Your Leadership Bench Might Be Breaking

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Hey Spark Family,

Succession planning and leadership pipelines are on every agenda right now. And for good reason - developing future leaders is one of the most critical priorities for any organization.

But here’s what I keep seeing: in the rush to build bench strength, many companies are exhausting the very people they’re trying to prepare. High-potential employees get overloaded with stretch assignments on top of their full workload. Instead of growing into leaders, they burn out... or they walk away.

We don’t just need more leaders. We need sustainable leadership development.

The Research Is Clear

➡ Gartner (2025): Only 24% of organizations say their leadership bench is “ready” for future needs.​
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➡ Deloitte (2025): Leadership pipeline gaps are the #1 risk to long-term performance.

➡ GrowthSpace (2025): Over 60% of high-potentials cite overwork and lack of support as reasons they step back from leadership tracks.

➡ Gallup (2024): Employees who feel they’re “developed, not just deployed” are 3.5x more likely to stay.

The takeaway? Bench strength built on exhaustion doesn’t hold.

What I'm Seeing In The Field

I coach brilliant leaders who were once labeled “high-potentials.” But instead of being developed, they were overloaded. They were given projects without resources, asked to prove themselves without guidance, and pushed until they questioned whether leadership was worth it.

The result? Some of the best talent opts out of the leadership track altogether.

On the flip side, I’ve seen organizations get this right. They still stretch their people, but they pair it with support. They invest in mentoring, provide clear guardrails, and make sure recognition keeps pace with effort. They show that leadership is about impact, clarity, and connection - not burnout. And those leaders stay.

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What We Teach Leaders Inside Spark Brilliance

Building bench strength that lasts means shifting from pressure to partnership. That looks like:

1. Pace the growth. Stretch assignments should challenge, not crush. Calibrate the load so people succeed and learn.
2. Pair with support. Development without coaching or mentoring is just extra work. Build support into the design.
3. Recognize progress. High-potentials need to know their contributions matter now, not just in the future.
4. Redefine leadership. Show people that leadership doesn’t mean exhaustion - it means influence, trust, and sustainable growth.

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🌟 Your Challenge This Week

Ask yourself:

• Who are my high-potentials, and how am I stretching them?
• Am I supporting them at the same level I’m challenging them?
• What message am I sending about what leadership really looks like here?

Bench strength isn’t about how fast we can promote. It’s about how well we prepare people to step up, without stepping out.

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With gratitude,
​Jackie

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P.S. – If your organization is worried about succession or struggling to keep high-potentials engaged, reply to this email. Spark Brilliance can help you design a pipeline that develops leaders without burning them out. ✨

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