Why the Right Leader Can Change Everything
January 8, 2026
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Most people don’t quit companies. They quit managers.
They quit the boss who doesn’t challenge them. They quit the leader who doesn’t care about their growth. They quit the person who drains their energy instead of fueling it.
But quitting doesn’t always mean leaving. Sometimes people quit by disengaging. Sometimes they quit by coasting. Sometimes they quit by giving you their time but not their best effort.
And when that happens, you’ve lost them.
Take Mark, as an example. He’s been with his company for more than 15 years. He isn’t interested in leaving the organization, but he is leaving his new manager. When asked about his goals, his answer was simple: “To be in a position that challenges me and to work with a leader who cares about my growth and development.”
That’s what people want at their core. Not just a paycheck. Not just work-life balance. They want to know their leader is helping them get better.
Which raises the bigger and more difficult question every leader must ask: Are my people getting better because of me? Because if they aren’t, you aren’t leading.
If people aren't getting better, you aren’t leading.
Being a manager is about tasks and fulfilling responsibilities in a job description. Leaders often have to complete the tasks of their title, but the main responsibility of a leader is to help people grow and perform at a higher level.
Better is an active process that includes positive change. Sometimes it’s visible, other times it’s invisible. Sometimes it’s fast, other times it’s slow. But the common denominator is that there is positive change.
When your team members are growing, they bring more energy and take ownership of their work. The numbers back this up. According to LinkedIn’s 2023 Workplace Learning Report, 94% of employees said they would stay longer at a company that invests in their learning and development.
Making people better doesn’t mean you want it more than they do. It doesn’t mean you grow for them. However, it does mean creating a culture and environment where growth is expected, supported, and celebrated.
Too many managers take more than they give. Because of the intense pressure to deliver short-term results, they treat their team like a sponge. They do everything they can to ring every drop of water out of the sponge.
While this might make sense if the job or task comes to a natural end and there will be a recovery period, most jobs don’t fit this description. Much like Simon Sinek suggested, they should play and work in an infinite game rather than a finite one. Which means you don’t win or lose, you just get the opportunity to do it again the next day, week, or month.
Managers who drain their employees typically:
But the best leaders are different. They fuel their people. They provide clarity. They give praise and recognition. And most importantly, they transfer belief.
Leadership is about fueling others, not draining them.
When leaders drain people, they get compliance. When leaders fuel people, they earn commitment. And commitment is the difference between a team that shows up and a team that steps up. In a group coaching session today, I reminded a high-performing manager, “Don’t ask for team members to try, ask for their commitment.”
Too often, leaders forget that their best leadership isn’t their words, but rather their example. When you see someone who is improving themselves, you want to model it. So if you keep improving, you show your people what growth looks like in action. You model the standard.
Your personal development sets the ceiling for your team’s growth.
What’s great about these principles is that when you live them out, you know that leadership is a journey, not a destination. The best leaders I have ever studied or worked with are students of leadership. They are students of their craft. They obsess over getting better.
Sometimes, when I write columns like this that seem so obvious, I wonder if I am wasting your time and attention. But then I remember that just because it’s not complicated doesn’t mean it’s easy. And most importantly, people need to be reminded more than they need to be taught.
So remember, if you’re not making people better, you’re making them leave.
Your impact isn’t the reports you file or the meetings you run. It’s in the people who can say with confidence: “I’m better because of them.”
That’s leadership.
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About the Author: John Eades is the CEO of LearnLoft and The Sales Infrastructure. He was named one of LinkedIn’s Top Voices. John is also the author of Building the Best: 8 Proven Leadership Principles to Elevate Others to Success. You can follow him on Instagram @johngeades.
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