In the leadership world, performance is talked about constantly. It’s in the metrics, the board reports, the targets, the headlines. But for all that attention, performance is still often misunderstood. Many teams move fast, hit numbers, and drive results, yet still fall short of their real potential. 

That’s because performance isn’t just about output. It’s about the quality and sustainability of that output. When teams are overextended, leaders are firefighting, and decisions bounce between silos. The results may still look good, but underneath, momentum is stalling. 

Great performance is the first of the Triple Goal pillars, alongside great learning and a great workplace. It’s defined not only by profitability, efficiency, and delivery, but by how teams sustain those outcomes over time. It’s about consistency without burnout. Speed without rework. Results without reactivity. 

In this article, we’ll explore why many organisations mistake activity for progress, and how leadership behaviour often fuels that confusion. We’ll unpack the hidden costs of the Red Zone habits identified by the Leadership Growth Profile, outline the behaviours that drive true performance, and show how leadership development needs to shift if it’s going to produce lasting results.

 

Why Busy Leadership Isn’t Better Leadership 

In high-stakes environments, speed is often rewarded. Leaders move fast, teams stay busy, and activity becomes a sign of success. When problems surface, the instinct is to increase pace, double down on effort, and push through. From the outside, this can look like a high-performing culture. But inside the system, things start to fray. 

Busyness isn’t the same as effectiveness. In many teams, constant motion hides real performance risks. Burnout creeps in. Communication breaks down. Projects move, but the learning doesn’t. People work harder to keep up without moving forward. 

This is the performance mirage: when high output masks deeper drag. Common signs include: 

• Constant urgency that leaves no time for reflection 

• Frequent escalation instead of local decision-making 

• Poor handovers that lead to rework and delays 

• Low accountability, with issues bouncing between teams

Most organisations try to fix these symptoms with systems or strategy. But often, the root cause lives in behaviour, especially leadership behaviour. When leaders operate in reactive mode, urgency becomes normal. When expectations shift constantly, teams stop owning outcomes. When decisions get rushed, mistakes get repeated. 

Over time, a culture of activity replaces a culture of performance. It feels productive. It’s not. And unless leadership patterns shift, the cycle continues.

 

The Hidden Cost of “Busy” Leadership 

Stress and urgency can give rise to Red Zone behaviours. These are behaviours identified by the Leadership Growth Profile that limit leadership effectiveness. They fall into three core areas: Approval, Autonomy, and Security. 

Red Zone behaviours often feel useful in the moment, acting as quick fixes to restore control, reduce discomfort, or keep things moving. But over time, they shape how teams operate. And that influence often goes unnoticed until performance starts to stall. 

Speed Without Ownership 

Leaders driven by control often take charge quickly, push for precision, and manage details directly. This can generate fast decisions and short-term progress. But the trade-off is low ownership. Teams become passive, avoid accountability, and wait for direction rather than taking initiative. 

Harmony Over Challenge 

Approval-driven leaders want to keep the peace. They avoid difficult conversations, seek consensus, or present a polished front to avoid discomfort. This creates a surface-level sense of alignment. But it also suppresses healthy challenge, honest feedback, and learning from mistakes. 

Caution That Slows Delivery 

When leaders default to security, they become risk-averse. They delay decisions, stick with the familiar, or overanalyse options. While this might prevent visible errors, it also stalls innovation. Teams move cautiously, progress drags, and opportunities slip past. 

Each of these behaviours can create “false positives” in performance. Projects stay on track. Tension stays low. Risk seems managed. But underneath, cracks form. You start to see: 

• Overreliance on a few decision-makers 

• Limited feedback and real-time course correction 

• A culture of doing “just enough” to avoid scrutiny 

 You can hit goals and still have a system in decline. That’s the hidden cost of the performance mirage. It’s not always dramatic. But it’s persistent, slowly eroding trust and momentum.

 

What Great Performance Looks Like 

When things are busy, it can look like progress. Meetings are full, decisions are made, deadlines are hit. But real performance isn’t about surface activity. It’s about sustained results, built on shared clarity and genuine engagement. 

 At The Triple Goal, great performance means more than just output. It’s one of the three outcomes of effective leadership, alongside great learning and great workplace culture. These outcomes are interconnected. You can’t sustain one without the others. 

So what does real performance look like? 

• Focus with follow-through: Clear direction that connects daily work to meaningful goals. 

• Accountability with energy: Teams who take ownership not because they’re pushed, but because they’re invested. 

• Progress with adaptability: The ability to move fast without breaking trust, clarity, or team cohesion. 

It’s the difference between activity and traction. And it’s made possible through consistent Green Zone leadership. In the Leadership Growth Profile, the Green Zone evaluates behaviours that drive great leadership outcomes. 

Leaders who operate in the Green Zone stay calm under pressure. They communicate what matters, listen actively, and invite people into decisions. That kind of leadership creates three vital conditions for high performance: 

Clarity of direction 

People know what matters, why it matters, and how their work contributes. This reduces noise and accelerates alignment. When leaders articulate a clear purpose and link it to daily execution, teams stop guessing. They prioritise more effectively, collaborate with intent, and spend less time managing ambiguity. It also reduces dependency on constant guidance from above. With clarity, people are free to focus, act, and make better decisions at speed. 

Psychological safety 

Teams feel safe to speak up, ask questions, and challenge assumptions. This enables real-time learning and faster course correction. When people don’t fear blame or judgment, they’re more likely to raise risks early, share ideas, and admit when something isn’t working. It creates an environment where mistakes become insight, not setbacks. That kind of adaptive learning is critical to high performance in complex, fast-moving environments. 

Distributed ownership 

Authority and initiative are shared, not hoarded. Teams step up because they know they’re trusted to lead in their domain. Leaders set direction and guardrails, but don’t dictate every step. This unlocks discretionary effort, speeds up execution, and builds capability at every level. When ownership is distributed, performance is no longer dependent on a few. The whole system moves faster, with greater resilience and accountability. 

These conditions are borne from consistency. They’re built day by day, through the behaviours leaders model. The pace of work matters. But the pattern of leadership matters more. 

If performance is the outcome, behaviour is the input. And the strongest leaders know how to prioritise both.

 

What Leaders Can Do Today 

Performance issues are often framed as technical or strategic challenges. But more often, they’re behavioural. To improve outcomes, leaders need to step back and examine not just what their teams are doing, but how those behaviours are shaped. 

Consider the following questions: 

• Are we performing, or overfunctioning? 

• What leadership behaviours are we reinforcing (intentionally or not)? 

• Do our metrics tell the full story, or are we rewarding urgency and volume over value? 

These questions point to small but meaningful shifts in leadership behaviour that can reduce noise, improve focus, and restore accountability. 

Here are some examples of what that looks like in practice: 

From direction to alignment 

Instead of answering every question or making every decision, clarify the why. When people understand purpose and parameters, they can move with greater independence and ownership. 

From urgency to clarity 

Urgency tends to multiply. Clarity slows things down just enough to get them right. That doesn’t mean inaction. It means being precise about what matters, so effort isn’t wasted on what doesn’t. 

From control to trust 

Controlling everything creates drag. Trusting others to lead within their scope creates speed. Leaders can still stay close, but with open hands rather than a tight grip. 

When these shifts take root, they ripple outward. Teams mirror what they see. Over time, habits become norms, and norms become culture. That’s why visibility into leadership patterns matters. What feels like a small behaviour today might be setting the tone for performance across the organisation tomorrow.

See What Your Leadership Patterns Are Really Creating 

Leadership habits shape performance, often without leaders realising it. The Leadership Growth Profile helps uncover those habits, especially the ones that show up in times of stress. 

It provides: 

• Multi-rater feedback across teams, peers, and managers 

• Insight into which behaviours are consistent and where they shift 

• A clear map of Red and Green Zone patterns 

• Data that connects behaviour to performance, learning, and culture 

Understanding what you’re modelling is the starting point for change. Learn more about the Leadership Growth Profile here.

Leadership Behaviour Drives Performance 

Great performance emerges through the behaviours leaders model and reinforce each day. These behaviours impact how work gets done, what is encouraged, and what becomes possible.  

Strong leadership teams stay aware of that influence. They ask meaningful questions, stay open to feedback, and invite reflection across the system. When progress slows, they take a closer look at the patterns they might be creating. They focus on consistency, alignment, and clarity in how they lead. Over time, these choices build momentum.

For leaders ready to surface and strengthen those patterns, the Leadership Growth Profile offers a structured way forward.