Being a fitness coach as I age has taught me something that wouldn’t have made much sense when I was younger.

As a developing leader, I used to get annoyed when a manager wouldn’t give me clear instructions.

Just tell me exactly how to do it.

Without a precise prescription, I quietly assumed one of two things:

Either they didn’t know what they were talking about.
Or I was outside the “normal” case — and they didn’t know what to do with me.

A few decades later, I see something different.

Perfect instructions are often the fastest way to prevent someone from developing judgment.

Now, I know that phrase will irritate some people. I’m not talking about moments when order matters — when step one truly must precede step two for a project to succeed.

I’m talking about the everyday moments: the ones where someone is on the edge of figuring out their own way, but it’s easier to ask someone else to decide for them.

Those are the moments where we choose self-reliance… or dependency.

Here’s a simple example. As a fitness coach, people often want something exact:

Lift 20 pounds twice a week.
Run two miles at a 9:30 pace.
Eat exactly 1500 calories.

But bodies — and lives — don’t work that neatly.

Strength matters — often more than people realize.
Cardio matters — but not in the same way for everyone.
Nutrition matters — but what fuels one person may stall another.

The inputs aren’t the mystery.

The variables are.

The real work isn’t following a perfect plan.

It’s paying attention. Trying. Missing. Adjusting. Learning what actually works for you.

And that’s where this crosses into leadership.

When we look to a leader for perfect clarity, what we’re often seeking is relief from having to decide.

But leadership — and growth — rarely work that way.

Showing up isn’t the hard part.

Thinking carefully about what the moment requires — and adjusting as you go — is where theory becomes practice.

Because capability doesn’t come from perfect instructions.
It comes from building the judgment to move without them.