Building High-Performing Teams

A Mental Model for Growth Through People and Purpose

By Thijmen Meijer

When you remove the noise from business, you are left with a simple truth.
People create everything. They shape the culture, build the systems, drive the results, and carry the mission forward.

After years in hospitality, recruitment, corporate HR, and now venture building, I have seen this up close. A company grows when its people grow. It is not a slogan or a theory. It is a practical reality.

The model I use today inside Meijer and Co and UniPrisma was not invented behind a desk. It was built through long days, mistakes, a lot of learning, and the simple intention to make work more human and more effective.

What follows is the framework I use to build teams that perform with clarity, purpose, and consistency.

1. People First

Most companies claim they put people first.
Very few do.

People do not fail because of a lack of skill. They fail due to unclear expectations, broken communication, weak leadership, or insufficient support. When you truly put people first, you solve these issues before you worry about anything else.

A people-first approach is not soft. It is not emotional. It is practical and it is strategic. If your people break, your business breaks. If your people grow, your business grows.

Everything else is built on this foundation.

2. Mindset Above Everything

If you ask me what I hire for, the answer is always the same.
Mindset.

Hard skills can be taught. Mindset cannot.

During interviews, there is always a moment where you see it.
A spark in the eye.
A hunger to work.
A readiness to go for it.
Curiosity. Integrity. Energy. Drive.

I have seen thousands of CVs. The CV is not what makes someone a high performer. The mindset is. It determines altitude, speed, and resilience.

If I have to choose between the perfect CV and the right mindset, I choose the mindset every time.

3. Stage One: Hiring for Spark and Drive

I do not hire people simply because they are pleasant or likable.
I hire people who show the raw ingredients of a high performer.

This includes:

• quick thinking

• a positive and active energy

• confidence without arrogance

• curiosity

• strong values

• emotional intelligence

• the ability to learn fast

• a genuine enjoyment of the work
  

Hiring only works when you look beyond credentials.
You hire for potential, not perfection.

4. Stage Two: Structure Creates Confidence

Once someone is hired, the real work starts.
People can only perform when the environment is structured enough to support them.

Teams need clarity.
They need to know the goal, the direction, the boundaries, and the expectations. They need a clear understanding of who does what and how success is measured.

In my teams this means:

• clear goals at company, team, and individual levels

• simple and transparent work systems

• one source of truth

• weekly updates

• clear roles and responsibilities

• regular one to one sessions

• education on planning and prioritization
  

Clarity creates confidence, and confidence creates speed.

5. Stage Three: Planning and Consistency

Planning is not bureaucracy.
It is freedom through order.

Teams fall apart when they rely on talent alone.
They thrive when they find a rhythm and stick to it.

Consistency is what separates good teams from high-performing teams. Not hero moments. Not luck. Not talent. Consistency.

This is built through simple tools, predictable routines, and the discipline to maintain them.
Once the rhythm is in place, it becomes culture.

Culture performs long after motivation fades.

6. Stage Four: The Strategic No

One of the most important leadership skills is the ability to say no.

Every yes adds work, noise, and distraction.
A strategic no adds focus and direction.

I say no more now than at any other point in my career.
Not because I reject opportunities, but because I protect the ones that matter.

Saying no is an investment in quality.
It keeps the mission sharp.

7. Stage Five: Courtesy and Long-Term Trust

Relationships compound when they are built on genuine interest.
Throughout my career, I have held many courtesy conversations. No agenda. No expectation. Just a human connection.

Some of those conversations turned into partnerships.
Some turned into friendships.
Some opened doors much later.

The principle is simple.
Show up without expecting something in return.
It builds a network based on trust rather than transaction.

This always pays off in the long term.

8. Stage Six: Respecting Boundaries and Value

There was a time when I worked for free, thinking it would lead to opportunities.
It rarely did.

Today, I reserve free work only for causes that truly matter.
Everything else is paid or not accepted.

Respecting your time and your craft is part of leadership.
It sets the standard for how others treat your work.

9. Stage Seven: Build Systems that Scale

A team that depends on individuals is fragile.
A team that depends on systems can grow.

Systems thinking means seeing how things connect, how information flows, and how the structure supports the mission. It means creating frameworks that are strong enough to stand on their own.

This approach is now deeply integrated into the UniPrisma ecosystem.
Every process is designed to be clear, simple, and scalable.

Systems create stability.
Stability creates trust.
Trust creates performance.

10. The Human Purpose Behind the Model

At the center of every high-performing team is a sense of belonging.
People want to be seen.
People want to grow.
People want to feel supported.
People want to feel part of something meaningful.

Leadership is not standing at the front shouting instructions.
Leadership is standing behind people when they need you.

When teams feel protected, they perform with courage.
When they feel valued, they perform with pride.

This is where real performance begins.

11. Guiding Beliefs

These are the principles I lead by:

Mindset is more important than skill.
Energy is contagious.
Clarity gives confidence.
A strategic no sharpens focus.
Relationships are investments, not transactions.
Delivery is the strongest form of business development.
Your time has value. Treat it accordingly.
Systems outlast individuals.

12. The Five Steps of a Team Builder

My leadership approach can be described in five movements:

Sense the person.
Select the mindset.
Structure the environment.
Sustain the rhythm.
Scale the system.

This pattern works in hospitality, corporate environments, and venture building.
It works because it is grounded in human behavior.

13. The Goal: Creating Flow

The purpose of building high-performing teams is not perfection.
It is flow.

Flow is the moment when:

• the team moves in the same direction

• communication is simple

• roles are clear

• trust is strong

• progress is visible

• the mission feels shared

When you reach this point, work becomes smoother and more enjoyable.
Not easier, but clearer.

Flow is where high performance feels natural.

14. Building Builders

My ambition is not to build teams.
My ambition is to build people who can build teams.

People who think in systems.
People who lead with integrity.
People who create clarity.
People who empower others.
People who transform ideas into reality.
People who walk the talk.

If there is one line that sums up my philosophy, it is this:

Good work speaks for itself. When you deliver well, good things follow.

High-performing teams are built through intention, clarity, and care.
Not luck.

And always one person at a time.