One of my favourite EOS® tools to teach is LMA™—Leading, Managing, and Accountability. It simplifies leadership and management into ten clear behaviours: the Five Leadership Practices and the Five Management Practices. No theories. No jargon. Just what great leaders actually do.
But recently, after teaching this tool for the better part of five years, I had an unexpected insight—one that came not in a session, but while reflecting quietly afterward.
At the very beginning of LMA, before we get into any of the ten practices, we always explain that two things must be true if someone is going to be a great leader or manager:
- They must genuinely care about the people they lead.
- They must want to be a great leader and manager.
As I reflected on the leaders I’ve worked with over the past 25+ years—leaders I’ve worked for, work for me, or that I’ve coached—it struck me how consistently true this is:
Every great leader I’ve ever known embodied these two traits.
Every struggling leader was missing at least one of them.
Simple, but absolutely essential.
Why So Many Leaders Struggle
Many organizations unintentionally set people up to fail by promoting their highest performers into leadership roles. They assume technical excellence will translate into leadership excellence.
But leadership isn’t a reward for performance.
It’s a different seat altogether.
If someone doesn’t care about people, leadership becomes transactional.
If someone doesn’t want to lead, leadership becomes exhausting.
No amount of coaching or content can change that.
The Accidental Hire Who Got It Right
This reality became clear in my own experience running a manufacturing business. We spent several years trying to fill a key leadership role in our plant. We hired person after person—three or four in a row—who had the skills and experience, yet none of them truly worked out.
Then something unexpected happened.
We brought someone in temporarily to help us through a busy season—a hands-on shop-floor role, not a leadership one. But over time, he earned the respect of the team, demonstrated natural leadership qualities, and showed that he genuinely cared about the people around him.
So a year or so later—because he had proved he had the qualities of a leader and earned the trust of the team—we promoted him into that plant leadership position.
And he excelled.
For the next seven or eight years, he ran the shop with consistency, humility, and genuine care. He connected with people, he listened, and he continually looked for ways to grow.
Looking back, the difference was obvious:
The earlier hires had technical experience.
But he had the two things.
He cared deeply about people.
And he genuinely wanted to become a great leader.
Those two factors—more than anything on a résumé—are what made him successful.
Where LMA Fits In
Once someone has those two foundations, the LMA tool becomes incredibly powerful. The five leadership and five management practices give structure to their natural desire to grow and improve.
But without those two truths?
Even the best tools fall flat.
The Takeaway
If you want great leaders in your organization, start by asking:
- Do they genuinely care about the people they lead?
- Do they want to be great at leading and managing?
If both are true, you can teach them anything.
If either is missing, no amount of development will close the gap.