Performance Psychology Can Help Your People and Business Be More Successful

Over the last two years, there has been a sharp rise in the amount of organisations seeking the support of performance psychologists to help their employees improve performance, enhance wellbeing, and protect their mental health.

Performance psychologists have worked within the business world for many years, typically delivering consultancy projects and keynotes, performance coaching assignments with leaders, and facilitating workshops. Nine times out of ten, these projects are delivered by external consultants who work with a company sporadically over a period of time before moving on to the next assignment. Generally, this approach has worked well over the years but the landscape appears to be shifting slightly – more and more organisations are keen to provide a regular and confidential performance psychology service for their employees.   

So why has there been this shift? The impact of the pandemic on people’s wellbeing is no doubt a factor but from the conversations I’ve had, organisations are starting to realise that offering employees consistent support will be more beneficial, and is also more cost-effective.   

A recent example of a global business implementing an in-house performance psychology service is at Deloitte. Deborah Miscoll (Chief Mental Health Officer), Dr. Adam Naylor (Performance Psychologist), and Dr. Jesse Michel (Performance Psychologist) are the driving force behind Deloitte’s new Integrated Mental Health Service – Performance Psychology Division in the United States. Miscoll recently said on LinkedIn, “the aim is to drive innovative solutions to help leaders navigate complex psycho-social challenges and elevate their human potential in high performance environments. A real game changer with regard to how psychological science can benefit organizations”.

What is performance psychology?

The aim of performance psychology is to help individuals and teams prepare psychologically for the demands of their role. Generally, a performance psychologist’s purpose is to facilitate the creation of psychologically underpinned and sustainable high performance environments that develop the person as well as the performer to thrive. Accredited psychologists are equipped to provide services that help to enhance individuals’ and teams’ performance, wellbeing, and protect their mental health. 

How can performance psychology help your people be the best version of themselves?

As Deloitte’s Deborah Miscoll stated, providing a performance psychology service will be a game changer for organisations. Here are just some of the specific ways that performance psychologists can benefit businesses:

• Regular one-to-one, confidential support to help individuals understand what supports their performance and wellbeing, devise strategies to be the best version of themselves under pressure, and discuss life’s challenges.     
• Consistent and impactful team development. 
• Developing leadership skills and organisational resilience.
• Improving the culture and environment. 

Look after your people and the bottom line will take care of itself. 

How Ground + Air can help

Our unique approach is designed to support shifts in attitudes, feelings, and actions – so people are ready, open, and able to perform at their best. We’re interested in what supports and drives individuals’ and teams’ performance and wellbeing. This is at the heart of the work we’ll do together.

Our strength comes from the range, depth and combined expertise of our team, and it includes performance and business psychologists, master coaches, olympic athletes, sleep experts, globally recognised psychotherapists, insight specialists, exercise physiologists, and thought leaders from the worlds of business and elite sport. 

Get in touch here to learn how our performance psychology or wider services can help your people unlock their potential and thrive – both personally and professionally. 

About the author

Joe Davis, CPsychol is a BPS Chartered Psychologist and Senior Consultant at Ground + Air. He is a peer-reviewed author and enjoys sharing human performance insights to help people enhance the quality of their life. Joe is passionate about helping people thrive – both personally and professionally – and has worked extensively with high performing individuals, teams, and organisations from business and sport.