29 Jun Building a High-Performance Team
The Hidden Power of Zen, Qi Gong, Feng Shui, and Geomancy
Building a high-performance team. “That’s exactly what you do with your work. That’s what you should call it. Present yourself professionally and use business language. Call it ‘Building a high-performance team’. It’s hip and happening”. A friend said this to me a while ago.
This vocabulary might be highly successful in business and widely accepted, though for me it is somewhat overused. Unlike Zen, Qi Gong, Geomancy or Feng Shui.
What Does It Really Mean to Build a High-Performance Team?
It could be ‘my’ algorithms on internet, but it seems that “high performance” is everywhere. Virtually every organization, consultant, and emerging management theory appears to be founded upon this principle. But what does it really mean? It’s more than just a buzzword for LinkedIn profiles. It’s about people coming together to achieve something greater than the sum of their parts. It’s about individuals who complement each other’s skills, who trust and inspire one another, and who move as one toward a shared goal.
But here’s the catch: building such a team is not as simple as using the latest project management app, scheduling a team-building retreat, or switching to “agile” vocabulary. These tools can help, but too often the energy, enthusiasm, and potential fade. Old patterns return. Resistance creeps back in, and frustration takes root. Why?
The Usual Approach
When we look around, we’re surrounded by methodologies, frameworks, and tools: SMART goals, KPIs and dashboards, weekly sprints and retrospectives, teambuilding outings and change management sessions.
All these have merit. Yet, despite diligent implementation, I often see teams fall into the same traps: resistance (“digging in the sand”), the “yes-but” syndrome, and the all-too-familiar relapse (“a month later, everything is back to normal”). As a leader, you feel the energy draining from the team. Meetings become tedious, creativity wanes, and responsibility is sidestepped.
Even when the entire organisation embarks on ambitious changes (like adopting agile ways of working) the transformation can remain superficial. “New wine in old bottles,” as the saying goes. The words change, but the vibe stays stubbornly the same.
The Heart of the Matter: Energy, Awareness, Environment
The Invisible Forces at Play
Why does this happen? Why is change so fleeting, so fragile?
I invite you to look beyond the visible. To the energy that flows through and around your team, your space, your very organisation. This is where ancient wisdom traditions like Zen, Qi Gong, Feng Shui, and Geomancy can offer profound insight and practical support.
The truth is that every team is more than a collection of people and tasks. It’s a living, breathing system of relationships, energy, and space. When these are neglected, even the most robust methods weaken. But when you cultivate then magic happens.
Zen: Cultivating Presence, Awareness, Team Spirit
Zen, at its core, is about seeing things as they truly are. It’s the art of presence, of being deeply attuned. Not just to your own mind, but to the group as a whole. A high-performance team is not just well-structured; it is awake.
What you can do:
Encourage team members to take mindful breaks throughout the day. It refreshes creativity and focus. Plenty of well documented research is available to convince you.
Start to use Zen-inspired questions in meetings, like: “What is really needed here?” or “Where are we attached to old patterns?”. If that's too much for the team, ask yourself these questions instead.
An even more wild idea: encourage frequent (e.g. weekly) moments of silent meditation together—just 10-20 minutes. This simple act grounds the team, fostering calmness, clarity, and empathy: team spirit.
The result I foresee!? Teams become less reactive, more open to new ideas, and better at navigating tension. They develop the courage to ask tough questions with kindness.
Qi Gong: Energising the Team from Within
Qi Gong is the art of cultivating life energy (“Qi”). In the context of team performance, it’s about intentionally nurturing vitality and creativity, both individual and collective.
What you can do:
Encourage team members to take mindful movement breaks throughout the day. To do breathing exercises. Connecting body and mind again. It refreshes creativity and focus.
Teach the value of energy hygiene—letting go of stress, resentment, or fatigue before it accumulates and drags the team down.
And if team members are open to it, start meetings with a brief, guided Qi Gong exercise: conscious breathing or gentle movements. It wakes up the body and mind!
This subtle shift can have a dramatic effect: more energy, more enthusiasm, and better resilience under pressure.
Feng Shui and Geomancy: Vitalising the Power of the Place
You may have experienced it: a fresh, beautifully designed office feels vibrant at first, but over time, the energy fades. People feel tired, meetings drag, and the “spark” is gone. Why?
Feng Shui and Geomancy offer an answer: the quality of our environment deeply affects our well-being and performance. The arrangement of space, the flow of energy, the very land on which you work.
What you can do:
Assess your workspace: Is there natural light, greenery, and good airflow? Do people feel comfortable and inspired?
Rearrange desks and common areas to enhance connection and flow. Avoid clutter. Invite nature inside with plants and wood accents.
Invest in a Feng Shui and Geomancy project to sustainably optimise the energy of the building and location. You might be amazed at how much difference it makes!
What About Resistance?
Often, we look for external solutions: new tools, new processes, new incentives. But the deepest change comes when we look within.
Begin with yourself, with your team. Sit in silence. Practice Zen meditation. Observe what arises; curiosity, resistance, attachment to the old, fear of the new. Be honest and gentle. Ask: “Why am I holding on? What am I really afraid of? What might I gain if I let go?”
With time, this practice cultivates empathy, insight, and genuine openness to change. It helps us see beyond ego and habit. And when teams do this together the results are extraordinary. Trust deepens. Collaboration becomes natural. The group mind awakens.
How to Get Started: Practical Steps
Daily Mindfulness: Start and/or end your day with quiet reflection or meditation. Encourage your team to join in, even for five minutes.
Qi Gong Breaks: Incorporate simple movement or breathing exercises into your routine. Try a five-minute “energy reset” after lunch or before big meetings.
Open Dialogue: Hold regular check-ins where team members can share what’s energizing them—and what’s draining them. Listen deeply, without judgment.
Feng Shui Assessment: Walk through your workspace and notice where energy feels stuck or heavy. Rearrange, declutter, and bring in elements of nature.
Professional Support: ask for a Feng Shui and Geomancy consult. The insights can be invaluable, especially during challenging transitions.
... and also ask for inhouse Zen and Qi Gong workshops to support the team members on their path of personal development. That will support team spirit too.
Conclusion: The Future of High-Performance Teams
In today’s rapidly changing business landscape, it’s not enough to chase the latest methodology or tool. True high performance comes from aligning people, purpose, and place. From cultivating the invisible energies that shape our experience.
Zen teaches us presence and open-hearted awareness. Qi Gong reminds us to nurture our vitality. Feng Shui and Geomancy show us how our environment supports or hinders us. Bring these together, and you not only build a high-performance team. You create a workplace where people love to show up, ready to give their best, every day.