Too many leaders wait until performance scores drop before investing in their people. It sounds efficient — but it's reactive, passive, and ultimately misguided.
In this episode of the Northbound Podcast, Chris challenges a common leadership mindset: tying development to decline. Drawing from real leadership experience and what he's seeing across today's leadership noise, Chris explains why development should never be a response to failure — it should be a constant investment.
Metrics matter, but they are lagging indicators. Real leadership happens long before dashboards turn red. If you want to build trust, engagement, and long-term performance, you must develop people before the decline.
If you want to lead north, this episode is for you.
Why tying development plans to falling scores is reactive leadership
The danger of outsourcing leadership to dashboards, metrics, and spreadsheets
How performance metrics are lagging indicators, not early warnings
Why development after decline becomes corrective instead of formative
How reactive development erodes trust and associates growth with punishment
Why every employee should have a development plan from day one
How proactive development builds psychological safety, engagement, and retention
The difference between managing scores and leading people
Waiting for performance scores to drop before developing people is reactive, not leadership
Most metrics only show problems after they already exist
Development plans should be standard practice, not a consequence
Proactive development builds trust, engagement, and long-term performance
High performers need development just as much as struggling employees
The best leaders invest in people before there's ever a problem
Leading north means acting early — not responding late
Need a leadership coach? Contact me personally at Chris@Go-Northbound.com
