The number one responsibility of a leader is to grow and develop other people. I believe that a leader should be judged not by how many followers they have, but by how many other leaders they create.
As someone who encourages aspiring leaders to focus on lifting the performances of others, I often get asked “what happens if I train them, then they leave?”. My response is usually along the lines of “what happens if you don’t develop them and they stay?”.
I saw a quote by Sir Richard Branson recently that support this. “Train people well enough so they can leave, treat them well enough so they don’t want to.”
Developing skills and competencies is one thing (and important by the way), but creating an environment and culture where they feel valued, where they feel that they contribute and belong, means that they are less likely to look elsewhere.
There is strong evidence that links the commitment of the leader to the growth and development of employees with the level of engagement that the employees have.
What will your legacy of leadership be? Were you more focused on creating leaders than followers?