Leaders meet people where they are and show them how to get where they want to go.

That’s one of the original Carl’s Rules.

There’s a temptation in management to set the bar and expect people to reach it. That’s not leading. That’s posting a sign.

And I know the pushback. “I shouldn’t have to hold someone’s hand.” “They’re adults.” “I set clear expectations.”

Fine. But clear expectations without understanding where someone actually is — not where their resume says they should be — is just accountability without investment. Managers do that. Leaders don’t.

The distance between where someone is and where they’re capable of going isn’t a problem to solve. It’s the job.

I’ve watched talented people stall and even regress under managers who managed to a standard instead of leading to a person. And I’ve watched average performers turn into the people you can’t live without once someone figured out what they actually needed and how they fit into the team.

The difference was never the talent in the room. It was the leadership.

Meeting people where they are isn’t soft. It’s how you build teams that win.