73. Are You Ignoring Your Best People?

In most companies, the squeaky wheel gets the grease. Leaders pour time into struggling employees, inconsistent managers, and lagging departments, while high performers are left alone because they “don’t need much.” That instinct feels responsible, but it creates a structural growth ceiling.

In this episode, James explains why high performers are force multipliers, not maintenance-free assets. When they go uncoached, growth slows in subtle ways. If leadership energy consistently flows downward toward weakness, scaling your business becomes slower than it should be. Shifting attention upward structurally is what unlocks momentum.

This Episode Is For:

1. Founders scaling beyond 25 employees
2. Leaders who feel growth is heavier than it should be
3. Executives spending most of their time correcting underperformance
4. Managers who want to multiply strength instead of constantly repairing weakness

In This Episode:

1. Why attention naturally flows toward problems
2. The hidden cost of leaving high performers alone
3. How top performers plateau quietly
4. Why growth feels heavier when energy flows downward
5. The difference between reactive coaching and proactive development
6. The structural shift required to scale

Reflection Question

Where is most of your leadership energy going right now — downward to weakness or upward to strength?