Something I’ve been thinking about lately when it comes to leadership — and this one comes from personal experience.
I recently learned about some of the things that have been said about me since leaving a previous role. Questions about whether I knew how to do my job, comments about my abilities, and a very different narrative than the one I experienced while I was actually there.
At first, I’d be lying if I said it didn’t bother me.
But the more I thought about it, the more it gave me reassurance that I made the right decision to leave.
When you leave a company the right way — give proper notice, remain professional, help with the transition, and walk out the door with respect — you hope that same level of professionalism continues after you’re gone.
Unfortunately, sometimes leaving a toxic environment is what finally allows you to see just how toxic it really was.
People move on. They accept new opportunities, take on bigger challenges, pursue growth, and sometimes simply realize they’ve outgrown an environment.
A good leader shouldn’t need to diminish someone’s abilities or question whether they knew how to do their job after they leave.
Strong leaders develop people. They challenge them. They want them to succeed. And sometimes that success eventually takes someone somewhere else.
I’ve always believed that if someone who worked for me moves on to a bigger opportunity, I should be proud that I had a part in preparing them for it — not spend my time trying to discredit what they accomplished while they were with me.
This experience has reinforced something I want to carry with me throughout my own leadership journey:
Leadership isn’t just how you treat people when they work for you.
It’s how you talk about them when they no longer do.
It’s how you respond when someone chooses growth.
And it’s having enough confidence in yourself as a leader that someone else’s success never has to feel like a threat.
Your title may make you someone’s manager.
Your actions determine whether you were their leader.
For me, moving on was the right decision. What I’ve learned since leaving has only confirmed it.