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Before I became an entrepreneur, I worked for several companies after college. Some were simply jobs. One was a dream job.

I had the good fortune to work at the Pritikin Longevity Center in Downingtown, Pennsylvania, during its early years. Robert Pritikin, son of the center's founder, Nathan Pritikin, hired me as Executive Director of the facility. I also had the opportunity to meet Nathan on numerous occasions.

It was an exciting time to be part of an organization that was challenging conventional thinking about health and longevity. We witnessed results that sometimes seemed almost miraculous. People who arrived struggling with serious chronic illnesses, including heart disease and diabetes, often experienced remarkable improvements through changes in diet, exercise, and lifestyle. For some, it was the first time in years they felt hopeful about their health and their future.

Being part of an organization that could make such a profound difference in people's lives was incredibly rewarding. But looking back, some of the most enduring lessons I took away from Pritikin weren't about health or longevity at all. They were about people, and how to bring out the best in them.

The Pritikin Longevity Centers were residential wellness facilities built around the nutrition and lifestyle program developed by Nathan Pritikin. Guests didn't simply come for lectures about eating better. They lived the program.

They learned about nutrition, exercised under the supervision of exercise physiologists and cardiologists, and discovered how everyday choices—what they ate, how they moved, how they handled stress—could profoundly affect their health.

And we saw results.

During a two- or four-week stay, people lost weight. Blood pressure improved. Some reduced medications under medical supervision. People who arrived believing that declining health was simply something they had to live with began to see that they could change the trajectory of their lives.

This was decades before "wellness" became an industry. Pritikin was already doing it.

While I oversaw the two East Coast centers, the heart of the organization was in Santa Monica, California, in a classic old hotel on the Pacific between Venice Beach and the Santa Monica Pier.

We affectionately called it "the Mother Church."

During my seven years with Pritikin, I learned an enormous amount about nutrition, exercise, heart disease, and healthy living. But one of the lessons that stayed with me the longest had nothing to do with health.

It came from an accountant named Harry Wiser.

On one of my trips to Santa Monica, I spent some time with Harry, who headed up accounting. Harry was considerably older than I was and had many more years of business experience.

We were reviewing accounting reports and journal entries submitted by my staff in Downingtown when Harry noticed something.

I don't remember the exact number or entry anymore. What I remember is that Harry saw something I hadn't.

One incorrect entry had created a domino effect, resulting in erroneous numbers on our financial statements.

It was my operation, so ultimately it was my responsibility.

I explained to Harry that I had assumed our bookkeeper knew what she was doing and was making the entries correctly.

Harry listened.

Then he gave me a piece of advice I have remembered ever since:

"Larry, people don't do what you expect. They do what you inspect."

That stopped me.

Harry wasn't telling me that people were lazy or dishonest. He wasn't telling me to distrust the people who worked for me.

He was teaching me something much more useful about leadership:

You can't confuse assigning responsibility with ensuring that the responsibility has been carried out.

You can hire good people. Train them. Clearly explain what needs to be done. And most of the time, they'll do it.

But sometimes, with some people, in some situations, you have to check.

Not because you don't trust them.

Because you're still responsible for the result.

Harry taught me that expectations without follow-up are really just assumptions.

And assumptions have a way of eventually showing up in the numbers.

At Pritikin, I learned a valuable lesson: 

People don't do what you expect. They do what you inspect.

But Situational Leadership taught me something even more valuable. People's levels of commitment and competence are different and vary by task. Effective leadership means recognizing those differences and adjusting your approach accordingly. Some people need direction. Others need encouragement. And some just need you to get out of their way.

The challenge is recognizing not only what others need, but also understanding your own natural tendencies. Are you too directive? Too hands-off? Too quick to jump in? Or too reluctant to let go?

Which brings me to perhaps the most important lesson of all:

Before you inspect others, inspect yourself.