What if losing your best people means you’re actually doing leadership right?

How do you balance the pride with the pain?

As leaders, we work hard to build strong teams, mentor great people, and create an environment where others can grow.

Then, one day, it happens—one of your best employees, the one who consistently raises the bar, gets promoted to another job.

It’s a moment of incredible pride… and, if I’m being honest, a little bit of heartbreak.

You know they’ve earned it. You know they’re ready.

But you also know that losing them will leave a gap—not just in skills, but in culture, leadership, and day-to-day energy.

But isn’t that the whole point?

Great leadership isn’t about keeping people in place. It’s about helping them grow to the point where they can step into bigger roles, whether within your team or beyond it.

Their success is a reflection of the opportunities, trust, and development you’ve provided.

So, instead of focusing on the loss, let’s focus on the win—for them, for the team, and for the kind of leadership that prioritizes growth over comfort.