She told me in the interview that she wanted to launch her own yoga brand one day, something similar to what I'd built with Compete Every Day.
Most leaders would've passed on her immediately. Why invest in someone who's already planning their exit?
I saw it differently.
Christine was hungry to learn the business. She wanted to understand how to build something from the ground up. I figured if I poured into her as a mentor and helped her succeed, she'd help us succeed while she learned.
Life threw curveballs. When she left, it wasn't for a yoga brand — it was for an Olympic sports representation group. I was sad but not surprised when she told me over lunch. More than anything, I was proud of her.
Here's what made the difference in our time together: Christine always knew what was expected of her.
She understood why her work mattered to our team's success. And she could see clearly how the skills she was building would help her get to where she wanted to go.
Most leaders never give their people that clarity.
Half your team is operating in the dark.
Gallup found that only half of employees are confident about what's expected of them.
Half.
We're good at telling people what to do. We're good at explaining how not to get fired. But beyond that? Most leaders drop the ball, not because they don't care, but because they stop at the first level of clarity when the work requires three.
The leaders of thriving teams invest time to make sure every person understands the What, the Why, and the How.
The What is table stakes.
What do I need to do to be good at my job? This gets covered in the interview, the onboarding, and the first 90 days. Most leaders stop here and call it done.
But circumstances change. Priorities shift. And nobody goes back to revisit whether the team's still clear on what matters and in what order.
That gap is where performance quietly starts to erode.
The Why is where most leaders lose people.
Why does what I do matter?
This is the question fewer organizations ever answer — and it's the one that determines whether someone is engaged or just present.
Think about an NFL practice squad. These are guys who will never play on game day. Nobody in the stands knows their names. But every starter on that team depends on them to prepare for the upcoming opponent.
When a practice squad player understands that — when they know their role directly influences whether the team wins on Sunday — it changes how they show up. Not because they got a raise. Because they understand the mission and see themselves in it.
The same principle applies to your team. The leader who takes time to explain why a project matters, why a role influences the organization's direction, and why someone's daily work connects to something bigger creates a team that's bought in — not just clocked in.
The How is what separates good leaders from great ones.
How does what I'm doing today help me get to where I want to go?
This is the question most leaders avoid because it's uncomfortable. What if someone's long-term goal doesn't involve staying at your company?
Here's what I've learned: invest in people anyway.
Take a front desk receptionist — or as one company rebranded the role, a Director of First Impressions. If that person's long-term goal is a career in sales, there's a real conversation to be had.
Every call they answer is a rep at building rapport with a stranger. Every walk-in they greet is practice at diagnosing a problem and finding a solution. Two skills that are foundational to any sales career.
When you help someone see their current role through that lens, their engagement changes. They're not just collecting a paycheck. They're building toward something — and you're the leader who helped them see it.
That's the kind of investment that stays with people long after they've moved on. Christine still sends people my way. Not because I asked her to. Because she knew I was invested in her growth, not just her output.
The framework is simple. The execution requires something most leaders don't prioritize: time.
Most leaders teach the What.
Fewer take time to share the Why.
Only the best invest in connecting the How.
Your team doesn't need a perfect leader. They need a present one — someone willing to sit down, ask real questions, and help them connect the dots between what they're doing today and where they want to be in five years.
Christine knew that from day one. That's why she gave everything while she was here.
Does your team have the same clarity?
If not, start this week. Pick one person. Schedule fifteen minutes. Ask them where they want to be in five years — and then help them see how what they're doing right now is already building toward it.
That conversation costs you nothing. The absence of it is costing you more than you realize.
