The Mentoring vs Managing Trap
21 January 2026
The Core Misconception
Many practitioners are taught, implicitly or explicitly, that the way to "build a practice" is to eventually employ or contract other practitioners , take a margin, and scale throughput.
On paper, this looks like leverage.
In reality, it is often a role change masquerading as growth.
The practitioner does not scale their craft.
They replace it.
They become a manager.