A company founder recently shared a strikingly honest perspective on employee development that contrasts sharply with conventional employer attitudes. Rather than discouraging external pursuits, she actively supports and promotes the idea of her team members engaging in independent ventures alongside their primary jobs. At the two organizations she leads, it is not unusual for employees to be involved in freelance work or passion projects after hours. This unconventional stance stems from her belief that professional growth and personal fulfillment often extend beyond a traditional nine-to-five role.
Her ultimate vision, surprisingly, is that one day her own company might take a back seat in her employees’ lives — not because she wants them to leave, but because she hopes they outgrow their current roles to pursue larger ambitions. In her view, the success of her team in external endeavors is a direct reflection of how well she is fostering their growth internally.
She believes that a lack of evolution among her staff points more to a failure in leadership than to any personal limitation on their part. For her, helping employees expand their skills, challenge limits, and build independent reputations is a core leadership responsibility. If someone remains stagnant, she sees that as a signal to rethink her strategies as a leader.
In her opinion, the traditional idea that loyalty equates to staying with one company for a lifetime feels increasingly outdated in today’s dynamic professional landscape. She argues that encouraging side projects isn’t disloyalty—it’s survival and development. She lists several tangible benefits of maintaining parallel projects: they enhance resilience, diversify financial stability, accelerate learning through varied experiences, and preserve mental energy by keeping burnout at bay.
Over time, she has witnessed her employees venture into entrepreneurial spaces, launch successful businesses, and flourish in ways that may not have been possible within the constraints of a single job. Rather than feeling threatened or disappointed, she finds deep satisfaction in having contributed to their journey, even if only in small ways.
Admittedly, it’s not always easy watching gifted individuals move on, but she believes this is exactly what genuine leadership entails. It’s about shaping an environment where people are empowered to aim higher, dream bolder, and grow beyond their current limitations. In her mind, that’s not a loss for the organization—it’s a win for human potential. Leadership, she maintains, should never be about retaining talent at the cost of their dreams but rather about nurturing people until they’re capable of creating new path.