Why Developing Your People Leaders Is the Key to Your Next Role
Whether you’re a manager, director, or vice president, the development of your people leaders is not a “nice to have”—it is essential to your own success. Your ability to grow others is one of the clearest signals that you are ready for greater responsibility. Here’s why developing your leaders is one of the smartest investments you can make.
1. Engagement and retention depend on visible development
Gallup’s employee engagement research consistently shows that one of the top drivers of disengagement—and ultimately resignation—is the belief that “no one cares about my development.” When people feel stagnant, they disengage. When they disengage, results suffer, turnover increases, and leaders spend valuable time managing chaos instead of driving performance. By actively developing your people leaders, you demonstrate that growth matters. This not only improves engagement and retention, it stabilizes your operation and protects organizational capacity.
2. Stronger leaders create stronger, faster results
Developing your people leaders equips them with the skills to operate more independently and think like owners of outcomes—not just executors of tasks. As their capability increases, so does the scale at which you can lead. Decisions move faster. Problems are solved closer to the work. Execution improves without requiring your constant involvement. This creates a multiplier effect: more gets done, at higher quality, in less time. Organizations that consistently deliver standout results do so because leadership capability exists at multiple levels—and those results get noticed.
3. You can’t move up unless someone can step up
Advancement requires more than strong personal performance; it requires proof that the organization can succeed without you in your current role. Developing leaders who are capable of stepping into greater responsibility creates that proof. When you have someone ready to take your place, you earn the freedom to start preparing for your next role—learning new skills, broadening your perspective, and operating at the next level. When an opportunity opens, you are no longer a risk to promote—you are the obvious choice.
Conclusion: Your legacy is your leverage
The leaders you develop become your legacy—and your leverage. Organizations promote leaders who build capability, not dependency. If you want to advance, stop asking, “How do I stand out?” and start asking, “Who am I developing?” When your people grow, results improve. When results improve, your credibility increases. And when your team can thrive without you, you’ve proven you’re ready for what’s next.
Want To Evaluate Your Own Effectiveness as a Director
Are YOU a director wondering if you are doing everything your boss expects at your level? Check out our FREE download. Contact me if you struggle, and together we will evaluate if a coaching arrangement is right for you and if I would be the right guide.
