Invest in the person who may outgrow the role

Growth · Little Light original

A talented colleague begins asking for work beyond the role you hired them to do. The request can feel inconvenient. They are excellent where they are, replacing them would take time, and there is no guarantee that a larger opportunity will keep them on your team. Holding them still may seem like the practical choice. Have the development conversation anyway. Understand what they want to learn, give them a responsibility that stretches their judgment, and be honest about what the organisation can offer. If the next step cannot exist here, help them see that clearly rather than keeping them useful through vague promises. Their growth is not a failure of retention. Leadership is tested by what you do with potential that may eventually travel beyond you. The investment still matters. You may keep a stronger colleague, gain an honest relationship, or send someone into the world better prepared because they worked with you. None of those outcomes is wasted.

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