When High Performers Hit A Wall, Teams Hit A Ceiling

Forbes

a day ago

At the Tokyo Olympics in 2021, Simone Biles stunned the world.
Not with a gold medal. That wouldn't be a surprise from her.
But the shock came from her decision to withdraw from the competition.
As the most decorated gymnast of any nation in the history of the sport, Simone faced the pressure to push through. Instead, she chose to prioritize her mental health and wellbeing. And in doing, so she prioritized her team.
'I will usually persevere and push through things,' she told the global media, 'but not to cost the team a medal.'
That moment sparked more than headlines and podcast episodes. It placed a spotlight on the courage (and the vision) it takes to do things differently when you're a high performer among other high performers.
Whether it's on a gymnast's mat in an arena or in an all-staff meeting on a random Tuesday morning, the weight of high performance shows up just the same. It shows up in 1:1s, Teams threads, late-night slide decks, and the quiet exhaustion of doing too much for too long.
Because here's the thing, no one wins when people are pushed past their limits. No one. Not the individual, not the team, and not the business. At least not for long.
Now high performance still matters. Of course. But it's not about going harder. It's about rethinking how high performance is measured, supported, and shared. And at its core, it's about creating human capital sustainability for the future.
For too long, high performance has been mistaken for overextension. Always going 'above and beyond.' If you wanted recognition or a real shot at advancement, the only way was to push harder, stay later, and say yes to everything. Always. But the outcomes we're seeing now—burnout, quiet quitting, decreased well-being and disengagement—are proof that relentless pressure, whether it comes from within or from the top, isn't pushing high performers forward. It's pushing them out.
So what's needed now is a different approach altogether. It's what today's best leaders are prioritizing to ensure their high performers stay strong.
Here are five shifts they're making.
1. Paying attention to potential.
Strong leaders aren't relying on a handful of standout 'stars' to carry the team. That would be unfair and short sighted.
Instead, they're expanding how they spot and support talent. That includes recognizing the people who deliver impact consistently, even if they don't fit the typical mold. It means valuing contributions that go beyond job descriptions and taking a skills first approach to talent management. Like historical knowledge of the work, perspectives from lived experience, skills & insights acquired from work experiences, or the ability to ask the hard questions no one else will.
High performers aren't always the loudest voices in the room. But great leaders know how to hear them anyway. Being seen and recognized for their ever-expanding potential is what keeps them motivated to contribute.
2. Not treating everyone the same. Seriously.
High-performing teams aren't a monolith. They're made up of individuals with different strengths, motivations, and ways of working.
Some folks appreciate having more space to figure things out on their own first. Others want more structure and clarity from the start. The leaders who take time to discover and understand those needs will create a culture that's conducive for sustainable success.
When people feel recognized and backed for who they are, not just what they do, they're more likely to show up fully and stay invested longer.
3. Incorporate connection into the day-to-day.
Connection isn't a nice-to-have. It's a basic human need. And it's a non-negotiable for sustaining healthy high performance week after week.
That doesn't mean more team-building exercises. It means embedding real connection into the daily rhythm of work. Think meaningful one-on-one check-ins, cross-functional pairings that build influence, and space for people to share both wins and frustrations.
Ultimately, connection is what transforms a group of individuals into a team and keeps them feeling inspired and engaged.
4. Building in recovery time.
High-performing teams don't run on shout-outs and gift cards.
They run on energy and energy needs recharging.
Too often, recovery only happens on the other side of burnout. But leaders can bake it in from the start. That might look like protected no-meeting times, breathing room between project sprints, or just modeling the value of unplugging when the workday ends. Sometimes, just naming the need for recovery time can shift how a team approaches pressure and pace.
When leaders set a sustainable pace (including for themselves) and treat recovery as essential, they signal that it's safe for others to do the same. And the more recovery becomes a team norm, the more capacity the team builds.
5. Bridging differences to work better, together.
Diversity of thought, lived experiences, and communication styles is not a challenge to manage, but an asset to unlock.
That takes intention. And when tension arises, strong leaders lean into it with curiosity, not control. They reinforce that disagreement isn't disrespect. And they model the kind of collaboration that embraces differences instead of diluting them.
See, the teams that thrive aren't the ones that agree on everything everytime. They're the ones connected enough to navigate their differences without losing focus or momentum.
The goal hasn't changed: high performance still matters. But the path to it is being repaved.
Leading a high-performing team in a way that sustains people (not just their output) is one of the most strategic and thoughtful things a leader can do.
Simone Biles showed the world what it looks like to lead with courage and care. That kind of leadership is needed across workplaces now more than ever.
The leaders who make this shift aren't just driving high performance. They're protecting the people who make it possible.