The Trap of Leading Future Versions of People

Good leaders see who someone could become with more confidence, more experience, or a little more ownership.

The challenge is that potential lives in the future.

Early in my leadership journey, I spent a lot of time making decisions based on who I believed someone could become. I was planning around a future version of them that had not shown up yet.

Sometimes that worked. Sometimes I got frustrated waiting for growth that hadn’t happened yet. Over time, I learned that leadership requires balancing current abilities with future expectations.

People can absolutely grow. But today's decisions still have to be based on today's reality.

If you ignore someone's potential, you may miss an opportunity to help them develop. If you ignore their current reality, you start making decisions based on hope and unagreed upon expectations.

Supporting someone's growth and being honest about today's reality are not competing responsibilities. They're both part of the job.