In today’s fast-moving business world, leadership isn’t just about managing results — it’s about shaping people. Finding the right talent is hard enough, but the real challenge lies in helping individuals grow, stay engaged, and evolve with your company. Yet, every leader eventually faces a difficult truth: some people thrive with guidance, while others simply don’t.
So, when should you keep investing in someone’s growth, and when is it time to move on without guilt?
The Leader’s Responsibility: Development, Not Just Evaluation
The modern manager is no longer a supervisor — but a coach. True leadership means identifying potential, guiding progress, and creating an environment where people can stretch and grow.
✅ Understand what motivates them. Every person is driven by different needs — recognition, learning, stability, or security. Great leaders listen closely and adapt their approach accordingly.
✅ Set clear goals and give honest feedback. Most employees don’t fail from lack of effort — they fail from lack of clarity. Transparency around expectations is the foundation of performance and trust.
✅ Build a learning culture. Companies that invest in continuous training and feedback see measurable gains in both performance and engagement. This isn’t just theory — it’s data-backed reality.
The Hard Truth: Not Everyone Will Change
Even with the best coaching and opportunities, some people don’t adapt. It could be a matter of motivation, mindset, or a mismatch with company culture.
Letting someone go is not a leadership failure — it’s an act of responsibility. Keeping someone who doesn’t fit sends a message that mediocrity is acceptable. But when you act fairly and consistently, you strengthen the integrity of your entire team.
When to Keep Investing
- When there’s a genuine desire to improve, even if skills still need work.
- When underperformance stems from poor guidance or unclear goals.
- When the person’s attitude and values fit the culture, but they need more time or training.
In these cases, your investment can pay off exponentially. Skills can be taught — but attitude and mindset are much harder to develop.
When to Move On — Without Regret
- When someone resists change or undermines the team’s progress.
- When their negativity spreads, creating a toxic environment.
- When, despite clear feedback and support, there’s no measurable progress.
Keeping such an employee costs more than letting them go — not just financially, but emotionally and culturally.
Example:
A technically strong employee constantly projected negativity, draining the team’s energy. Even after several conversations, nothing changed. Once the person left, morale and productivity improved dramatically — a clear sign that leadership sometimes means subtraction, not addition.
The New Leadership Doctrine: Humanity with Boundaries
The days of “collect your paycheck and go” are over — but so are the days of endless tolerance.
Modern leadership requires balance: empathy with accountability. Patience with clarity. Humanity with limits.
It means giving people room to learn and fail — but also knowing when continued investment no longer serves them or the team.
The Heart of Leadership
Managing people is perhaps the most complex, yet most meaningful responsibility of any leader. It’s not about metrics or KPIs; it’s about human beings who show up each day, willing to contribute a part of themselves.
Investing in your people is an act of belief, seeing potential they may not yet see in themselves. Giving them the freedom to learn, make mistakes, and grow. When that happens, the reward isn’t just professional, it’s profoundly human.
But leadership also demands courage, the courage to recognize when a journey has reached its end. To admit that keeping someone in the wrong role helps no one.
Letting go isn’t betrayal. It’s giving that person a chance to find a place where they can truly thrive and giving your team the freedom to move forward without the weight of compromise.
Because in the end, the mark of a true leader isn’t how many people they kept but how many they helped become better, even if their paths ultimately diverged.
This article was published in Food & Beverage Magazine by Vassilios Canellos.
Vassilios Canellos is a graduate of the School of Tourism Professions of Rhodes. He has completed the “Psychology of Leadership” program through eCornell – Cornell University. He holds academic qualifications in Food & Beverage Management as well as in Restaurant & Bar Marketing.
He currently serves as Director of Food & Beverage and has over 20 years of experience in managing and training professional teams, ensuring compliance with customer service and food safety standards (HACCP & ISO).
Vassilios has also been part of the instructor team for the Diploma in Food & Beverage Management at IST College. Throughout his career, he has worked — and continues to work — with major hotel groups and hospitality organizations. {alertInfo}