Focus on Developing Others: The Core of Great Leadership

Throughout my two decades as a leader and then as a leadership coach and OD consultant, one lesson stands out: outstanding leaders grow people, not just results. It’s tempting in fast-paced environments to fixate on deadlines and immediate outcomes. But true, sustainable success comes from investing in your team’s growth. As Tom Peters famously said, “Leaders don’t create followers, they create more leaders.” In practice, that means great leaders view their role not as taskmasters, but as talent developers. And the payoff is real: research shows employees who feel they have opportunities to learn and grow at work are 3.6 times more likely to be engaged. Teams like that have more energy, loyalty, and resilience. Why? Because people feel seen – valued not only for what they do today, but for who they can become tomorrow.

When leaders truly commit to developing their people, they create successors, not just followers. They build a legacy and a culture of independence that can thrive even in their absence. In the following sections, I’ll share how shifting to a mindset of developing others looks in practice – with four key angles: Coaching vs. Managing, Unlocking Hidden Potential, Creating a Culture of Growth, and Feedforward (Not Feedback). These aren’t abstract theories; they’re practical, human-centered approaches used by some of the most admired leaders and organizations in the world.

Coaching vs. Managing: Guiding People to Find Answers

There’s a fundamental difference between managing tasks and coaching people. Managing often sounds like “Did you finish this? Here’s what to do.” Coaching sounds like “What do you think is the best next step? How can I support you?” The focus shifts from the outcome to the person. This mindset shift – from being the person with all the answers to the person with the great questions – can transform a team’s growth trajectory.

Even data-driven tech giants have realized the value of coaching. Google’s famous Project Oxygen study found that the number one behavior of highly effective managers was to “be a good coach.” Likewise, under CEO Satya Nadella , Microsoft deliberately moved away from a command-and-control style toward a coach-like approach. Managers are expected to act as coaches, not bosses, focusing on unlocking potential rather than giving orders. This means striking a balance between accountability and empowerment: holding people to high standards while giving them ownership of the solutions.

I’ve seen the power of this approach in my own coaching practice. When you resist the urge to “just fix it” and instead ask open-ended questions, something amazing happens. People step up. They tap into their own insight and confidence. Research supports this finding: when leaders practice “respectful inquiry” – asking open-ended questions and genuinely listening – employees feel more competent, more connected, and more autonomous. Those feelings are the fuel for high motivation and innovation.

Yes, coaching takes more time and patience than simply issuing orders. It can be faster to answer. However, if you want your team members to grow, think critically, and take initiative (even when you’re not in the room), coaching is the way. Over time, a coached team learns to coach each other. The culture shifts from dependency to development – and that’s when real growth begins.

Unlocking Hidden Potential: Seeing What Others Don’t See (Yet)

One of the greatest joys in leadership is spotting potential in someone before they see it in themselves – and then helping to unlock it. This starts with keen observation. Pay attention to your people’s strengths and unique traits: Who stays calm under pressure? Who naturally brings others together? Who thinks outside the box? These are signals of talent that’s waiting to be developed.

Recognition alone isn’t enough; you have to communicate it. Simply telling someone, “I’ve noticed you have a real skill in __,” can spark a change in how they perceive themselves. I’ve watched a simple, sincere observation light someone up and embolden them to step into new challenges. People rise to the expectations set for them – this is known in psychology as the Pygmalion effect – and your belief can be the catalyst for their growth.

Just as important is creating opportunities to stretch. Potential is unlocked through experiences that push people just beyond their comfort zone (with the right support in place). Many top companies use “stretch assignments” for this very reason – whether it’s leading a new project, tackling a problem outside one’s usual scope, or even a short-term role rotation. For example, Satya Nadella recalls a profound lesson from his youth in cricket that illustrates this principle. As a high-school player, Satya was bowling poorly in an important match. The captain took him out for an over, took a wicket himself, but then handed the ball back to Satya. With renewed confidence, Satya took four or five wickets. Puzzled, he asked the captain why he put him back in. The captain replied, “I needed you for a season, not just for that match. I wanted to make sure your confidence isn’t broken.” That enlightened leader saw the bigger picture of Satya’s potential and recognized that nurturing confidence would pay off in the long term. It did – Nadella often cites this story as formative in his understanding of leadership and growth.

In business settings, unlocking potential can mean adjusting roles to better fit someone’s strengths or simply challenging limiting beliefs. When an employee says “I’m not ready” or “I could never do that,” a great leader nudges gently: “Why not give it a try? I’ve got your back.” By believing in someone openly, you often help them rewrite the story they tell themselves.

The results of investing in hidden potential are the proverbial win-win-win (employee, team, and organization). The individual becomes more confident and capable, the team gains a newly energized contributor, and you build a reputation as a talent magnet. Remember: true leadership builds more leaders. When you help people grow into their own leadership, you ensure that your work carries on through others. (And incidentally, you’re making your own job easier in the long run!)

Creating a Culture of Growth: Making Learning a Daily Habit

Developing others works best when it’s not just an occasional effort but a cultural norm. In an authentic growth culture, learning is woven into everyday work – it’s “how we do things here.” People are expected, supported, and rewarded for developing themselves and each other.

Building this kind of culture starts with leaders walking the talk. Show that learning matters. Celebrate improvements and curiosities, not just big wins. Normalize the discomfort that comes with trying new things.

So how can you create this culture? First, make learning visible and routine. You might institute regular knowledge-sharing sessions, peer mentoring, or “lunch and learn” Fridays. I often encourage teams I work with to have a short “development round” in meetings – e.g., one person shares a recent lesson or new idea each week. It sets the tone that everyone, no matter how senior, is still learning.

Second, set systems that support growth. Ensure people have time for courses, coaching, or stretch projects without feeling guilty about it. (This might mean, for example, slimming down those bloated meetings to free up an hour a week for learning – something even Microsoft had to consciously do.) Protect your team’s learning time from being constantly eaten by “urgent” tasks. When the boss says “learning is a priority” but never allocates time for it, the team gets a mixed message. Be the leader who actively defends and promotes time for development.

Another powerful tactic is peer learning. Pair up team members as learning buddies or in skill-sharing triads. Over time, this cross-pollination means everyone picks up skills that once only one person had. It breaks silos of expertise and builds collective strength. And it sends a message: on this team, everyone has something to teach and something to learn.

Finally, be mindful not to overload your “stars” at the expense of others’ growth. In a growth culture, opportunities are distributed thoughtfully. I advise leaders: don’t always give the toughest projects to the same proven player – spread the chances around. It’s easy to over-rely on your top performer, but even they can burn out (or may be quietly craving new kinds of growth). Meanwhile, a quieter team member might be eager to prove themselves if given the chance. By rotating opportunities and trusting more people with key tasks, you develop depth on your bench and avoid bottlenecks. Over time, people start to see development not as an extra task, but as part of “how we work.” And when that mindset takes hold, growth becomes contagious. One person’s breakthrough inspires another’s curiosity, and so on. That’s how a culture changes from within – one growth moment at a time.

Giving Constructive Feedforward, Not Just Feedback

If you want to help people improve, how you communicate about their development is critical. One concept I swear by (and many of my clients love once they try it) is Marshall Goldsmith’s idea of feedforward. Goldsmith, a renowned executive coach, suggests a simple but profound shift: focus on the future, not the past. Traditional feedback often focuses on what went wrong yesterday – which no one can change – and can feel like a personal critique. Feedforward, by contrast, is about what someone can do better in the future, regardless of what happened before. It sounds like, “Next time, what if you tried X?” instead of “You messed up Y.”

This subtle change has a big emotional impact. Goldsmith points out that the problem with feedback is that it focuses on a past we can’t change, rather than on the infinite opportunities ahead. It’s no wonder that feedback often makes people defensive or discouraged. Feedforward, on the other hand, is expansive and dynamic – it’s essentially coaching someone toward a better version of themselves. In one exercise Goldsmith has run with thousands of leaders, participants only give each other suggestions for the future (strictly no dwelling on past mistakes). The response is overwhelmingly positive – leaders call it “helpful,” “energizing,” even “fun,” which is probably the last word anyone associates with annual performance reviews!

Practically, embracing feedforward means rephrasing our developmental conversations. For example, instead of saying, “You didn’t communicate clearly in that meeting,” you might ask: “In the next meeting, what’s one way you could make your message even clearer?” Instead of labeling someone “disorganized,” you ask: “What tools or habits could help you stay ahead of your deadlines going forward?” Notice the tone: we’re looking ahead, showing belief that the person can improve, and inviting them to strategize the how. We’re not tying their identity to a past slip-up; we’re supporting their growth.

Importantly, feedforward isn’t just for fixing weaknesses – it’s great for building on strengths too. If you have an employee who’s great at onboarding new team members, you might say, “You have a real talent for welcoming new people. How could you apply that strength to improve our team’s overall onboarding process?” Now you’ve shown you value them and challenged them to stretch that talent further.

A few pointers when using feedforward: Keep it timely (offer your suggestion soon after the event, while it’s fresh). Keep it specific and actionable (focused on behaviors the person can actually try). And maintain a positive and coaching-oriented tone. The goal is to inspire, not to scold. When you start doing this consistently, something magical often happens – people stop dreading “feedback time.” They know you’re not out to catch them doing something wrong; you’re there to help them succeed. Over time, team members even start to solicit feedforward from each other because it feels safe and helpful. You’ve essentially created a learning loop where everyone is looking forward, figuring out how to get better, rather than looking over their shoulder.

Conclusion & Next Steps: Developing others is among the most meaningful and high-impact parts of leadership. It’s not a “nice to have” – it’s your legacy. When I look back at leaders I admire, they’re the ones who can point to a dozen people and say, “I played a part in their success.” After 20 years of coaching executives, I firmly believe that if you get this right, everything else falls into place: engagement, innovation, results. Because a team of growing individuals will outperform a team of stagnant ones every time.

So how can you start right now? Here are a few simple, concrete steps I often recommend to leaders who want to focus on growing their people:

1. Ask a development question in your next one-on-one: Pick one person on your team and ask something like, “What’s a skill you’d love to build this year?” or “Is there an aspect of your role you’re itching to explore more?” Then really listen. This opens the door and shows you care about their growth.
2. Give one piece of feedforward each week: Don’t wait for formal reviews. Find a natural moment to offer a forward-looking suggestion or encouragement. For example, “Hey, in the next client call, I’d love to see you lead the pricing discussion – I think it’d showcase your strength in negotiation.” Little moments like these, done consistently, build trust and momentum.
3. Create a “development moment” in team meetings: Dedicate a short segment where someone shares a recent learning, or everyone mentions one thing they picked up recently (work-related or personal development). Applaud it. This normalizes growth as a shared value, rather than something that only occurs in workshops.
4. Offer a stretch opportunity to an under-challenged team member: Think of one person who has more to give than their current role allows. Is there a project or task that would stretch them just the right amount? Offer it, with your support. Say why you thought of them (“I believe you’ll excel at this, and I’m here to back you up”). You might be surprised at how they rise to the occasion.

By taking even these small steps, you start creating the conditions for others to thrive. The beauty is, as you lift others up, you also elevate your entire team’s performance and spirit. People will feel valued for who they are and who they’re becoming. And as a leader, there’s no greater reward than seeing those around you grow into confident, capable leaders themselves – partly because you chose to invest in them. That is a legacy worth building, and it’s how you create something that lasts long after you’re gone.

About the author

Jakub Grzadzielski is a Leadership & Executive Coach and Organizational Development Consultant. ICF Professional Certified Coach (PCC). Marshall Goldsmith Certified Executive Coach.

For over two decades, he has worked with senior leaders and executive teams across industries – helping them unlock clarity, inspire alignment, and lead with purpose. His coaching focuses on leadership development, culture transformation, and strategic communication, combining evidence-based frameworks with a deeply human approach. Co-author of “Compliance Cop to Culture Coach” (2023).