If I develop five people myself, I can influence five careers, but if I develop a manager who knows how to grow people, that manager can develop an entire team.
Early in my career, I thought being a supportive manager meant staying highly involved in daily operations and talent development. I was always available to step in as soon as someone got stuck. I personally supported motivation in the office and watched performance improve, which reassured me that this hands-on approach was working.
What took me longer to understand was that good performance and growth were not the same thing. It is easy for someone to perform well when a manager consistently works with them to avoid mistakes. But growth is about helping them take ownership of their decisions and solve problems independently.
Over nearly a decade of building companies, I’ve watched more than 150 people develop their careers. Some became leaders or stronger specialists. Others discovered that the career path they had chosen wasn’t actually right for them. All of this is growth.
These experiences continued to evolve my definition of talent development. Now I know the goal isn’t just to improve today’s performance, but to help people grow their capability for tomorrow’s performance. Ultimately, the goal is to empower them to continue without you.
Some employees I’ve managed worked incredibly hard for my approval. They wanted to hear that they had done a good job, and that encouragement noticeably affected their motivation. I felt as if I was succeeding as a manager.
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