“The growth and development of people is the highest calling of leadership.” — Harvey Firestone

Reflecting on his tenure as CEO of General Electric, Jack Welch writes: “My main job was developing talent.  I was a gardener providing water and other nourishment to our top 750 people.”

Leadership guru, Warren Bennis warns: “Too many companies believe people are interchangeable.  Truly gifted people never are.  They have unique talents.  Such people cannot be forced into roles they are not suited for, nor should they be.  Effective leaders allow great people to do the work they were born to do.”

The Bottom Line: Leaders develop great people — they figure out the unique talents of their people and place them in roles where those talents can flourish.