Why Elite Teams Reject the Performance vs. Wellbeing Debate
A 6-minute investment to help make you a better leader - In role. In life.
Hi, I’m Jason. If you believe great leadership starts with being your best self - in role and in life - I've created The Prime Movement for you. I'm here to help you thrive mentally, physically, and emotionally. Because when you're at your best, you lift up everyone around you.
What’s coming up:
Prime Performance: This Week’s Best News, Views & Life-Hacks
The Prime Perspective: Why Elite Teams Reject the Performance vs. Wellbeing Debate
Lessons from the Arena: How Leaders Can Thrive Amidst Uncertainty
Be a Prime Mover: 1 Quote to Spark Change
Prime Performance: this week’s news, views and life hacks
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The Prime Perspective: Thoughts on Leadership and Growth
Why Elite Teams Reject the Performance vs. Wellbeing Debate
Elite military units and championship sports teams have known it for decades: treating performance and wellbeing as separate domains is fundamentally flawed. Yet in boardrooms worldwide, we're still acting like it's 1995.
Leaders are being pulled in opposing directions by wellbeing ‘experts’ preaching meditation retreats as the panacea for all problems on one side, and performance ‘gurus’ pushing hustle culture on the other. My hot take? Both ‘tribes’ are entirely missing the point.
Here's the reality I learned the hard way as a global executive: treating these as separate entities ignores the fact they’re inextricably linked.
At best, the leader is left alone trying to piece together the individual pieces of the puzzle and at worst, flipping between the two extremities is doing damage - some of the individuals I’ve worked with have had the ‘harder, faster, longer’’ mantra drilled into them so hard that they can’t switch off until breaking point, but are then sold the dream that something like a mindfulness weekend will ‘fix’ them. In reality that kind of one-off approach is about as effective as putting a band-aid on a broken leg.
The cycle of treating leaders like gladiators and ‘patching’ them up so they’re ready to re-enter the arena needs to be broken. It needs to be about prevention rather than cure.
The science is unequivocal on this. Your brain doesn't have separate ‘performance mode’ and ‘wellbeing’ mode" circuitry - it's an integrated system where each component directly affects the others.
Yes, we shift between sympathetic (activation) and parasympathetic (recovery) states - but that's precisely the point. These aren't opposing forces to be balanced; they're complementary systems designed to work in concert. Elite performers don't just tolerate recovery - they strategically prioritize it as an essential component of sustainable performance.
Think about it:
When you're sleep-deprived, your decision-making suffers
When you're chronically stressed, your cognitive flexibility declines
When you're physically inactive, your mental energy and focus deteriorate
Elite military units and sports teams build their entire approach around this integration - they know when they need to be performing at a ‘10’ intensity, but they also know that is only sustainable for short periods of time. When they switch off, it’s not dialing down to what performance specialist Josh Waitzkin calls the dangerous ‘simmering six’ zone, it’s down to a ‘1’ or a ‘2’.
They don't view rest as weakness or recovery as luxury – they optimize both activation and recovery as essential elements of the same system.
Yet in business leadership, we're still:
Treating wellbeing as occasional indulgences
Viewing recovery as time "away" from performance rather than a catalyst for it
Celebrating mental toughness while ignoring its dependency on wellbeing
At The Prime Movement, we've been developing an evidence-based approach that reflects reality: sustainable excellence requires treating performance and wellbeing as two sides of the same coin, not competing priorities.
This means:
Recognizing that cognitive performance depends on physical wellbeing
Understanding that strategic recovery enhances output, not diminishes it
Accepting that wellbeing isn't separate from high performance - it's a prerequisite for it
The most effective leaders in 2025 won't be trying to "balance" performance and wellbeing as if they're opposing forces. They'll be working with specialists who understand how to integrate and optimize both simultaneously.
I’ve seen it on my own journey. Since adopting this integrated approach, I've found that:
Strategic recovery leads to lower stress levels
Consistent physical practice enhances mental resilience
Prioritizing sleep leads me to sharper decision-making
The question isn't whether to focus on performance or wellbeing. The real question is: why are you still treating them as separate domains when your body and brain never do?
The path to your prime lies in rejecting this false choice and embracing the reality that elite performers have always known: sustainable excellence demands an integrated approach.
Ready to elevate your performance and your wellbeing? Message me at jason@theprimemovement.com
THE PRIME PERFORMANCE PROGRAM
Building Better Leaders. In Role. In Life.
Lessons from the Arena: Real Life Leadership Challenges
Every week, I'll share real challenges from coaching experiences, offering practical insights you can apply to your own leadership journey.
CHALLENGE:
"I've tried multiple ways to improve my fitness and wellbeing, but I keep on getting derailed by the reality of juggling all my commitments - if I’m not travelling or dealing with team emergencies, I’m trying to spend quality time with my family. I had a PT until recently but I just ended up feeling guilty as I couldn’t stick to the program they prescribed. I end up feeling worse because now I'm failing at this too. I’m badly stuck.”
MY GUIDANCE:
The answer here is to leverage something you already possess.
Think about it: would you use the same business strategy even if market conditions changed? Do you liaise with your clients in exactly the same way each time?
Then why would you expect a one-size-fits-all approach to work for your performance practices?
You need to apply the same adaptive mindset that has allowed you to thrive as a leader.
Plan for different operating conditions and have:
A minimal viable practice (crisis days)
A standard practice (normal days)
An optimal practice (light days)
Focus on Principles Over Prescriptions - rather than rigid rules, establish guiding principle, such as:
Sleep quality over duration when traveling
Movement matters more than the specific type
Recovery isn't optional - it's strategic
Build adaptation triggers - "When X happens, I shift to Y".
Consistency over fads. Progress over perfection.
BTW, any professional working on supporting your journey should be working around your reality rather than trying to impose their own approach on you - the only routine that matters is the one that you can follow.
Ready to take your leadership to the next level? Book a call by messaging me at jason@theprimemovement.com.
Be A Prime Mover: 1 Quote to Spark Change
“Everything is super important. Until you are sick. Then you realize there was only ever one thing that was important: your health”
— Arianna Huffington
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Your thoughts are the fuel that keeps us moving forward, so message me at jason@theprimemovement.com.
