Talent Doesn’t Follow a Linear Path and That’s the Point

I’ve never believed in one-size-fits-all leadership. And I’ve never believed that talent development should look like a perfectly straight line.

Real growth isn’t a ladder, it’s a labyrinth. It winds. It dips. It accelerates. It pauses.

And the people I’ve seen flourish the most are the ones who were given permission to grow on their own terms. Including myself.

Leadership means understanding that not everyone thrives under the same system. Some need structure. Some need space. Some need a challenge that’s bigger than their job title. Some just need to be seen.

When I’ve led teams, especially in high-growth, high-stakes environments, the mistake I made early on was assuming people wanted what I wanted, that they were wired like me.

They weren’t. And once I stopped managing by projection, and started managing by perception, everything changed.

I took time to understand who they were. What lit them up. What held them back. What they never said, but always hoped someone would notice.

And from there, we built paths that made sense for them.

Not the org chart. Not the timeline. Them.

You know what happened? Performance increased. Retention skyrocketed. And something else, more powerful: trust.

When people feel known, they don’t leave easily. When they feel invested in, not just utilized, they show up with loyalty that isn’t written in contracts.

Success in leadership isn’t molding people into boxes. It’s building a system where people grow in ways that are uniquely their own.

Their growth is your growth.

Their happiness is your culture.

Their fulfillment is the most undervalued business metric of all.

I’d rather manage a mosaic of unique, thriving people than a row of identical high-functioning burnout machines.

Tailor the plan. Bend the timeline. Meet people where they are. And then watch what happens when they believe in you the way you believed in them.