What high performing teams do differently when things get hard
Most teams don’t struggle when things are going well. You know the moments when plans feel clear, communication is easy, and people have a shared understanding of what needs to happen.
It’s when pressure builds that things start to shift. Deadlines tighten, priorities change, and the space to think feels smaller. That’s usually the point where teams start to behave very differently.
Some slow down. Conversations become more cautious, decisions take longer, and people retreat into what feels safe. Others seem to sharpen. They stay connected, make quick and effective decisions, and keep moving even as things get harder.
It’s easy to assume that difference comes down to capability or experience, but the research proves otherwise. Studies in behavioural science show that under pressure, people are far more likely to rely on habits and automatic responses than deliberate thinking. In other words, when things get tough, most of us don’t rise to the occasion, we fall back on what’s familiar.
Pressure doesn’t change teams, it exposes them
Pressure doesn’t create new behaviours, it just amplifies what’s already there. For example, if communication is already slightly unclear, it becomes even messier. If decision-making is vague, it slows down further. If trust is fragile, it gets tested quickly. These patterns don’t suddenly appear, they were always there, they were just easier to ignore when things felt calm.
This is also why pressure can feel like things are breaking down, when in reality it’s revealing how the team already works.
High performing teams aren’t immune to this, it’s just that they’ve built ways of working that still hold up when the pressure rises.
Team behaviours that turn pressure into performance
1) They pay attention to how they’re working, not just what they’re doing
Under pressure, most teams focus entirely on output. They deliver the work, hit the deadline, solve the problem… but what often gets overlooked is the process. How decisions are being made, how people are interacting, and where things might be slowing down.
Research on team performance shows that teams who regularly reflect on how they work, not just what they deliver, improve coordination and outcomes over time. Even brief moments of reflection can make a big impact.
It might be a short pause at the end of a meeting, a quick sense check when something feels off, or someone asking, “Are we making this harder than it needs to be?” Small moments, but they help the team stay aware, adjust quickly, and keep moving.
2) They make it easier to speak when it matters most
Amy Edmondson’s work on psychological safety consistently shows that the highest performing teams are not the ones that avoid mistakes, but the ones that surface them quickly. The challenge is that pressure works against this.
When stakes are high, people are more likely to hold back. They filter what they say, avoid conflict, or defer to hierarchy. It can feel like the easiest thing to do in the moment, but it reduces the quality of thinking in the room. Brené Brown describes this as choosing comfort over courage, and in teams that trade-off often happens quietly.
High performing teams lower the cost of speaking up. Not through big statements, but through small, everyday habits and signals. It might be asking for input before offering their own views, responding positively to challenges, or making it clear that raising a concern is useful, not disruptive. Over time, these small acts build a culture where people are confident speaking up, conversations are honest, and decisions are stronger.
3) They reduce friction instead of adding control
When things get tough, many teams respond by adding more structure… extra check-ins, extra approvals, extra processes. It creates a sense of control and can feel like the safest move, but more often than not, it just slows people down.
Research into organisational effectiveness shows that complexity is one of the biggest barriers to getting things done. The more steps, layers, and approvals a team has to navigate, the harder it is to follow through and keep momentum.
High performing teams take a different approach. They look for points of friction. Where are decisions getting stuck? What feels harder than it needs to be? What are people working around instead of working with? Then they simplify.
It’s not about removing all structure. It’s about making it easier for people to do the right thing without unnecessary effort. Small tweaks here and there can make a big difference in how smoothly a team works under pressure.
4) They rely on habits, not intention
Knowing what to do and actually doing it are two very different things, especially when pressure is on. Research consistently shows that intention alone rarely sticks. Even when people are clear about what’s important, it’s easy to slip back into old patterns.
High performing teams close that gap by turning key actions into small, repeatable habits. Not big initiatives or complicated frameworks, just simple and consistent practices. Whether it’s clarifying decisions before ending a meeting, taking a couple of minutes to reflect on what worked, or checking that everyone’s been heard before moving on, these habits become automatic over time.
It might seem small in the moment, but these behaviours compound quickly. They shape how the team operates and when pressure hits, they’re what keep everything running smoothly.
How do your team handle it when things get tough?
It’s not about trying harder or having better intentions. It’s about noticing what’s happening, keeping things simple, and leaning on the habits and practices your team has built.
A few questions to take back to your own team…
When pressure has increased recently, what changed in how your team worked? (Don’t think about outcomes here, look at the behaviours!)
What got harder?
Where did things slow down?
What did people stop doing?
Even small insights from these questions can result in big improvements. Remember, pressure doesn’t create new behaviours, it just shows what’s already there. The better you understand it, the better your team can respond.
Ready to see how you perform under pressure?
Teams don’t just face pressure at big deadlines or tricky projects. It shows up in every decision, in small habits, and in how people communicate when the stakes are high. Pressure exposes patterns – some that help, and some that quietly hold you back.
That’s exactly what Pressure Points: Padel Edition is designed to explore. It’s a chance to experience your own patterns in real time, see how pressure affects collaboration and decision-making, and take away practical insights you can apply straight back at work. And yes, you’ll get to hit the courts and play some padel too!
When: Wednesday 1st April, 5.15pm-8:30pm
Where: Rocket Padel BPS Ltd, Circus Road West, London, SW11 8AL
Last few spots available, so click here to grab yours and join the fun! We’d love to see you there.