Conversation recorded September 2026
"High performance" has become the phrase of the moment in boardrooms. Wellbeing budgets are being rebadged, resilience programmes renamed, and teams sent on yet another performance course. But ask ten people what high performance actually means and you will get ten different answers. That confusion is costing organisations more than they realise.
In conversation with a panel who have defined high performance in very different worlds. William Rigby is Head of Cyber Threat Intelligence at Lloyd's and a former military officer. Michelle Westwood is Chief People Officer at Osborne Clarke, with a background in the Royal Navy and the NHS. Max Brown is a psychologist, Olympic level high performance coach and former international rugby player. Caroline Turner-Inskip is a real estate partner at Simmons & Simmons, heads up the Bristol office and is the firm's Global Head of Wellbeing.
High performance without sustainability becomes a weapon
Every panellist reached for the same word when asked what high performance means: sustainable. Will described it as focus, balance and sustainability, learned the hard way across two careers. You can dial performance up for a period, he said, but never alone and never permanently. Caroline warned that the phrase on its own turns into something to beat people with, and that putting "sustainable" in front of it changes the whole conversation.
"When we just use high performance as a concept, we really risk it becomes that sort of stick to beat people with." Caroline Turner-Inskip
Clarity of direction beats intensity
On a ship, Michelle explained, everyone knows the combined aim and can instantly see their role in it. Moving into the NHS and then professional services, that clarity was often missing outside the frontline. Her answer as a leader is simple: cut the noise and be clear about today's focus. She also noticed how rarely her NHS team had been thanked or asked about their families, something that was a core duty for every Navy officer. Knowing why your role matters, whatever it is, lifts performance.
"I think it's having absolute clarity in which direction you're going in." Michelle Westwood
Trust is the foundation, and it is tested when things go wrong
In the military, trust is built through shared training and living together. In the corporate world, especially hybrid teams, there is no baseline, so it has to be earned through small, intentional moments: asking how someone's weekend was, remembering which day they have off. Caroline pointed out that trust takes a long time to build and can be broken in seconds. Max added the view from elite sport: trust matters most under pressure, and it is built by treating every person as an individual and designing their challenge, resources and support around them.
"In sport the critical bits are when it goes wrong. When stuff doesn't go to plan, that's when trust really comes in." Max Brown
Measure outcomes, not hours
Law firms still bill in six minute units, which makes time the easiest thing to measure and reward. The panel was clear that this is the wrong measure. Max argued that work should be judged on output, designed around how people actually work best. Michelle shared a familiar complaint: junior lawyers leaving at five for yoga. Her question back to the partners was whether they had made the client deadline clear and agreed a plan. Clear expectations remove most of the conflict. Caroline added that she sees no lack of drive in Gen Z colleagues, just a smarter way of working that older generations could learn from.
"Harder and longer is not high performance." Caroline Turner-Inskip
In an AI workplace, EQ becomes the advantage
From the front line of cyber threat intelligence, Will predicted that emotional intelligence will become more valuable than raw intellect as AI puts instant answers in everyone's inbox. The risk is surface level understanding: taking an answer without deeply understanding the problem or the people affected by it. Curiosity, relationships and the judgement to interrogate an answer are the skills that will set high performing teams apart.
"EQ will be the commodity that's higher than IQ." William Rigby
Petra's take
When I look back at the period I performed at my best, I had left a cult, had two young children, was working full time and studying for a master's degree at night. It did not feel like high performance at the time, and I could not have kept it up for ten years. That is the point this panel made so well. Wellbeing is not a separate box to tick next to performance. It is one of the ingredients. And the people who look like they are flying are often the ones most at risk, so they need support as much as anyone. As Max reminded me, giving yourself grace to run at 80% some of the time is not a weakness. It is what makes performance last.
One piece of advice from each panellist
Michelle: Be vulnerable as a leader. You do not know best, and you need your team to have your back as much as you have theirs.
Max: Create space for failure, and share your own setbacks so others can learn from them.
Caroline: Know how to look after yourself first. Self awareness is what lets you lead others well.
Will: Empower people to the point of discomfort. That is usually about right.
Three things to try this week
Define high performance with your team. Ask each person what it means to them, then agree the ingredients together rather than a single slogan.
Make expectations explicit. For your next deadline, say what is needed and by when, then let people decide how and when they deliver it.
Check in on your top performers. Pick one person who seems to be flying and ask how they are really doing.
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Watch the full conversation on YouTube
Related insights: High Performance Without Burnout · Can Law Firms Put Mental Health First?
About the author: Petra Velzeboer is a psychotherapist, keynote speaker and author of Begin With You and Digital Wellbeing. She works with leaders and People teams to build healthy cultures where people perform at their best.