Speaking at Strategy Talk HR, the Hintsa Performance executive argued that sustainable performance can no longer be separated from wellbeing. For executive teams, recovery is not a reward for performance—it is one of its essential drivers.
Lukuaika noin 6 minuuttia
High performance has long been associated with working harder, moving faster and delivering more. But according to Maria Krajewska-Olkkonen, sustainable performance is built on a very different foundation.
Speaking at Professio’s Strategy Talk HR Event, the Hintsa Performance executive argued that organisations can no longer separate wellbeing from business performance. In a world defined by constant change, learning and adaptation, sustainable performance has become a strategic capability.
“Sustainable performance is a competitive advantage in this new ways of working and the new business world that we are living in.”
Drawing on Hintsa Performance’s work with Formula One drivers, Olympic athletes and global executive teams, Krajewska-Olkkonen challenged one of the most common assumptions in business: that sustainable results come from pushing harder.
She pointed to the origins of the Hintsa methodology, developed after Dr. Aki Hintsa observed that the most successful Formula One drivers were not necessarily the most technically gifted, but the healthiest, most balanced and most purpose-driven.
“Sustainable high performance, over a long time, is a byproduct of well-being.”
For leaders, the implication is clear: organisations that treat wellbeing as separate from performance risk undermining the very capabilities they need most.
One of Krajewska-Olkkonen’s strongest messages focused on cognitive performance.
Many organisations continue to design work as though people can perform at their highest level throughout an entire day. Scientific evidence suggests otherwise.
“There is a clear research that we can be focused, cognitively focused for maximum up to four hours per day.”
Yet many executives spend their days moving from meeting to meeting, expected to make complex decisions with little opportunity to recover.
Rather than managing time more efficiently, organisations should start managing energy.
“Having capacity for learning is critical. It’s a management of energy, not time.”
As AI, technological change and new business models continue to reshape organisations, maintaining the mental capacity to learn may become one of leadership’s most valuable capabilities.
Krajewska-Olkkonen also challenged the way organisations think about stress.
Stress itself is not the problem, she argued. The real challenge is remaining under constant cognitive load without sufficient recovery.
“Meaningful work, meaningful life, is not stressless life.”
The same principle should apply to organisations.
“Active recovery during the day is your performance tool. It’s not a benefit, it’s actually your performance tool.”
According to Krajewska-Olkkonen, workforce expectations are also changing.
Younger generations are not rejecting ambition. They are redefining what sustainable success looks like, expecting flexibility, purpose and wellbeing to be part of working life from the beginning rather than something earned after years of sacrifice.
This shift requires a different style of leadership.
She believes employees are no longer looking for leaders who always have the answers. Instead, they increasingly value authenticity and openness.
“We want authentic leaders. We want somebody who will say, ‘I made a mistake. I didn’t know. I will help you. We are in this together.”
Ultimately, Krajewska-Olkkonen argued that organisations should approach performance in much the same way as elite Formula One teams.
Preparation, learning, recovery and continuous improvement are not separate activities. Together, they create the conditions for sustained success.
She believes this represents one of the next leadership challenges.
“We actually see in many organizations sustainable high performance as a strategic point and part of the strategy for large organizations.”
Her final message was simple.
“If you want to go far, and if you want to have sustainable success, remember that you need to have a good break.”
For executive teams, the challenge is no longer simply improving productivity. It is building organisations that can continue to learn, adapt and perform over the long term.
In today’s business environment, sustainable performance is no longer a wellbeing initiative—it is becoming a source of competitive advantage.
This article offers a glimpse into Maria Krajewska-Olkkonen’s keynote — but the conversation doesn’t stop there.
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Leadership Thinker & Managing Director, Corporate and Individual Customers, Hintsa Performance, Finland
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