Back in the fall of 2011, we hired Jenny onto the team I was leading at the time. She was our first team member who would fill a new junior consulting role. It was an important strategic move for us as we built more scale into our business.
When Jenny joined, I was impressed with her passion, confidence, and ability to integrate quickly. We invested in her development, and she represented the future to me.
Fast forward twelve years and Jenny Ma once again is a colleague. She joined my team last year, not as a junior consultant this time, but as LCI’s Chief of Staff.
In her new role, Jenny is helping us drive the growth of our company. Little did I know that the investments we made in her development over a decade ago would be realized in her new role at LCI.
Now she will pay it forward.
Part of Jenny’s role at LCI is supporting the development of our entire team.
Case in point: a few weeks ago, we welcomed a new team member, Lauren Kowalchuk, to LCI. Lauren brings a passion for our industry and a deep commitment to drive the success of our customers. To me, she represents the next generation of leadership development practitioners.
I have always believed, as an entrepreneur and business leader, that you can’t grow a company without also growing its people. Investing in your people is a lot like financial investing – you need to grow to grow.
Just as consistent investments can yield exponential returns over time, nurturing and developing leaders within an organization can lead to compounding benefits.
When leaders invest in the growth of their team, they create a ripple effect.
The knowledge, experience, and wisdom passed down from one generation of leaders to the next forms a foundation for sustained success and innovation.
Just as compounding interest multiplies wealth over time, investing in developing leaders multiplies the potential and effectiveness of a team.
As I write in my book The Leadership Contract, leaders have an obligation to prioritize development, invest in mentoring and continuous learning, and create a culture where growth is not just expected – but ingrained – in the organization’s DNA.
How are you unlocking the compounding benefits of investing in developing your young leaders?
The growth of your company depends on it.
Gut Check for Leaders:
Are You Realizing the Compounding Effect of Leadership Development?
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