How Teams Learn to Play Their Own Game Series: Part 6, The Fragile Peak: Sustaining High Performance
This article is part of a 7-part series on how teams learn to play their own game and unlock high performance, written by Martijn Taminiau all the way from Amsterdam.
Martijn is a certified Miki Island partner and team coach who works closely with teams to help them grow, connect, and perform at their best.
Together with Edwin Vriethoff at TeamWendbaar, they’re helping teams across the Netherlands build stronger collaboration and lasting impact.
How to Stay in Flow Without Falling Back
📍 The Paradox of Stage 4
High performance feels like arrival. Work flows. Conversations are sharp and quick. People anticipate each other’s moves before they’re made. This is what teams long for.
But Stage 4 is also the most fragile stage. The higher the peak, the easier it is to slip. Many teams stall here, or slide back into old patterns. Not because they’ve failed, but because they forget: flow is not permanent. It needs care.
Think of the Golden State Warriors during their championship run. Their on-court chemistry looked effortless – but behind the scenes, regular team meetings, film sessions, and clear role discussions kept the engine running. Flow wasn’t an accident. It was maintained.
🔍 The Reality of Stage 4 – Work & Productivity
In Wheelan’s model, Stage 4 is where groups finally become teams. Productivity rises. Collaboration feels natural. Trust is strong.
And yet, without regular tuning, flow fades. Goals drift. Energy dips. What feels effortless today can turn into routine tomorrow. Stage 4 isn’t a fixed state – it’s dynamic. It demands attention.
Think of a startup that hits its first big success. At first, energy is electric. Everyone knows their role. But six months later, if goals aren’t redefined, that same team can lose focus, with people working hard but pulling in different directions.
🚀 How Teams Sustain Flow
– **Pause on Purpose.** Every few weeks, stop to ask: What’s working? What’s drifting? The All Blacks rugby team famously do “after action reviews” to capture lessons immediately, even after a win.
– **Sharpen Goals.** Keep them inspiring, but realistic. When NASA prepared for Apollo 13, the team’s sharp refocus on survival made flow possible under extreme pressure.
– **Renew Rhythm.** Rotate roles, refresh routines, invite new energy. In orchestras, rotating first and second chair keeps musicians engaged and sharp.
– **Embrace Conflict.** Treated well, it keeps the team sharp. The Chicago Bulls of the 1990s had heated debates in practice – Phil Jackson encouraged it, knowing it built trust and clarity.
🔑 Leadership at the Peak
In Stage 4, leaders become *expert members*. They contribute with skill but don’t dominate. Their role is balance – protecting what works without freezing it, challenging without overwhelming.
Think oxygen, not orders. The leader clears obstacles, shields the rhythm, and lets the team breathe.
A great example is Satya Nadella at Microsoft. He shifted from directing every move to creating an environment of learning and psychological safety, enabling the company to thrive without constant top-down pressure.
🎮 What Miki Island Reveals
On Miki Island, Stage 4 shows itself in the energy. Teams laugh more. Coordination feels easy. Play turns into flow.
The facilitator’s role isn’t to push harder, but to help the team notice what’s happening – to give them words for the experience so they can carry it home.
🌱 Closing Thought
Stage 4 is not a finish line. It’s a fragile peak.
Staying there takes humility, reflection, and renewal. Because high performance isn’t about reaching flow once – it’s about learning how to return to it, again and again.
