What Top 10% Managers Do Differently to Develop Their People

Many managers focus on execution. Are deadlines met? Are clients satisfied? Is the work getting done? 

 

Top 10% managers are different. They still care about outcomes, but they take a different approach. They don’t focus on solving every problem themselves, instead building capacity within their team. This is how great managers build teams. 

 

Top 10% managers understand that doing the work themselves creates short-term efficiency, but long-term performance comes from developing people who can do it just as well. Better, even. 

 

That shift from doing to developing is where real leverage is created. 

 

Top 10% Managers Create Clarity, Not Confusion

Top-performing managers don’t assume their team understands expectations and what they are looking for. Instead, they define:

 

• What success looks like
• What progress looks like
• What growth requires

 

Without clarity, employees are left guessing. They end up hesitating or even moving in the wrong direction. 

 

Let’s take a look at this in practice. An average manager rewrites the employee’s email before it goes to the client. A top 10% manager reviews it together, explains the reasoning behind the edits, and helps the employee improve for the next time. 

 

Clear expectations reduce friction, while accelerating development and creating confidence in team members. 

 

 

Top Managers Make Development Ongoing, Not Occasional 

For most organizations, development happens during performance reviews. For top 10% managers, it happens every day. 

 

They use real work as a teaching tool. This looks like: 

 

• Providing feedback in the moment
• Explaining decisions, not just outcomes
• Turning mistakes into learning opportunities

 

This approach keeps development practical and relevant. It also builds trust, making employees feel supported rather than evaluated from a distance. 

 

They Balance Accountability with Support

Development doesn’t mean lowering expectations. It means raising them, with the right support, so employees can meet them. Top 10% managers hold teams accountable, while also making sure they have the tools, guidance, and feedback to succeed. It takes balance. 

 

 

When that balance is missing, one of two things happens. Performance suffers from a lack of direction, or burnout increases from a lack of support. The top 10% avoid these scenarios by designing environments where expectations are clear and support is consistent. 

 

Top 10% Managers Think Long-Term About Talent

Average managers focus on filling today’s gaps. By contrast, top managers are thinking about what their team needs to look like six months to a year from now. They ask questions like: 

 

• Who has the potential to grow into a larger role? 
• What skills need developed now to support future demand? 
• Where are we relying too heavily on one person? 

 

This mindset turns development into a strategic advantage. Instead of reacting to turnover or growth, top managers are prepared for it. 

 

For example, a top manager may intentionally give a high-potential employee ownership of smaller client meetings now, knowing those experiences prepare them to lead larger accounts in the future. 

 

Why Your Management Strategy Matters

In today’s hiring environment, replacing talent is expensive and time-consuming. Developing the people you already have is often the fastest, most reliable way to improve performance and retention. Employees who see growth opportunities are also more engaged, more productive, and more likely to stay. 

 

The best managers are doing more than managing work. They are building people who can do the work better over time. That’s what separates the top 10%. 

 

It’s something we see often at Squadron. The strongest teams aren’t just well-hired. They’re well developed.