Respecting the Human Continuum
Balancing static judgements and hope
BRIEF: People are constantly changing, but leaders tend to assess someone once and then stick with that label forever. Good leadership requires continuous reassessment across three dimensions — CHARACTER (which can erode with success or grow through adversity), COMPETENCY (which can plateau or decline without active development), and CONTRIBUTION to purpose (whether someone still fits what the team actually needs right now). The discipline of regularly updating your judgements — rather than relying on old reputations — is what separates high-performing teams from stagnant ones. And crucially, it cuts both ways: don't write people off permanently either, because most are capable of more than their last assessment suggested.
There is a moment every seasoned manager, GM or coach knows. You watch someone warm up and think — that’s not the same person. And you’re right. The player you evaluated six months ago has changed. They often do.
This is the central challenge …
