If you want your people to produce and grow you need to meet them where they are, not where you wish they were, or where you want them to be.  Not meeting someone where they are will immediately trigger their defensive mechanisms and make the process more difficult than necessary.

So there you go, meet people where they are and provide the path you’d like to see them on.  This is good leadership.  Just be aware that some have no intention of going down the path of professionalism, productivity and growth; subsequently, meet them where they are, but don’t stay too long.

While bringing people to the next level, those who are resistant may become a time drain.  Worse yet you can one day realize you’ve lowered your overall expectations based on their positioning.  My advice to you in such a situation is the obvious, don’t do that.