Unlocking High Performance: The Power of Wellbeing
We’re thrilled to welcome Jack Green, double Olympian and global mental health ambassador, to the Walking on Earth team as Head of Commercial. Having represented Great Britain at the London 2012 and Rio 2016 Olympic Games in the 400m hurdles and 4x400m relay events, Jack went on to be a mental health ambassador for major charities, collaborating with the UK government, securing global leadership roles in corporate wellbeing businesses, and coaching and mentoring elite athletes and employees on high performance. Here, Jack shares his thoughts and personal philosophy on the interconnection between high performance and wellbeing in the workplace.
There is a better way to win, a right way
Wellbeing is the foundation of high performance.
This is one of the key lessons I like to share. It is a lesson that was learned during a 10-year career as an Olympic athlete.
I was an individual who had a win-at-all-costs mentality. A win at the cost of myself, the highest price to pay but one we see all too often and within our workplaces.
This cost was nearly paid during the 2012 Olympics when I was 20 years old. The belief that I had to destroy myself to achieve. That my success and strength were found in enduring. But what I never questioned was what I should endure.
This mentality is fostered by a belief that wellbeing is anti-performance. By focusing on our health and making time to recover, we are not fully committed to achieving greatness.
Yet, the greatest sportspeople, leaders and people I have ever worked with and coached have always known that the key to high-performing lives is focusing on the whole person rather than solely focusing on your occupation at all costs.
To consistently thrive is the goal. And that requires us to not only work hard but to work smart too.
This requires greater awareness of ourselves and our wellbeing. To understand when we must push forward and when we must recover.
Sportspeople have known this for years.
Recovery is what we obsess about in the sporting world. That we must find space for our mental and physical health so that we can be greater the next day and continue to improve. I have seen too many people burn too brightly but for too short a period as they followed the path to unsustainable greatness.
There is a better way to win, a right way.
My philosophy is refreshingly simple
My philosophy is refreshingly simple: if you are thriving personally, you will thrive professionally too.
Yet, wellbeing has often been confined to the sidelines, seen as a nice-to-have or dismissed as something soft and fluffy. It's time to change that narrative because the cost of inaction is simply too high.
Two-thirds of all employees who leave a business cite stress or mental health as the reason that they leave.
If we can shift mindsets to understand that these losses to our workplaces are not a necessary evil - we can preventatively support talented employees to stay in roles they love for longer.
Putting my philosophy into action with WONE
Joining Walking on Earth (WONE) was a natural choice for me, as I sought a partner who understood that wellbeing is the bedrock of high performance. The passion demonstrated by the WONE team has been truly incredible. Their mission resonates deeply with my own, and the impact they deliver through their solution is unparalleled in this field.
Their ways of working align with my personal philosophy. WONE puts high performance at the centre of what they do, along with balance, wellbeing and healthy cultures to supercharge success.
They are committed to building the best team that walks this earth and use the Race Model to deliver on their goals - where the race and the recovery are balanced to optimise performance.
With WONE, I am thrilled to put my philosophy into action to drive a positive influence on our clients, our internal team, and all those who aspire to reach their full potential.
Together, we will redefine the relationship between performance and wellbeing, unlocking new levels of achievement. And fundamentally, elevating human happiness.
