The Behaviour Shift

Thought-leadership and insights about your people

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Creating a high-performance culture is no small feat, but the benefits are undeniable. Research from Gallup and McKinsey shows that organisations with high-performing teams experience up to 41% lower absenteeism, 59% lower turnover, and a 1.5 times higher success rate in implementing innovations. With numbers like these, it’s clear why building a high-performance culture should be a top priority for businesses.

Recently, I facilitated a “Peak Performance” workshop with a health organisation in Melbourne. The goal was to create a roadmap for collaboration, communication, and achieving high performance. But let’s be honest: many organisations struggle with this because they fall into common traps like poor communication, misaligned goals, or ineffective leadership.

During the session, we explored what it means to truly foster a high-performance culture. It’s not about comparing your team to elite athletes, as many business leaders mistakenly do. Unlike professional sports, where athletes dedicate their entire lives to their craft, the corporate world operates differently. But with the right approach, your team can still move towards greatness.

I encourage leaders to ask these five key questions to assess their organisation’s culture:

1. Are we aligned with our mission and vision daily?

2. Do we hold ourselves and others accountable?

3. How well do we communicate across departments?

4. Are we continuously learning or repeating mistakes?

5. Are we comfortable having candid, difficult conversations?

True high-performance cultures prioritise the organisation’s mission, vision, and values. They hold each other accountable, communicate openly, and embrace challenges as opportunities for growth. It’s not about ego or personal glory—it’s about putting the team first and maintaining high standards consistently.

So, how do you shift from a culture of mediocrity to one of high performance? Read the full newsletter article on Linkedin to find out.

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