238: Switch Off to Switch On | Dr James Hewitt

Dr James Hewitt is a Human Performance Scientist, speaker, and author. James combines first-hand experience as a full-time racing cyclist with ground-breaking work and research, proven on Formula 1 tracks and with Fortune 500 companies, to provide actionable, inspiring, science-backed insights at the intersection of leadership, wellbeing, peak performance, and the future of work. In this Leadership Enigma conversation, Dr James Hewitt unpacks what sustainable high performance really looks like in an always-on world. We explore how leaders can raise the bar without raising everyone’s blood pressure—by designing work around human needs, protecting recovery, and building cultures that get sharper under stress. You’ll hear why sleep is a leadership skill (not a luxury), how psychological safety with standards turns candour into results, and why the smartest teams aim beyond resilience toward robustness and antifragility. Expect evidence, practical tools, and the invitations leaders need to hear right now. Key Learning Points (for Leaders) 🌟Performance follows wellbeing: Discretionary effort is your quickest culture health check—protect energy to unlock it. 🌟Defeat “always-on” creep: After-hours nudges from leaders compound into real extra work and hidden stress tax. Sleep drives leadership quality: Restricted sleep → more “surface acting,” less authenticity and inspiration. 🌟Design for A-C-R: Autonomy, Competence, Relatedness—bake them into role design, rituals, and feedback loops. 🌟Psychological safety ≠ niceness: Pair candour and risk-taking with clear commitments and accountability. 🌟Beyond resilience: Build robust systems (buffers, premortems) and antifragile habits (small, reversible experiments). 🌟Leaders set the weather: Your habits—communication timing, recovery signals, attention—cascade through the team. Why this episode matters 🌟Modern work punishes attention and recovery. James connects the science to simple leadership moves—so your team can switch off well and switch on better, consistently. Standout Ideas & Quotes “The truest measure of employee wellbeing is discretionary effort.” “Humans aren’t machines—hustle culture quietly taxes your team.” “Leaders reproduce who they are—model the recovery you expect.” “Psychological safety is not about being nice; it’s about learning at speed.” Try This Week (Leader Playbook) 🌟Delay-send after 6pm and publish your “no-ping” window. 🌟Run a 10-minute “unblock me” clinic to boost competence and momentum. 🌟Open meetings with: “What risk do we need to take today?” 🌟Do a premortem on one initiative; add explicit buffers. 🌟Ask your team: “What do I do that unintentionally creates extra work?” 📕Book: https://a.co/d/j3o0ufW 💻Website: https://drjameshewitt.com 💻LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jamesphewitt/ 📲Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jamesphewitt/ Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.