Value · Chapter 12: Growth — Expanding Value Through Others
Growth in Leadership
Expanding Value Through Others
Your team does not feel that their professional development is a priority for you. Growing your people is not a nice-to-have — it is the primary job of a leader.
When it is strong
- •Schedule a 30-minute development conversation with each team member this month. Ask: 'Where do you want to be in two years, and how can I help you get there?'
- •Identify one skill gap on your team and create a specific plan to address it — training, mentorship, stretch assignments, or coaching.
- •Give feedback that develops, not just feedback that corrects. For every piece of corrective feedback, pair it with a specific suggestion for improvement.
- •Assign at least one stretch project per quarter to each team member — something slightly beyond their current capability.
When it is missing
From a team member's point of view, the absence of growth creates uncertainty. People may begin to work around the leader, hold back honest input, or question whether support will be available when it matters.
The specific pattern is not a label for a person—it is useful feedback about what the team experiences repeatedly.
How teams experience this
The best leaders make themselves unnecessary by building people who can lead without them. If your team is not growing, your leadership is not working.
Leadership Mirror is designed to compare a leader's intentions with the patterns their team actually experiences. That gap is where a constructive development conversation can begin.
A question your team reflects on
This component includes 2 anonymous team-feedback prompts. One example is:
“This leader invests in my professional development and actively supports my growth.”
How to improve
- 1Schedule a 30-minute development conversation with each team member this month. Ask: 'Where do you want to be in two years, and how can I help you get there?'
- 2Identify one skill gap on your team and create a specific plan to address it — training, mentorship, stretch assignments, or coaching.
- 3Give feedback that develops, not just feedback that corrects. For every piece of corrective feedback, pair it with a specific suggestion for improvement.
- 4Assign at least one stretch project per quarter to each team member — something slightly beyond their current capability.
- 5Celebrate growth publicly. When a team member improves, name it specifically in front of the team.
See beyond self-perception
Do you know how your team rates you on Growth?
Leadership Mirror measures growth alongside 20 other leadership components through anonymous team feedback, so you can see how your leadership is experienced—not just how it is intended.