Don’t Send Ducks to Eagle School: Leading the Right People the Right Way

John Maxwell once told a story that perfectly captures one of the hardest lessons in leadership: you can’t teach a duck to soar like an eagle. You can train a duck, coach a duck, and motivate a duck—but when the moment comes to fly, the duck will waddle. The problem isn’t effort or desire—it’s design.

That’s the heart of Maxwell’s principle: Don’t send ducks to eagle school. It’s not a put-down; it’s a leadership reality. Great leaders learn to recognize the difference between people who can grow into a role and people who are simply not wired for it. And the sooner we understand that, the better we lead, the healthier our culture becomes, and the faster our organization soars.

1. You Can’t Train Natural Wiring Out of Someone

One of the biggest mistakes leaders make is believing that passion and persistence can replace gifting. Yes, people can grow. They can improve. They can develop skills they never had before. But growth doesn’t erase design.

If you put a duck in eagle school, the duck may learn to flap higher—but it will never soar. Why? Because it wasn’t created for altitude; it was made for the water.

Maxwell writes, “When you send ducks to eagle school, you don’t make the duck an eagle, you frustrate the duck.” The duck feels constant pressure to be something it isn’t, and the leader feels constant disappointment when the duck doesn’t deliver. Both end up tired and discouraged.

A good leader doesn’t ask people to be what they’re not. A good leader helps them become the best version of what they are.

2. The Difference Between a Duck and an Eagle

How do you tell the difference? It’s not always obvious at first. Ducks are loyal, eager, and hardworking. They’re the people who say yes to every task, show up early, and care deeply about the mission. But eagles—eagles see differently.

Eagles have vision. They think higher and broader. They don’t just execute orders—they imagine possibilities. While ducks ask, “What should I do next?” eagles ask, “What could we do better?”

Eagles don’t need to be pushed. They need to be unleashed.

That distinction is crucial for leaders. Ducks will faithfully follow direction but struggle in roles that demand initiative, innovation, and risk. Eagles thrive in those spaces but grow restless in environments that restrict their flight.

Neither is bad. The mistake is treating them as if they’re the same.

3. Leaders Must Match People to Their Design

One of the most important tasks in leadership is placement. Putting the right people in the right seats on the bus (as Jim Collins would say). Misplacement is one of the fastest ways to create frustration—for both the individual and the team.

Think about it: If you hire a duck for an eagle’s job, you’ll spend all your time motivating, correcting, and coaxing. But if you hire an eagle for a duck’s job, you’ll spend all your time trying to keep them from flying away.

When leaders recognize natural gifting, they don’t just avoid frustration—they multiply effectiveness.

This is why discernment is such a vital leadership trait. Leaders who discern talent can look beyond résumés and see potential. They can spot whether someone is wired for stability or innovation, consistency or risk, follow-through or vision.

A leader’s job isn’t to make everyone an eagle; it’s to create an environment where both eagles and ducks thrive according to their purpose.

4. The Cost of Sending Ducks to Eagle School

When we ignore natural design, we pay a price:

• For the organization: productivity stalls because people are misaligned with their strengths.

• For the leader: time and emotional energy are wasted trying to “fix” what isn’t broken—it’s just different.

• For the individual: confidence erodes because they feel like they’re constantly failing expectations.

Maxwell often says, “You can’t put in what God left out.” That’s not harsh—it’s freeing. It releases us from the illusion that good leadership means turning everyone into a superstar. It reminds us that good leadership means developing people within their own design.

5. Teach Ducks to Swim Better, Let Eagles Fly Higher

So what do we do with our ducks? We don’t send them to eagle school—we send them to duck school. We help them become excellent where they’re gifted.

If a team member is consistent, relational, and steady, don’t pressure them to lead visionary change. Give them a lane that rewards consistency and care. Build systems that celebrate their reliability. Let them shine in roles that require faithfulness over flash.

And when you find an eagle, don’t clip their wings with micromanagement. Give them a problem to solve and the space to solve it. Challenge them. Resource them. Expect results.

Different doesn’t mean lesser. Ducks and eagles both serve vital purposes in a healthy organization. Ducks keep things stable; eagles keep things moving. Ducks make sure the systems run; eagles make sure the mission advances. Together, they balance one another.

6. Hire for Attitude, Place for Aptitude

When Maxwell teaches this principle, he’s not saying leaders shouldn’t develop people. He’s saying leaders must develop the right people in the right way.

A wise leader hires for attitude but places for aptitude. You can train skills, but you can’t rewire personality. You can build competence, but not calling.

That’s why discernment on the front end matters so much. When hiring—or even promoting—ask not just, “Can this person do the job?” but, “Is this job aligned with who they are?”

It’s easier to teach a willing learner how to use a tool than to teach a reluctant worker to love the craft.

7. Leadership Lessons for Every Setting

This principle applies far beyond business.

• In churches: Don’t ask a shepherd to lead like a prophet, or a teacher to operate like an evangelist.

• In families: Don’t compare one child’s wiring to another’s. Celebrate the unique way God designed each one.

• In teams: Don’t frustrate gifted people by ignoring their natural lane of strength.

Paul reminds us in 1 Corinthians 12 that the body has many parts, each designed differently but equally important. When each part functions as intended, the whole body thrives. But when a foot tries to be a hand—or a duck tries to be an eagle—everything limps.

Good leadership isn’t about uniformity; it’s about harmony.

8. How to Spot an Eagle

So how do you recognize an eagle on your team? Look for these signs:

1. They take initiative without being told.

2. They think beyond their job description.

3. They’re motivated by vision, not supervision.

4. They attract and inspire others.

5. They find solutions when others find excuses.

Eagles don’t need you to light a fire under them—they already burn from within. Your job is to direct that fire toward the right goals.

9. A Leader’s Job Is to Steward Potential, Not Rewrite It

At the end of the day, leadership isn’t about cloning talent; it’s about cultivating it. You’re not the Creator—you’re the coach.

God designed each person with purpose. Your role is to help them discover and develop that purpose. That means identifying who’s wired for altitude and who’s wired for the water—and then celebrating both.

So before you send someone to “eagle school,” stop and ask: “Am I trying to make them into something they were never designed to be?”

If so, release them to be who they are—and watch how much lighter leadership feels.

10. Take the Next Step

If this principle resonates with you, it may be time to take a closer look at your own team, culture, and leadership development process. Maybe you’ve got some “ducks” you’ve been trying to turn into eagles. Or maybe you’ve got a few eagles who need room to fly.

That’s where I can help.

As a pastor, coach, and leadership consultant, I work with churches, ministries, and Christian business leaders to help them identify their people’s God-given wiring, align roles with gifting, and build cultures that multiply health and impact. Whether it’s staff coaching, leadership retreats, or culture development, my goal is to help you lead with clarity, confidence, and biblical wisdom.

If you’d like to explore how we can work together, visit NatCrawford.com or send me a message. Let’s build a culture where eagles soar, ducks thrive, and everyone fulfills the purpose God designed for them.