The Debt We Owe

Jun 11

One of my favorite stories from Ryan Holiday's Wisdom Takes Work this week wasn't about a president, a general, or a philosopher. It was about a backup center for the Boston Celtics.

When Bill Russell entered the NBA, he was expected to replace veteran Arnie Risen. They played the same position. Everyone knew Russell was younger, more athletic, and likely the future of the franchise. Yet one day after practice, Risen pulled Russell aside and began teaching him. He showed him how the league worked. He taught him techniques that would make him better. He shared lessons that had been passed down to him when he was a young player.

Think about that for a moment. Risen wasn't retiring. He wasn't stepping aside. He was actively helping the man who would eventually take his starting position. Why? Because he cared more about the team winning than he cared about protecting his position.

At the end of that season, Russell became the starter. The Celtics won a championship. And Arnie Risen got a ring too.

That story resonated with me because it captures something I believe is at the heart of great leadership. The best leaders are teachers. Every one of us is standing on the shoulders of someone who invested in us. A coach. A parent. A pastor. A mentor. A boss. A spouse. A friend. None of us arrived where we are today alone.

That creates a debt. Not a debt we repay directly to those who helped us, but one we pay forward by helping the people who come after us.

Too many leaders operate from scarcity. They withhold knowledge because they fear becoming replaceable. They protect information because they believe information creates job security.

But the greatest leaders do the opposite. They teach everything they know. They develop people aggressively. They celebrate when someone they mentored becomes capable of doing their job on their own. They understand that influence grows when it is shared.

I find it fascinating that teaching doesn't just benefit the student. It transforms the teacher. Seneca said, "Men learn as they teach." I've found that to be true.

Every time I prepare to teach a lesson, write a newsletter, lead a meeting, or mentor someone on my team, my own understanding deepens. I have to think more clearly to transform the knowledge into something I can teach. I have to organize my thoughts. I have to see the idea from another person's perspective.

Teaching forces mastery. The student grows, but so does the teacher.

And, of course, this principle extends far beyond business. Jesus gave His followers a simple instruction: go and make disciples. The Christian life is not meant to terminate with us. We are called to pass along what we have been given. We share wisdom. We share truth. We share hope. We share the Gospel.

And something remarkable happens when we do.

Our own faith grows stronger.

Our understanding deepens.

Our love for people expands.

The act of teaching changes both sides of the conversation.

As leaders, we should constantly ask ourselves a simple question: Who am I developing?

Not, who am I managing?

Not, who is helping me achieve my goals?

Rather - who am I intentionally investing in?

Because one day, every one of us will hand off our responsibilities to someone else. The question then is whether we prepared them well enough to carry them.

The leaders who leave the greatest legacy are not the ones who accumulated the most knowledge. They are the ones who gave it away.

Stay steady.