How to Cultivate a Holistic Performance Culture: Balancing High Performance with Wellbeing for Sustainable Success

The reality? Productivity has been rising for years, yet employee wellbeing continues to decline. To break free from this “Productivity/Wellbeing Dilemma,” we need to rethink leadership. It’s no longer just about driving results—it’s about building environments where people can thrive while delivering their best work.

And that’s never been more critical. The only constant in today’s workplace is change. From evolving regulations and AI advancements to labor shortages, layoffs, and shifting generational expectations—the pace of disruption is relentless. For employees, this constant flux can be disorienting and stressful. For leaders, making decisions amid uncertainty while supporting employee wellbeing (without becoming therapists) is daunting.

So, what can leaders do? Invest in culture.

A strong, adaptive culture creates stability in uncertain times. It gives employees a sense of belonging and purpose—helping them stay resilient, engaged, and motivated, even when external forces are chaotic.

Leadership today isn’t about demanding more—it’s about creating an environment where people want to do more because they feel valued, connected, and supported.

In this article, I’ll explore how to foster holistic performance—a model that balances high performance with wellbeing—so success is sustainable and burnout isn’t the price of productivity. You’ll find actionable strategies to help your organization thrive, no matter how the world changes.

The Business Case for an Evolving Culture

A thriving culture isn’t a final destination—it’s an ongoing process. What employees need to feel connected, valued, and engaged will always evolve. And that’s a good thing. Here’s why:

• Generational shifts: As Gen Z enters the workforce, they bring new expectations. They prioritize purpose, inclusivity, and mental health more than previous generations.
• Workplace norms: Remember when business attire was the standard? Now, casual dress codes dominate most industries, reflecting evolving expectations around authenticity and comfort.
• External forces: The pandemic redefined how we work—making flexibility, autonomy, and wellbeing non-negotiable. Meanwhile, AI is transforming skill requirements and workflows.

While these changes can feel disruptive, they’re actually opportunities. Companies that continually evolve their culture reap tangible business benefits:

• 3.2x higher revenue growth: Companies with inclusive cultures outperform their peers by 3.2x in revenue growth (Deloitte).
• 50% lower turnover: Organizations with strong cultures experience 50% lower turnover (Gallup).
• 4.6x more innovative: Teams with a strong sense of belonging are 4.6 times more likely to be innovation leaders (McKinsey).

The lesson? If your culture is stagnant, your business will be too. But if you embed practices that continually assess and strengthen your culture, you’ll build a resilient, high-performing organization—ready to thrive no matter what changes come next.

In today’s fast-changing workplace, building a thriving, adaptable culture isn’t a one-time initiative—it’s an ongoing commitment. Doing so is key to fostering holistic-performing teams—where both performance and wellbeing thrive—is consistency.

Here are three proven strategies I help clients implement to embed continuous culture evaluation and cultivation into their organizations:

1. Launch an Annual Belonging Survey

Belonging is the universal human need to feel valued and accepted. It’s the foundation for self-esteem and resilience—both of which are essential for people to thrive at work. Research shows that employees with a strong sense of belonging experience 56% higher job performance and 50% lower turnover (Harvard Business Review).

Why? Because when people feel they belong, their resilience and wellbeing rise, boosting both morale and productivity. Belonging transcends demographic differences, making the findings relevant to everyone. This makes it easier to turn insights into inclusive, company-wide actions.

Belonging provides a safe, actionable framework for assessing wellbeing without prying into employees’ personal lives.

Unlike direct mental health questions, belonging-focused surveys reveal how supported and valued employees feel—offering meaningful insights without requiring leaders to act as therapists. Include questions that assess key culture pillars:

• Connection: Do employees feel connected to their coworkers and the company’s mission
• Comfort (psychological safety): Do they feel safe sharing ideas, concerns, and feedback
• Contribution: Do they feel valued for their unique strengths?
• Commitment from Leadership: Do they feel leadership genuinely prioritizes culture?

How to Do It Well:

• Keep it short: Limit surveys to 12 questions or fewer to maximize participation.
• Focus on what you’ll act on: Only ask about areas where you’re prepared to make changes. This builds trust by showing that feedback drives real action.
• Share the results: Present key findings with employees and ask:“What surprises you about these results?”“What additional insights can you share to help us understand these findings?”
• Turn insights into action: Use employee feedback to identify strengths, surface pain points, and prioritize meaningful changes.

Pro Tips:

• Make it easy to participate: Use simple, clear language and mobile-friendly survey tools.
• Follow up quickly: Share insights promptly and outline the next steps to demonstrate accountability.
• Repeat annually: An annual cadence ensures you track progress over time and keep your culture evolving.

2. Hold Regular Culture Conversations

A belonging survey is just the starting point. The real value comes from using the insights to spark meaningful conversations. These ongoing dialogues create psychological safety and transparency—empowering employees to share concerns, offer solutions, and help shape the culture.

Regular culture conversations normalize open dialogue about workplace experiences. When these discussions become part of the regular rhythm, employees are more likely to speak up without fear.

Over time, this fosters trust and makes continuous improvement a shared responsibility.

How to Do It Well:

• Make it routine: Equip team leaders to facilitate quarterly check-ins during existing team meetings.
• Ask powerful, open-ended questions to encourage meaningful dialogue:“What does better look like?”“What’s one small, meaningful change we could make?”“What are we already doing well that we can build on?”
• Identify micro-behaviors: Use conversations to pinpoint small, everyday behaviors or habits that support belonging. For example: recognizing contributions more frequently, inviting diverse perspectives in meetings, or celebrating wins as a team.
• Foster accountability: During follow-ups, check in on how teams are demonstrating and experiencing the new behaviors.

Pro Tips:

• Share insights globally: Have leaders compare notes regularly to spot patterns and address trends at both the team and company levels.
• Create cross-team dialogue pods: Mix employees from different departments to break down silos and foster connection.
• Take visible action: Share back what changes were made as a direct result of the conversations. This builds trust and reinforces transparency.

3. Embed Culture into Hiring and Onboarding

To sustain a strong, evolving culture, be intentional about who you bring in.

Hiring for culture contribution, not just culture fit, ensures new employees actively enhance your culture rather than simply conforming to it.

Onboarding is equally critical—it should immerse new hires in your values and norms immediately. Early exposure to your culture helps them feel connected faster, which boosts both engagement and retention.

How to Do It Well:

• Screen for culture contributors: During interviews, ask revealing questions that assess a candidate’s ability to strengthen your culture, such as: “What kind of workplace culture helps you do your best work?”“What role do you play in shaping that environment?”
• Use onboarding to reinforce culture: Bring your values to life from day one. Examples: pair new hires with culture ambassadors to help them acclimate, share real stories that highlight your values in action, or host informal welcome meetups to foster early connections across departments.
• Be consistent: Ensure every stage of the hiring and onboarding process authentically reflects your culture. This includes job descriptions that highlight your values, interview questions that assess alignment with culture pillars, ongoing support that reinforces cultural norms.

Pro Tips:

• Prioritize early connection:Foster belonging from the start by introducing new hires to a range of colleagues early on.
• Clarify cultural expectations:Share real examples of how employees embody your values in daily work.
• Check in regularly: Don’t leave new hires to figure things out alone. Schedule regular check-ins during their first 90 days to reinforce alignment and support.

Make Culture a Continuous Investment

At the end of the day, building a holistic performance culture isn’t about quick fixes—it’s about consistent, ongoing investment.

When culture becomes woven into your everyday operations, it stays resilient, adaptive, and strong—no matter what changes come next.

1. Launch belonging surveysto keep a pulse on how employees experience the culture.
2. Hold regular conversationsto translate insights into meaningful action.
3. Embed culture into hiring and onboarding to keep it growing and evolving with your team.

Invest in culture today—and watch your people and your business thrive tomorrow.