High Performance Teams Don't Just Work Hard - They Reset

Think about the last big project your team completed. What happened the moment it was done?

My guess is - not much. A brief exhale, perhaps a quick well done in the next team meeting, and then straight into the next thing. Because there’s always a next thing.

In this episode of The Leaders Kitbag, I explore one of the most common patterns I see when working with teams: near-constant forward motion, with no real pause until the end of the year. Eleven months of pushing, and a few brief moments of reflection. That’s not a rhythm, it’s survival.

Drawing on a lesson from my first 86-mile ultramarathon, I share why the halfway reset wasn’t just useful, it was essential. And why the same principle applies directly to how you lead your team.

Because without a deliberate mid-stretch pause, there’s just constant effort with no acknowledgement of progress, no chance to learn, and no real reset before the next chapter begins.

In this episode, you will learn:

• Why most teams only ever reset once a year, and why that’s not enough
• What an 86-mile ultramarathon taught me about breaking a big challenge into manageable chapters
• Why acknowledging progress matters as much as making it
• Three simple questions that can give your team clarity, energy, and renewed focus
• How to find your team’s next halfway point, and what to do with it

Ben’s Key Takeaway

The best teams I’ve been part of and worked with share one thing in common on this topic. They prioritise these reset and review meetings, and they don’t allow them to be bumped.

A proper team reset doesn’t need to be a full day off-site or a formal retrospective. But it does need to be deliberate.

Three questions are enough:

What have we achieved?

What have we learned that we don’t want to carry forward?

What’s been working well that we can do more of?

Done well, that conversation takes an hour. And what it gives back - in clarity, energy, and connection - is worth every minute invested.

So here’s the question to take away: when is your team’s next halfway point?

Not the end of the financial year. Not the Christmas break.

The next natural pause in the work you’re doing right now.

Find it, put it in the diary, and plan how you’ll use the time.

Interested in The Leader in Me?

If this episode resonated, it might be a sign that you - or someone in your team - would benefit from some proper investment in leadership development.

The Leader in Me is my practical, cohort-based leadership programme for managers who want to build real confidence, sharpen their skills, and lead their teams more effectively. No fads, no role play. Just tools and frameworks that actually work.

If you’re ready to:

• Build confidence and capability as a leader
• Break free from firefighting and become more proactive
• Learn how to inspire your team and deliver results…

It’s open to individuals, and if you’re in HR or run a business, you’re welcome to register interest on behalf of colleagues too.

Register your interest for the next cohort here.