Your Greatest Impact Might Be the One You Won't Witness
How thoughtful leaders prepare others to lead with strength and clarity
“The function of leadership is to produce more leaders, not more followers.”
When I work with leadership teams, there’s a consistent message, I pepper throughout the learning: a leader should work toward doing themselves out of a job.
It’s a mindset shift—one rooted in responsibility, foresight, and belief in others. One of the most meaningful roles of a leader is to build the capability of those who come next. That includes creating space now—not just later—for others to step up and practise leading while you’re still there to guide them.
Whether you’re stepping into a bigger role, heading off on a well-earned break, or even cashing in your lottery ticket, your responsibility is the same: ensure someone is ready to take the reins and carry your work forward.
As Nelson Mandela once described, the best leaders know when to walk behind the flock, allowing others to move ahead while gently steering the group from behind.
This approach—leading from behind—isn’t passive. It’s an intentional way to build confidence, stretch capacity, and reduce dependence on any one person. It strengthens your organisation’s resilience, supports smoother transitions, and creates room for bold, strategic moves without disruption. It’s how you ensure momentum continues, even in your absence—knowing your team is prepared, your systems will hold, and your impact will continue.
Leadership That Outlives You
Leadership can feel lonely sometimes, like it’s all up to you. But if you can see leadership as a system that needs depth, resilience, and the ability to keep moving and adapting, no matter who’s in the seat, it is actually quite freeing.
Succession planning means you’ve built a buffer around you—capable people, clear systems, and shared ownership—so progress continues, even when you're not the one driving every task.
Succession planning is the practice of identifying and developing people now so they’re ready when the time comes—whether through planned transitions, sudden shifts, or organisational growth. It’s about building strength across the team, not just filling a gap.
It asks:
Who will carry this forward?
What am I doing today to equip them?
In organisations that avoid succession conversations, change hits harder. Transitions become reactive, not strategic. Morale suffers. Decisions are delayed. And the stress of scrambling to “cover” someone’s role can ripple across the team.
By contrast, leaders who actively develop others create capacity. This kind of leadership builds trust, confidence, and a shared sense of responsibility. It ensures that by the time a transition comes, others have already had the chance to strengthen their voice, judgment, and presence. They foster calmness and clarity, even in moments of disruption—hallmarks of adaptive stability.
Growing the forest
Succession planning is like growing a forest whose shade you may never sit under. Strong ecosystems don’t rely on one tree. It takes patience, trust, and long-term thinking. But those trees in the ecosystem create shelter, resilience, and growth for others.
Leaders who practise adaptive stability think beyond their immediate goals. They invest in people now and their influence lasts long after they’ve moved on.
If it depends on you, it’s not stable
Adaptive stability is developed over time. You need systems that can withstand disruption - and continue delivering value even when key people shift roles.
If a team or project only functions when one person is driving it, it is reliant rather than resilient. Succession planning helps to shift this dynamic. You are building shared strength.
The 2023 Global Leadership Forecast by DDI found that while only 12% of companies surveyed had confidence in their succession pipeline (they called it ‘bench strength’), organisations with strong leadership talent pools were:
6 times more likely to be capable of engaging and retaining top talent
5 times more likely to be able to prevent employee burnout
3 times more likely to be among financially top-performing organisations
What makes succession planning work?
Cynthia McCauley of the Center for Creative Leadership emphasises that leadership development must start early and be grounded in real experiences—not one-off training. Stretch assignments, reflection, and feedback build capability long before a transition.
Marshall Goldsmith reinforces this, reminding us that great leaders focus on helping others succeed—even after they’re gone. Legacy, he says, is about building people who can carry the mission forward.
How do I get started?
Here are steps you can take today to build the next generation of leaders in your team:
Take Stock: Which roles are critical? Who could step into them tomorrow? What gaps exist?
Talk about it: Succession planning works best when it’s transparent.Let your team know you’re thinking long-term and invite their interest in stepping up.
Invest in Development, Not Just Replacement: Offer stretch assignments and growth experiences before they’re needed. Succession is a development strategy, not a reactive one.
Model Leadership Humility: Lift others up, don’t hold on to power. See their readiness as part of your success.
Make it routine: Make succession part of your team’s culture. Review your leadership pipeline regularly. Share knowledge. Reduce single-point dependency.
Ask yourself:
Who’s learning by watching you lead?
When did you last step back to let someone else step forward?
What legacy are you building today?
What would a culture of continuity look like in your team?
Lead from Behind
Succession planning is a powerful way to strengthen your impact and build adaptive stability. It begins with how you lead today—by creating space for others to grow, contribute, and step forward.
When you support others into leadership, you're not just preparing for uncertainty—you're shaping a culture that stays steady and responsive in the face of change. Leaders with adaptive stability develop capability in others, ensuring the system can evolve and thrive over time.
Like planting a forest, the impact unfolds gradually. What you cultivate now may shape the path for leaders you’ll never meet—but the roots will be stronger because of you.
What kind of leadership ecosystem are you nurturing - and who is growing within it?
