What Great Leaders Understand About People You Cannot Build a High Performing Company with Exhausted People

For decades, organizations have measured success through productivity, profitability and performance. Yet behind every target achieved and every milestone celebrated lies something far more powerful: people.

Great organizations are not built by strategy alone. They are built by leaders who understand that people perform at their best when they feel trusted, valued and empowered. Sustainable performance is never created through pressure. It is created through culture.

After more than twenty-five years shaping workplace culture and leadership, Dilrukshi Kurukulasuriya, Executive Director and Chief Human Resource Officer at DIMO, has spent her career proving exactly that. Her philosophy is simple yet profound. Organisations do not perform. People do.

In this conversation with Raise The Bar, she shares her thoughts on leadership, creating cultures where people thrive, breaking barriers for women, resilience, financial independence and why the future of business depends on investing in people before performance.

 

Leadership begins with trust, not pressure

Q: Looking back over your leadership journey, what has changed most about the way you think organisations should lead people?

Life teaches you little by little. One of the greatest lessons I have learnt is that people do not produce their best work when they are constantly under pressure. Early in my career, I observed many leaders who believed longer hours, heavier workloads and relentless pressure created better performance. In the short term, it often did.

But sustainable performance is very different.

The organisations that consistently perform over many years are the ones where leaders create trust, give people confidence, allow people to be themselves and recognise the importance of balance. When people feel supported rather than simply managed, they do not just work harder. They work better.

You cannot build a high performing company with exhausted people.

Creating that environment does not happen by accident. Before people can thrive, leaders have to build strong foundations. Discipline, values, clear expectations and role models all matter. Without them, people do not know what is expected or what the organisation stands for.

Leadership is therefore both a privilege and a responsibility. People are always watching.

Throughout my career I have tried to live by what I call my Three Cs. Build your competence by continuing to learn. Be consistent because people need to know what to expect from you. And be credible because trust is earned through your actions, not your title. Consistency creates trust. When people trust you, they begin giving you opportunities.

 

Opening doors and making sure they stay open

Q: As the first woman appointed to DIMO's Board of Directors, did you ever feel the weight of representing every woman who came after you?

There was pressure, but I never allowed it to define me. I was not trying to fit in. I was not trying to prove myself. I simply wanted to contribute wherever I could because you are not respected in a boardroom because of your designation. You are respected because of the value you bring to the table.

Being called the first woman has always made me slightly uncomfortable. Not because I do not appreciate the significance of it, but because I do not want to be remembered for being first. My greatest hope was that I would not be the last.

If I have helped open a door, then my responsibility is to make sure it remains open for many more women.

 

Q: Why do you think women continue to face barriers in leadership and other unconventional careers?

I do not think the biggest barrier is capability. I think it is opportunity. For generations, women have unconsciously been directed towards certain careers while leadership and technical professions have often been seen as spaces for men. When people do not believe leadership is possible for them, they do not always develop the confidence or competence to pursue those opportunities.

That is why representation matters. Young women need to see women leading organisations and making important decisions because visibility changes what the next generation believes is possible.

At DIMO, we have committed to increasing women in decision making roles to forty percent by 2030. Meaningful change does not happen overnight. It is not simply about targets. It is about building a leadership pipeline through education, mentoring and creating opportunities for women to grow throughout their careers.

Intelligence is not enough

Q: After working with thousands of people throughout your career, what have you discovered about high performers?

For many years I believed intelligence was the defining factor. I no longer think that. I have met incredibly intelligent people who never fulfilled their potential. I have also met people whose curiosity, passion and determination created extraordinary impact.

Over time I realised something. Intelligence without passion does not create impact. Passion without energy does not create impact either. When intelligence, passion and energy come together, that is where extraordinary performance happens.

But if I had to choose one differentiator, it would be energy.

Every one of us has the same twenty-four hours in a day. Some people simply go to work and come home. Others invest in themselves first. They exercise, look after their health, continue learning, create impact at work and still find the energy to contribute to their families and communities.

The difference is not time. The difference is energy.

 

Rethinking resilience

Q: You spoke about resilience in a very different way. Have we misunderstood what resilience really means?

I think we have. Especially as women, we often wear resilience as a badge of honour. We believe the more responsibilities we carry, the stronger we become. I see it differently.

I always compare resilience to a rubber band. When it is relaxed, it is incredibly strong. But if you continue stretching it beyond its limits, eventually it snaps. People are exactly the same.

Being resilient is not about carrying everything. It is about knowing what to let go of. Sometimes we become stronger not by adding more to our lives but by removing what no longer serves us. You are much stronger when you are lighter.

Reflection creates perspective

Q: You also spoke about reflection. Why is it something leaders often overlook?

We often believe experience alone makes us wiser. I do not think that is true. Experience gives us situations. Reflection helps us understand them. Today we move from one deadline to another, from one meeting to the next, without taking time to pause.

Reflection creates perspective.

When people reflect, they become better decision makers. They understand themselves better. They grow faster because they are learning from every experience instead of simply moving on to the next one.

That is why I believe organisations should create space for people to think, reflect and learn.

 

Creating workplaces where people thrive

Q: DIMO has consistently been recognised as one of Sri Lanka's and Asia's Best Workplaces. What has been the philosophy behind that success?

It has never been about me. It has always been a collective effort. When I think about workplace culture, I simply ask myself one question.

Would I enjoy coming to work here every day?

That philosophy has guided many of our decisions. Creating a great workplace is not about organising occasional wellness programmes or celebrating one day in the year. It is about creating an environment where people feel trusted, respected and energised every single day.

Organisations do not perform. People perform.

When people are physically healthy, mentally clear and emotionally engaged, performance naturally follows.

 

Financial independence is about choice

Q: Do you believe the greatest gift financial independence gives a woman is not money but choice?

Absolutely. Money provides security, but for women it represents something much greater than financial reward. It creates opportunity.

Opportunity to invest in yourself. Opportunity to continue learning. Opportunity to support your family.

Most importantly, it gives you the opportunity to walk away from environments where you no longer belong. Whether that is a toxic workplace or any situation that compromises your values, financial independence gives women the confidence to choose differently.

That, to me, is what empowerment looks like.

Money is not the outcome. Money is the enabler. The outcome is empowerment.

I have seen women who have not only transformed their own futures but also created better futures for their families and communities. When women become financially independent, society benefits.

 

Success is built through consistency

Q: If you could give one piece of advice to the younger generation, what would it be?

Success is not something you chase. It is the outcome of the things you do consistently over time. Today many young people want recognition quickly. They want promotions quickly.

They believe successful careers happen overnight.

They do not.

Careers are built patiently. Continue building your competence. Remain disciplined. Be consistent in everything you do because consistency creates trust. When trust is built around you, people begin giving you opportunities. That has been one of the greatest lessons of my own career.

I only hope the next generation learns it much earlier than I did. Because success is never built overnight. It is built quietly, one consistent decision at a time.