Unlocking the Next Level of Leadership: 5 Shifts That Drive Lasting Performance

What I hear from many HR professionals and executives today is:

💬 “We want to unlock the next level of potential and grow as an organization.”

Not by doing more. Not by pushing harder. But by making better choices in how we lead, communicate, and collaborate.

For the last 25 years, I’ve had the privilege of working with leaders at companies such as Rituals, Volvo, and Lego. I’m also the author of From Suffering to Surfing and Performance Alchemy, both of which became #1 Amazon bestsellers. At Brighter Leaders, my team and I support leaders who want to grow—not just in results, but in clarity, connection, and long-term impact.

In my work, I’ve seen that growth is already happening in most organizations. The real question is:

👉 What conditions allow that capability to fully come out?

Sometimes potential needs to be developed. Sometimes it simply needs to be activated. From my experience with leadership teams across industries, five shifts consistently open up a whole new level of performance:

• Clarity over busyness

• Energy-led time management

• Communication that connects

• Emotional intelligence

• Collaboration across functions

Shift 1: Clarity Over Busyness

High performers don’t crave more structure—they crave more clarity. Clarity of goals, roles, and direction.

One company I worked with had 15 “top priorities.” The result? Exhaustion without accomplishment. When they cut that list down to five, energy and focus returned, and milestones were met.

Busyness often feels productive, but clarity is what drives results. Organizations that make space for reflection, focus, and alignment win back time and energy—for everyone.

Shift 2: Energy-Led Time Management

True time mastery isn’t about squeezing tasks into a calendar. It’s about protecting energy for what matters most.

I coached a CEO who realized his highest energy zone—his mornings—was being wasted on emails. By shifting that time to strategy and leadership, his effectiveness skyrocketed.

The shift is simple: don’t just schedule your time—lead it. Align your energy with your highest priorities.

Shift 3: Communication That Connects

At the next level, communication isn’t about telling. It’s about creating resonance.

I worked with a manager who gave weekly updates that were met with silence. When he changed his approach—framing direction, impact, and inviting input—the entire team became engaged and energized.

Intentional communication builds trust, speeds decisions, and creates ownership.

Shift 4: Emotional Intelligence

Emotional intelligence is no longer optional—it’s the differentiator.

One executive I worked with was brilliant but intimidating. His turning point came from practicing a simple two-second pause before responding. That pause shifted him from defensiveness to curiosity. Within months, colleagues described him as more approachable, and collaboration improved dramatically.

Here’s the neuroscience: a two-second pause may feel like an eternity to the brain. In that pause, he was able to notice his emotional surge and engage his thinking brain instead. A small change—yet a profound impact.

You don’t need to remove emotion from leadership. You just need to regulate it—so your presence builds trust, not tension.

Shift 5: Collaboration Across Functions

The fastest-growing companies break down silos and reward collaboration across departments and regions. They recognize that shared experience accelerates progress.

At Brighter Leaders, we track impact by measuring KPIs. Across all our projects, we’ve seen significant improvements—sometimes up to 100%. Leaders report that colleagues who once felt intimidating became trusted allies. Collaboration deepened, and results multiplied.

Here's where to start: Practical Tools for Creating Clarity

Here are two simple practices you can start using right away to shift from busyness to clarity:

1. The 3 Priorities Test At the start of each week, write down the three outcomes that would make the biggest difference if achieved. If a task doesn’t link back to one of those, challenge whether it should stay on your plate at all.

2. Stop – Start – Continue - With your team, ask three simple questions:

• What should we stop doing that adds noise?

• What should we start doing that brings clarity?

• What should we continue because it works?

These exercises often reveal hidden time-wasters and help teams refocus on what really matters.

Closing Thought

Clarity is about focusing your time, your team’s energy, and your organization’s resources where they create the most value. When leaders choose clarity over busyness, they unlock performance that is not only higher—but also more sustainable.

Growth isn’t about doing more. It’s about leading with clarity, protecting energy, building trust, and breaking silos. When leaders make these shifts, they don’t just grow their organizations—they grow the people within them.

👉 Lizzie Claesson is a high-performance coach, author of From Suffering to Surfing and Performance Alchemy, and founder of Brighter Leaders. Learn more at www.brighterleaders.com.