Johnny C. Taylor Jr. tackles your workplace questions each week for USA TODAY. Taylor is president and CEO of SHRM, the world’s largest trade association of human resources professionals, and author of “Reset: A Leader’s Guide to Work in an Age of Upheaval.”
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Question: One of my direct reports is a strong performer but has no interest in becoming a manager or taking on additional leadership responsibilities. I want everyone on my team to continue developing, but I’m worried they’re limiting their potential. How should I approach this? ‒ Youssef
Answer: First, don’t assume a lack of interest in leadership means a lack of ambition. Ambition comes in many forms. Some employees aspire to lead people. Others find fulfillment becoming experts in their craft as highly skilled individual contributors. Organizations need both to succeed.
There’s also an important distinction between an employee who lacks ambition and one who has become disengaged. One is a matter of career preference. The other is a performance issue. Your job as a manager is to determine which you’re seeing.
Before you draw conclusions, get curious. Is the employee lacking confidence? Have they stopped feeling challenged? Are expectations unclear? Do they see a future with the organization? Or do they simply define success differently than you do? Ask questions instead of making assumptions. Coaching employees to think through challenges on their own builds confidence, capability, and ownership over time.
Now, let me come back to an important point: Not every employee wants to become a people manager, and that’s OK. Leadership is a career choice. Growth is an expectation.
Growth doesn’t have to be upward. Today’s careers are rarely linear. Employees move laterally, build new skills, explore cross-functional experiences, and deepen their expertise before taking on greater responsibility, if they choose to do so. Success isn’t measured by climbing the same ladder at the same pace. It’s about continuing to learn, contribute, and create value throughout your career.
Choosing not to pursue leadership is perfectly acceptable. Choosing not to perform at a high level isn’t. Every employee should continue to meet expectations, contribute fully, and develop the skills needed to succeed in their role.
As a manager, your responsibility is to create an environment where that growth can happen. Set clear expectations. Provide regular coaching and feedback. Give employees opportunities to solve problems independently and stretch beyond their comfort zone. Recognize progress along the way. Small wins build confidence and reinforce the behaviors you want to encourage. Then allow employees to decide how they want to grow based on their strengths, interests, and goals.
Growth is a shared responsibility. Managers create opportunities, remove barriers, and support development. Employees must engage with those opportunities and take ownership of their own growth.
Great managers don’t define success by how many employees become leaders. They define success by how many reach their full potential. Your role isn’t to decide what success should look like for every employee. It’s to create an environment where every employee has the opportunity to succeed, grow, and contribute at their highest level.
The views and opinions expressed in this column are the author’s and do not necessarily reflect those of USA TODAY.