The Messy Middle: Why Great Leaders Don’t Just Train, They Guide

Most development models assume people move in a straight line.

Learn. Apply. Improve. Done.

But real growth doesn’t look like that. It looks like excitement, then struggle. It looks like confidence, then confusion.

That’s the dip — the messy middle where competence hasn’t caught up with expectation.

It’s frustrating, disorienting, and for many… it’s where they give up.

That’s why your job as a leader isn’t just to train skills. It’s to guide people through the emotional weight of learning something hard.

That means:

- Naming the dip.

- Normalizing the process.

- Staying with them in the stuck moments.

Don’t just expect your team to level up. Build a path they can walk, with someone in front who’s been there before.

People don’t need perfect leaders. They need leaders who walk with them through the mess.