The Skills Trap that Costs You Top Talent
Nov 02, 2025
Have you ever promoted your best technical performer to manager only to watch them struggle with leading people?
Were you surprised when a highly skilled employee left because they felt "unseen" despite delivering excellent results?
People as walking skill sets instead of complete human beings, and it's costing you your best talent.
Skills Without Soul Kills Culture
Think about how deeply this skills-only mentality infiltrates organizations:
- You hire based on resume qualifications yet wonder why culture fit fails.
- You promote technical experts into leadership roles without training them to develop humans.
- You measure productivity metrics while ignoring the person behind the performance.
- You evaluate contributions without understanding aspirations.
This obsession with technical skills over people skills dates back to industrial models where workers were interchangeable parts. Today's workforce demands recognition as complete human beings with minds, bodies, dreams, and lives beyond their job descriptions.
Shift from Skill Sets to Human Beings
The traditional approach to people management said, "What skills can you bring to this role?"
People-focused leadership says, "How can we help you become your best self while accomplishing what we need to accomplish?"
Research shows that companies focusing on people-centered approaches are 4.2 times more likely to outperform their peers. As Kamaria Scott told me on the Work Positive Podcast, "Anything you want to do thrives or dies in the hands of your people leaders."
The Artist, Scientist, and Coach Framework
What does people-focused culture look like in practice? The most effective leaders I studied operate simultaneously in three roles:
The Artist brings authenticity and self-awareness to leadership. They understand their own strengths and lead genuinely rather than following a prescribed management playbook.
The Scientist offers systematic observation and curiosity. They study what energizes each person, what drains them, and what motivates them to excel. Organizations with this approach see 30% higher innovation levels and 40% higher retention rates.
The Coach contributes development partnership. This collaborative approach asks "How can I help you become who you want to become?" rather than dictating what someone should be.
Create the Trust-Performance Loop
One of the most powerful elements in people-focused culture is the trust-performance loop. When people trust you genuinely care about their development, they engage more deeply, stretch beyond comfort zones, and commit to team success.
The loop requires constant attention. As Colin Hahn shared on his Work Positive Podcast episode, "Find an employee who's doing great work that you know you've recognized and recognize them anyway, because however often you think you've done it, it may not have landed with them."
The recognition gap damages trust faster than almost anything else. Most leaders assume they know how team members feel without systematically checking. They confuse their intentions with others' experiences.
Your People-Focused Challenge
Try these three actions this week:
Assess Your Artist-Scientist-Coach Skills: Reflect on one team member and ask yourself, "Do I know what energizes them beyond their job tasks? When did I last have a development conversation focused on their aspirations?"
Close the Recognition Gap: Identify someone doing excellent work and recognize them in a way that's meaningful to them specifically, not just convenient for you.
Observe and Act: Spend this week noticing behavioral patterns. When does someone seem most engaged? Most drained? Share one observation with them: "You really seem energized when you do X."
The Work Positive Bottom Line
The best organizations today stop treating people as skill sets to be managed. They recognize complete human beings with unlimited potential.
Stop hiring for skills alone. Start developing whole people who Win @ Work.
What's your question about building effective listening loops in your organization? Ask Dr. Joey here.
Taken from Dr. Joey's newest book, Win @ Work: Maximize Your Culture for Peak Performance.
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