There’s a false choice that shows up in leadership conversations again and again:
“We can focus on productivity, or we can focus on wellbeing.”
The best leaders I work with reject that framing entirely.
They understand that productivity and wellbeing are not competing goals - they’re deeply connected outcomes of how work is designed.
Why the trade-off feels real
The tension usually appears when:
- Workload has increased without systems changing
- Teams are stretched thin
- Leaders are under pressure to deliver more with less
In these moments, wellbeing initiatives are often layered on top of broken systems. The result is cynicism.
People don’t need yoga sessions when their work is unmanageable. They need clarity, focus and permission to stop doing low-value work.
Productivity is a design question, not a personal one
High-performing teams aren’t productive because they work longer hours.
They’re productive because:
- Roles are clear
- Decisions are made at the right level
- Processes support the work, not slow it down
- Energy is spent where it matters most
When these conditions are in place, wellbeing improves naturally.
What strong leaders do differently
Leaders who refuse to choose between productivity and wellbeing:
- Redesign work instead of squeezing people
- Pay attention to how time is used, not just outcomes
- Remove friction before asking for extra effort
- Measure success in sustainable ways
They understand that burnout is not a resilience problem - it’s a systems problem.
A practical starting point
If you’re feeling stuck in the productivity vs wellbeing debate, start here:
- Where is effort being wasted?
- What work no longer adds value?
- Where are expectations unclear or conflicting?
Small changes in how work flows can create outsized gains in both performance and energy.
The real choice
The real choice leaders face isn’t productivity or wellbeing.
It’s whether they’re willing to redesign how work gets done - or keep asking people to absorb the cost.
The leaders who get this right don’t just get better results. They build organisations people want to stay part of.
Reflection prompts for leaders
- Where are people compensating for broken systems with extra effort?
- What work could stop or be simplified without affecting outcomes?
- If we redesigned work rather than adding initiatives, what would we start with?
Practical next steps
If productivity and wellbeing feel like competing priorities in your organisation, that’s often a sign that
systems and expectations need attention, not that people need to try harder.
Before adding new initiatives, it can be useful to identify early warning signs and pressure points in how work is currently designed.
You may find these free resources helpful:
- Burnout Red Flags – to spot early signals that workload, pace or role design are becoming unsustainable
- Role Clarity Cheat Sheet – to reduce hidden overload caused by blurred responsibilities and decision rights
- Mini Team Diagnostic – a short pulse to understand how time, effort and energy are really being used across the team
Often, small adjustments to clarity and workflow create bigger gains in both performance and wellbeing than any standalone wellbeing program.
