The Leadership Advantage: How Top Leaders Drive Performance & Mental Fitness

A Real-World Example of Leadership Impact

A senior sales executive at a leading global IT multinational was struggling. Her team was overwhelmed, engagement was low, and burnout was creeping in. Sales targets had been missed for so long—long before she took on the role—that the extended teams had come to see them as unattainable. The teams had relinquished responsibility and lost trust in one another.?

She turned to me, and after targeted leadership coaching, she didn’t just turn things around—she led her teams to surpass their targets, resulting in an additional €60 million in annual revenue. She received a promotion, and her team was rewarded. Moreover, her team was thriving. Energy, creativity, and productivity surged. She said there’s an element of urgency and trust that wasn’t there before - this is pure engagement.

Leadership is the single most powerful lever in an organisation. The right leadership approach doesn’t just drive profit—it reduces burnout, cuts turnover, and fosters resilient, high-performing teams.

But here’s the problem: Many organisations get leadership completely wrong.

The Leadership Problem in Today’s Workplaces

The leadership crisis is real.

• 85% of employees are not engaged at work (Gallup).
• 41% of workers globally are considering leaving their jobs (Microsoft Work Trend Index).
• 77% of employees report experiencing burnout at their current job (Deloitte).
• Poor leadership is one of the top reasons employees quit (SHRM).

Leaders often focus on performance at the expense of people—and it backfires. High-pressure, fear-based environments might yield short-term results, but they destroy engagement, creativity, and wellbeing in the long run.

The best leaders don’t just push for results. They cultivate environments where people can thrive.

How to Lead for Performance & Mental Fitness

The CLEVEREST Approach to Leadership:

1. Empower, Don’t Micromanage

• Employees who feel a sense of autonomy are 31% more productive (Harvard Business School).
• Micromanagement kills motivation—instead, focus on coaching and trusting your team to make decisions.

What to do:

? Delegate decision-making power.

? Instead of solving problems for employees, coach. Ask: "What do you think we should do?"

? Give space for innovation, even if it means mistakes are made.

2. Create Psychological Safety

• Psychological safety is the #1 predictor of high-performing teams (Google’s Project Aristotle).
• When employees fear speaking up, innovation dies and stress rises.

What to do:

? Encourage open dialogue—ask for input and act on it.

? Normalise mistakes as learning opportunities.

? Publicly recognise and appreciate diverse viewpoints.

3. Lead by Example

• Leaders set the emotional tone—stressed-out leaders create stressed-out teams (Stanford).
• 70% of workplace climate is shaped by leadership behavior (Daniel Goleman).

What to do:

? Model a healthy work-life balance—leave on time, take breaks, and prioritise wellbeing.

? Show vulnerability—admit when you don’t have all the answers.

? Take care of your own mental fitness—leaders can’t pour from an empty cup.

4. Recognise & Reward

• Employees who receive regular recognition are 2.7x more engaged (Gallup).
• Lack of appreciation is one of the top drivers of turnover.

What to do:

? Give meaningful praise weekly, not just during annual reviews.

? Celebrate small wins as much as big successes.

? Make recognition personal—tailor it to the individual’s values.

5. Develop Emotional Intelligence (EQ/EI)

• 90% of top-performing leaders have high emotional intelligence (Daniel Goleman).
• Leaders with high EQ drive better team collaboration, engagement, and resilience.

What to do:

? Improve self-awareness—reflect on your leadership impact.

? Master active listening—listen to understand, not just respond.

? Foster empathy—treat employees as humans, not just resources.

6. Foster a Collective Focus on Results and Accountability

• High-performing teams understand that results are a shared responsibility.
• A culture of accountability prevents finger-pointing and builds trust.

What to do:

? Set clear expectations and define success collectively.

? Give team members permission to hold each other accountable in a supportive way.

? Reinforce that accountability is about growth, not blame.

7. Reframe Conflict as a Healthy Process

• Many teams avoid conflict, seeing it as a threat rather than a tool for progress.
• The best teams embrace constructive conflict—seeing disagreements as part of refining ideas, rather than personal attacks.

What to do:

? Encourage candid conversations where honesty is valued.

? Normalise disagreement as part of the process rather than something to be avoided.

? Ensure every discussion ties back to the collective purpose so debates remain productive.

By shifting their mindset around conflict, teams stop seeing it as a battle and start recognising it as a way to align, strengthen, and improve performance together. With this in place, trust deepens, communication improves, and everyone remains focused on a shared goal.

What Next?

If you’re an HR leader, executive, or decision-maker, your leadership choices define your organisation’s success.

• How do your leadership strategies impact the mental fitness of your team?
• Are you leading in a way that reduces burnout and staff turnover?
• Are you building a culture where people thrive and perform at their best?

Leadership isn’t just about getting results—it’s about how you get them.

If you’re serious about building resilient, high-performing teams, let’s talk.

At Clever Coaching, we specialise in leadership coaching that transforms both business performance and employee wellbeing.

Are you ready to lead more effectively?

If so, send me a message and let’s chat.