're not trying hard enough
All of this is nonsense. And it's destroying performance, not enhancing it.
The science is clear: Research from the World Health Organization found that working more than 55 hours per week increased the risk of stroke by 35% and heart disease by 17%. Overwork doesn't just harm well-being, it literally kills productivity and people.
Meanwhile, studies from Microsoft Japan found that a four-day work week increased productivity by 40%. Less time, more energy, better results.
The Real Question
The question isn't whether you can afford to prioritise well-being. The question is: can you afford not to?
Every hour you spend depleted, you're operating at a fraction of your capacity. Every decision you make from a place of stress and exhaustion costs you in quality. Every interaction you have with low energy drains your team.
High-performance doesn't come from pushing harder. It comes from showing up with more energy, clarity and presence.
And that only happens from a place of well-being.
Your Self-Reflection
• On a scale of 1-10, what's your energy level right now?
• What are your psychological needs that recharge your emotional battery? Are they being met?
• If you showed up tomorrow with positive energy, what would be different about how you work?
If you're intrigued about how to perform from a place of well-being, let's talk. Follow me on LinkedIn, and visit The Self-Science Lab for more info.
Written by: Lauren Cartigny, Leadership Trainer, Executive Coach and Mindfulness Practitioner
Following a successful international corporate career in Sales for leading Tech firms, Lauren faced an unexpected burnout, life and health crisis. After re-building her life, transforming her career, and healing her body, heart and mind, Lauren has created transformative coaching and training programs to teach High-Performance from a place of Well-Being to prevent burnout, and employee churn in organisations.