5 Reasons Why The Best Leaders Are Always Focused on Developing Their People

What’s the most rewarding part of leadership? It’s not the big wins, the high-stakes decisions, or even the daily challenges. It’s watching your people grow into strong, capable leaders themselves. There’s nothing quite like seeing someone you’ve mentored step up, take ownership, and succeed in ways they never thought possible. That’s the real magic of leadership.

Developing others into strong leaders is something every great leader does. It is what defines them. When you invest in your team’s growth, you’re not just helping them level up; you’re shaping the future of your organization. You are also building strong engagement across the team and empowering a culture of development and success. And the best part? The benefits aren’t just for them, they come right back to you. Here are five meaningful ways developing your team will elevate both your leadership and your results.

Increased engagement

When you invest in people, they will invest themselves in you. Almost any survey you review will show that associates at all levels desire to learn more, be better prepared, and have the opportunity for personal and career growth. When you provide those growth options through coaching and individual development, they will reward you for your efforts. Consistently providing that path to better themselves will lead to loyalty, meaning that investment in them goes that much further.

Improved productivity

Helping people achieve their best selves means they are giving more each day in their current roles. The first item discussed was engagement, which becomes the multiplier for almost everything else, but especially productivity. Engaged team members are associates who are willing to do more in the best possible way. This is productivity at its finest. 

Allows for better delegation

As you develop those around you, their new skills can ensure that you are keeping the right things on your plate as a leader. Development and delegation, when done well, form a symbiotic relationship. Delegation, done in the right way, leads to developmental opportunities. Additional development allows for further responsibilities to be assigned down the road. They work hand in hand. When you have multiple people on your team who can perform many levels of tasks, your options expand for what you can take on.

Creates a sense of community

Imagine your entire team learning and growing both as individuals as well as teammates. When your people know you are genuinely invested in their development, it creates a sense of belonging and purpose. They do not just see themselves as employees, they feel like they are a part of something bigger. Outstanding leadership forms strong bonds, not just between you and your team but among team members themselves. That connection opens up new lines of communication and strengthens trust. Like engagement, this sense of community creates a powerful, lasting effect that continues to grow over time.

Pride

I can think of nothing greater in my professional career than seeing people who have worked for me in the past succeed and move into higher-level positions. Knowing that I had a small role in their development fills me with pride as I watch them achieve their goals and take on new responsibilities. I believe pride is the true feeling of leadership. 

These five benefits only scratch the surface of the power of people's development. When people ask me about the role of leaders today, I always start with one statement: a leader's role, first and perhaps foremost, is to develop other strong leaders. Play that role, watch amazing things happen, and you, too, will understand the feeling of effective leadership.

What are you doing today to help develop your team into strong leaders for the future?

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