The Critical Management Choice

The Day I Realized I Was Managing All Wrong

Ashley had been with the company for eighteen months and was still handling phone calls. She was reliable, professional with patients, and had never missed a deadline. But she was also clearly bored, going through the motions of a job that no longer challenged her.

I was consulting with the practice manager when he mentioned Ashley during our conversation. "She does good work, but I can tell she's not engaged anymore. I'm worried she'll leave."

"When's the last time you asked her what she wants to do next?" I asked.

He paused. "I guess I haven't. She's good at the front desk, so I figured she was happy there."

That conversation changed how both of us thought about leadership. We realized he'd been managing Sarah's tasks perfectly but developing her potential not at all.

Over my 30 years in leadership roles, I've learned this lesson repeatedly: the difference between effective leaders and struggling managers isn't how well they manage tasks. It's how intentionally they develop people.

The Choice Every Leader Faces

Every leader faces this choice daily, though most don't recognize it as such. You can focus your energy on making sure today's work gets done correctly, or you can invest that same energy in building people who will handle tomorrow's challenges independently.

Both approaches have value, but only one creates lasting transformation. Task management keeps operations running smoothly in the short term. People development builds teams that can handle anything you throw at them long term.

I've seen this play out across every type of business environment. Some leaders get trapped in the daily grind of checking work, correcting mistakes, and ensuring compliance. Others step back from the details and invest their time in understanding what motivates their people, what challenges they face, and what they're capable of becoming.

The results are dramatically different.

What People Development Actually Looks Like

Let me tell you what happened next with Ashley. The practice manager and I developed a simple plan to understand what she actually wanted from her career. During their next one-on-one conversation, he asked about her interests and discovered she was fascinated by the business side of healthcare.

Instead of keeping her locked in the front desk role because she was good at it, he started including her in discussions about practice operations. He had her shadow the office manager for a few hours each week. When a part-time position opened in billing and administration, he advocated for her to get the opportunity.

Ashley didn't just take the new role; she excelled in it. Within six months, she had improved their insurance follow-up processes and reduced claim denials by 20%. More importantly, she became one of the practice's most engaged and loyal employees.

The practice manager learned something crucial: managing Ashley's front desk tasks had kept the phones answered, but developing Sarah's potential had improved the entire business.

The Connection, Clarity, Culture Framework in Action

What happened with Ashley demonstrates how people development strengthens each element of effective leadership.

The practice manager built deeper connection by taking time to understand Ashley's career interests and professional goals. This conversation revealed that she felt stuck and underutilized, information that completely changed his approach to her development.

He created clarity about advancement opportunities by showing her exactly what skills she'd need for business operations roles and providing concrete steps to develop those capabilities through shadowing and additional responsibilities.

Most importantly, he reinforced a culture where growth was possible and people weren't trapped in their current roles just because they performed them well. Other team members noticed Ashley's advancement and became more engaged in their own development conversations.

What I've Learned About Task Managers vs People Developers

After working with numerous leaders, I can predict which approach someone will take within the first few conversations. Task managers talk about deadlines, processes, and performance metrics. People developers talk about individual strengths, career aspirations, and growth opportunities.

Task managers ask, "Did you get the report finished?" People developers ask, "What did you learn from working on that report, and what would you like to tackle next?"

Task managers solve problems themselves to ensure things get done correctly. People developers use problems as coaching opportunities to build their team's problem-solving capabilities.

Both approaches can produce results in the short term, but only people development creates teams that improve continuously without constant supervision.

The Business Case for Development

The numbers support what experience teaches. Companies that invest in employee development see significantly higher retention rates because people stay where they feel valued and see opportunities for growth. Research shows that 94% of employees would stay longer at organizations that invest in their career development.

But the real benefit isn't just keeping people; it's what they become when you invest in their growth. Engaged employees who see advancement opportunities bring discretionary effort, innovative thinking, and genuine ownership to their work.

Sarah's transformation from a disengaged front desk worker to a business operations contributor illustrates this perfectly. The practice didn't just retain a good employee; they developed an organizational asset who improved multiple aspects of their business.

The Development Mindset Shift

Making this transition requires changing how you think about your role as a leader. Instead of seeing yourself as the person who ensures work gets done correctly, you become the person who builds others' capability to do work excellently.

This doesn't mean abandoning quality standards or ignoring operational needs. It means approaching those needs through the lens of people development rather than task management.

When someone makes a mistake, instead of just correcting it, you use it as a coaching opportunity. When someone shows interest in learning something new, you create opportunities for them to explore that interest. When someone demonstrates capability, you increase their responsibilities and authority.

Real-World Applications

This principle applies regardless of your business context. The restaurant manager who notices a server's interest in food preparation and arranges time with the kitchen staff. The law firm partner who sees a paralegal's analytical skills and provides opportunities to work on more complex cases. The retail manager who identifies a sales associate's leadership potential and gives them training responsibilities.

In each case, the leader chooses to invest in the person's development rather than just managing their current tasks. The result is always the same: higher engagement, better performance, and stronger loyalty.

Creating Your Development Plan

Start by having genuine conversations with your team members about their career interests and professional goals.

I've devoted an entire chapter to this subject in The Blueprint.

You might be surprised by what you discover. The quiet employee who's fascinated by technology. The experienced worker who's interested in training others. The detail-oriented person who would love to tackle process improvement projects.

Once you understand what motivates each person, look for ways to align their interests with business needs. Create small opportunities for growth that don't disrupt current operations but allow people to explore new capabilities.

The key is consistency. Development conversations can't be annual events. They need to be ongoing discussions that show your team you're invested in their future, not just their current productivity.

Why This Matters Now More Than Ever

In today's competitive job market, people have options. The best employees will work for leaders who see their potential and invest in their growth. The alternative is watching your most talented people leave for organizations that offer what you're not providing: a path forward.

Ashley could have easily found another front desk job that paid the same or even more. But she stayed and thrived because someone took the time to understand what she wanted and helped her achieve it.

That's the difference between managing tasks and developing people. One keeps the work flowing today. The other builds the team that will handle whatever tomorrow brings.

Talk soon,

Jim