When a client wanted to hire my associate, I said yes immediately.
Most leaders resist. They protect their team, hoard talent, create barriers.
That misses the more profound truth: Your most significant legacy isn’t who works for you now. It’s what they accomplish after they leave.
Sports refer to this as your “coaching tree” – the collection of players and assistants who worked under you and went on to achieve success elsewhere. Bill Walsh isn’t remembered just for Super Bowls but for developing future coaches like Mike Holmgren, Andy Reid, and Mike Shanahan.
Why does this matter in business?
Nobody working for you today is taking their final job. Nobody joins planning to stay forever. The role you offer isn’t their destination – it’s transportation.
Great leaders embrace this reality. They ask: “Where do you want to go?” Then they help people get there.
Former team members now own successful businesses, run large nonprofits, write bestsellers, or have joined organizations better suited to their ambitions.
This isn’t failure – it’s precisely what should happen.
The alternative is to keep people small and limit growth to maintain comfort, creating dependency rather than capability.
Your leadership philosophy should include this truth: success means people outgrow you.
Ask yourself:
- Are you developing people or just using them?
- Would you hire your team knowing they’ll eventually leave?
- Will people look back at working with you as pivotal to their growth?
Bill Campbell, legendary Silicon Valley coach, measured impact by others’ success. When asked about his greatest accomplishment, he pointed to the individuals he had mentored.
The most meaningful metric isn’t who works for you today. It’s who thanks you tomorrow.
How’s your coaching tree looking?
