In today's corporate world, the leaders with the most sustainable impact are those who prioritize people over profit. They define their achievements not only by the numbers they hit, but also by the people they develop.

True leadership is concerned about nurturing and developing human potential within the organization and as much as they keep their eye on the goal of achieving profits for the shareholders, they understand that it takes people to help repeat a particular result. If those people are not developed, the last result may end up being the only fantastic result.

Transformational Leaders are builders and one of the things a great leader does is to build the lives and career of his team members. You must be concerned about their lives and career. When you show interest in advancing their cause, they will show interest in advancing your cause and your results.

Starbucks founder, Howard Schultz, demonstrated the ability to develop and build people by creating the Starbucks College Achievement Plan, offering full tuition coverage for online bachelor's degrees to all employees working 20+ hours weekly. He was challenged by shareholders about the program's cost, and he responded: "This isn't charity.

It's an investment in our people that pays returns through lower turnover, higher customer satisfaction, and ultimately, sustainable growth." Whatever is spent on building people will be recouped through more business opportunities for the organization. When customers are satisfied, they will tell others about their experience. The data proved Howard right.

The participants in the education program had 50% higher retention rates and earned promotions at nearly twice the rate of non-participants. Managers should sit down with their team members and help them with their career plan. They should design a development plan together with their associates.

Leaders who understand the importance of people development should endeavor to institutionalize the process. It must be a process that should outlive any leader. I know many multinational companies who do this. Unilever has a process called the Unilever Development Framework. It is the company’s strategy to build employee’s capacity with future-fit skills. Every employee works with their manager to create an individual development plan that aligns personal aspirations with organizational needs.

The Unilever Development Framework includes three components: formal training, on-the-job learning opportunities, and mentoring relationships. Paul Polman, the former CEO, made it mandatory for senior leaders to mentor at least three employees from different functions and backgrounds than their own, creating cross-pollination of ideas while developing future leaders.

In 2022, 30% of office-based employees each had an estimated 27 hours of training and development. This framework increased productivity and reduced waste. One of Unilever’s factories in China was recognized by the World Economic Forum for this capacity development strategy.

In a way to foster a culture of continuous learning and improvement, Adobe replaced the traditional performance review system with the check-in system. The former system was inefficient and enhanced bureaucracy. The usual performance review system allowed feedback once a year compared to the check-in system that provided for regular and informal communications.

In the check-in system, managers are trained specifically on how to have effective development discussions and are evaluated partly by their effectiveness in growing team members. Donna Morris, former Chief Human Resources Officer at Adobe, explained: "We wanted to shift from evaluating the past to shaping the future."

The company provides managers with structured frameworks for these conversations, including questions like "What experiences would help you grow toward your aspirations?" and "What skills do you want to develop in the next six months?" This systematic approach increased employee satisfaction with career development by 30% within two years of implementation while reducing employee turnover.

There is a general link in all the successful leadership stories, and this is the adoption of an intentional approach to raising and developing people. Development doesn't happen by accident but through deliberate systems and genuine commitment. As former Medtronic CEO Bill George observed, "The capacity to develop close and enduring relationships is the mark of a leader.

Unfortunately, many leaders of major companies believe their job is to create strategy, organization structure, and organizational processes. They just delegate the work to be done, remaining aloof from the people doing the work."

The most effective leaders recognize that by investing in people's growth, they create not just stronger organizations today, but a legacy of capable leaders who carry their influence forward for generations to come. In the final analysis, the measure of leadership is not what you accomplish yourself, but what you enable others to achieve.

As a leader, building the capacity of your team members should be your priority. You must be interested in moving them from their current level to where you expect them to be. It must be a deliberate approach. It sends a signal to them that you want them to progress and succeed.

Oluwole Dada is the General Manager at SecureID Limited, Africa’s largest smart card manufacturing plant in Lagos, Nigeria.