The oft forgotten piece of the high-performance jigsaw…

You! Or more specifically your wellbeing is the oft forgotten piece of the high-performance jigsaw.

Because the sad reality is that burnout simply goes unrewarded!

Working long hours, sacrificing personal time – time with those that we hold dear – used to be worn like a badge of honour. Thankfully most organisations have a far more progressive view on and approach to employee wellbeing nowadays but it’s still not perfect which means it’s incumbent on us as individuals to take responsibility for our own welfare.

It is of course simply impossible, when leading high-performance teams, to avoid the stress and pressure of relentless decision making, constant pivoting and direction changes, juggling competing priorities and of course the loneliness and isolation that often comes with the job title.

But the reality is that being physically, emotionally and mentally well is one hundred per cent compatible with being in control and performing at peak levels.

Marc Effron outlines 8 steps to high performance in his book 8 Steps to High Performance: Focus On What You Can Change (Ignore the Rest) using a research-based approach that focuses on the practical actions individuals can take to improve their performance at work.

When discussing the 8 steps Effron, as you might imagine, doubles down on traits and activities that would naturally lead to high performance. He addresses topics like goal setting, performance behaviours, relationships and connections, confidence and energy. His seventh step, however, Commit Your Body addresses directly the critical importance of prioritising physical wellbeing – sleep, exercise, and nutrition - because science tells us that the brain performs best when the body is healthy.

He emphasises a fundamental yet often underestimated truth that physical health is a key driver of performance at work. High performance isn’t just a mental or strategic game – it’s also a biological one. Your energy, cognitive ability, emotional regulation and resilience are directly influenced by how well you care for your body.

Effron encourages high performers to treat their body like a performance tool – one that needs regular maintenance, fuelling and rest to function at its peak. He draws on compelling research that links physical wellbeing with higher productivity, better decision-making, enhanced creativity and more effective leadership.

The relationship between stress and performance is hardly a new concept though. The Yerkes-Dodson law for instance, formulated in 1908, describes the relationship between arousal (or stress) and performance. It suggests that there's an optimal level of arousal for peak performance. Too little or too much arousal can lead to a decrease in performance. This relationship is often depicted as an inverted U-shaped curve, with the optimal level of arousal being in the middle.

According to the law, performance increases with arousal, but only up to a point, after that peak too much stress or pressure leads to a decline in performance. The optimal level of arousal depends on the complexity of the task – simple tasks can tolerate higher arousal, complex tasks requiring lower arousal for best performance.

In the context of business leadership, the Yerkes-Dodson Law can be a powerful lens to evaluate and improve individual, team and organisational performance. Great leaders know that a certain amount of pressure can motivate employees – tight deadlines, clear expectations and stretch goals often lead to heightened focus and energy.

But too much pressure – micromanagement, unrealistic demands or a toxic culture – can tip people into anxiety leading to burnout, poor decision-making and disengagement.

The reality is – borne out by research and science – that when high performance is achieved though through a carefully managed – and invested in – programme of self-care and wellbeing leaders make sharper decisions, execute faster, operate more confidently and develop a culture of clarity leading to sustainably higher output.

All of which is why your wellbeing should never be oft forgotten piece of the high-performance jigsaw - because burnout goes unrewarded!