Why High Performance is Not Enough with Mike Goldman

Hi there,

What’s the Story?

One of the best aspects of hosting the podcast is getting to speak with brilliant people who challenge me to rethink my assumptions. Recently, I spoke with my very dear friend Mike Goldman, executive coach and author of The Strength of Talent. Mike has worked with fast-growing companies for over 30 years and dropped one insight after another about what truly makes an organization great.

Mike’s whole philosophy is built around one confronting idea:

The most important factor determining profit growth is people growth.

We say it in theory. But in practice? We overhire for skill and underhire for chemistry. We reward high performers even if they’re toxic. We tolerate misalignment because of competence. And as Mike says, we keep trying to fix symptoms when the root problem is a cultural fracture, usually caused by leaders avoiding the hard conversations. You can check out the Changing Minds podcast episode here.

Oh, and he shared his exciting new book, The Strength of Talent, which is out next week. I personally believe it’s a MUST HAVE for any leaders out there who want their organization to perform better. You can find all the details here.

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Why High Performance is Not Enough

Estimated reading time: 3 minutes 53 seconds

You’ve probably heard the phrase “hire slow, fire fast.” Easy to say. Hard to do. Especially when the person you’re considering firing is the one closing the biggest deals, hitting the toughest targets, or leading the most important project: The top performer.

But what if that same person is also the reason no one wants to show up to team meetings? What if they’re creating politics, dividing departments, or micromanaging talent right out the door?

That’s the paradox.

And that’s what Mike Goldman has spent decades helping leaders confront. His message is simple but confronting:

If you want a high-performing team, being productive is not enough.

Why? Because great teams aren’t just built on individual strengths. They’re built on connection, character, and cohesion. Mike said something that’s been stuck in my head since:

“Most of what we call ‘people problems’ are actually leadership avoidance problems.”

We let a bad hire linger because we don’t want to deal with it. We justify it with numbers. But that’s short-term thinking. And eventually, it breaks the team.

The Culture Multiplier

Mike broke it down like this:

High culture fit means people who align with what your company believes in and what it values. High performance means people who are productive and effective in their work.

There are four types of people on your team:

1. High Culture / High Performance – Keep them, promote them, learn from them.

2. High Culture / Low Performance – Train them. They might surprise you.

3. Low Culture / Low Performance – Let them go. You already know why.

But the real problem comes in type 4:

4. Low Culture / High Performance – The most dangerous.

We are often blindsided by those who are low in their cultural fit because they’re hitting their numbers. We protect them. We excuse their behavior. And they infect the team.

We think they’re irreplaceable. But what Mike shared is that the damage they do, through gossip, blame, ego, or fear, far outweighs their metrics. Their numbers might look good. But the collateral damage shows up everywhere else: retention, morale, innovation, trust.

Hiring and retaining based on culture doesn’t mean hiring people who are “nice” or who think like you. It means shared values. Shared standards. The ability to argue and resolve, not argue and retreat. It means people who raise the game of those around them.

Building a Strong Team

So how do you do that?

Mike’s model is built on five key elements:

Shared Purpose – Everyone knows why we exist.
Shared Goals – We know where we’re going and how to measure progress.
Shared Values – Not what’s on the wall, but what we tolerate.
Right People, Right Seats – The team fits both culturally and functionally.
Effective Communication – Honest, frequent, brave.

And when I asked him how often leaders actually do this work, his answer was clear: almost never. Not because they don’t care. But because they’re moving too fast. They’re chasing outcomes and managing crises.

Which is why team dysfunction sneaks in through the side door.

And when it does, we look at the numbers… but we ignore the noise. The complaints. The exits. The awkward silences. The energy of meetings.

The Truth About Trust

One of the most powerful parts of our conversation was about trust. The micro-moment kind.

Mike said:

“If your team can’t have healthy conflict, they don’t trust each other. And if they don’t trust each other, you’re building on sand.”

He explained, trust isn’t about whether you like someone. It’s whether you believe they’ll tell you the truth and have your back.

In practice? That means:

Saying what you think in meetings, not just afterward.
Calling out issues even when it’s uncomfortable.
Making decisions in the room, not in the corridor.

These are muscles. And like all muscles, they weaken when they are not used. But they grow through reps. The next time you’re tempted to excuse someone’s behavior because they’re brilliant, pause.

Ask yourself:

If everyone on the team behaved like them, what kind of culture would we have?

If the answer scares you, it’s not a talent issue. It’s a leadership decision. If you want to learn some incredible strategies for getting the best out of your team, you can preorder The Strength of Talent here.

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