Why Good People Leave Good Teams
Everyone loves a winner.
Maybe some of you remember ABC’s Wide World of Sports — the long-running sports variety show from the 1970s and 80s. (It actually aired for 36 years, from 1961 to 1997!) The iconic intro featured the line, “The thrill of victory and the agony of defeat.” I can still picture the video clip that always played during “the agony of defeat” — a ski jumper, Vinko Bogataj, crashing spectacularly just before takeoff.
Watching that, you might wonder: why do people subject themselves to that kind of competition? If only one person can win, and if losing looks that painful, why bother?
I think the answer is simple: the thrill of victory.
We all want to win. Whatever we’re doing, we want to succeed — and in team sports, winning has a lot to do with having the right players. Legendary NBA coach Chuck Daly once said, “I’m a lot better coach when I have really good players.” He would know — he coached the original Dream Team featuring Michael Jordan, Magic Johnson, Larry Bird, and other all-time greats.
Having A-level players matters just as much in the workplace. Leadership, culture, teamwork, and values all play a role — but every one of those gets easier when your team is made up of thoroughbreds, not donkeys.
Finding those thoroughbreds is one thing (we can save that for another post). But once you’ve got them, how do you keep them?
Here are three reasons why good people leave good teams — and what you can do to make sure that doesn’t happen to you.
1. Good People Don’t Work for Bad Leaders
You’ve probably heard the saying: “People don’t leave organizations — they leave managers.”
There’s truth in that.
Good people won’t stay on a team that’s led poorly — even if they love the company, believe in the mission, and enjoy their coworkers.
Imagine if the U.S. Olympic Committee had chosen me instead of Chuck Daly to coach the Dream Team. I love basketball, but watching it on TV doesn’t qualify me to coach world-class athletes. I’d be less than useless — opening my mouth would probably make things worse.
That’s exactly what happens in organizations that promote people into leadership before they’re ready — before they’ve been equipped with the skills to lead effectively.
The Solution: Lift Your Leadership Lid
John Maxwell’s Law of the Lid says the leader sets the limit for the team’s potential. Even good teams can only perform to the level of their leader’s capability. If the leader’s a five on a ten scale, the team won’t rise above that. And those A-players? They won’t settle for average.
So lift the lid. Keep growing. Sharpen your leadership and communication skills. Become a student of growth — not just for your own sake, but because your team’s success depends on it.
2. Good People Don’t Settle for “Good Enough”
“Good” can mean a lot of things. A team might look healthy: low conflict, steady results, everyone gets along. That’s good, right?
Well… not if it’s too comfortable.
It’s not always toxic teams that lose great people — sometimes it’s the pleasant ones. A-players don’t settle for “good enough.” They want to push boundaries, not just maintain the peace.
Michael Jordan was notorious for demanding more from his teammates — sometimes uncomfortably so. But six NBA championships later, it’s hard to argue with the results.
The Solution: Refuse to Settle
Stability, loyalty, and harmony are valuable — until they become barriers to progress.
Pay attention to whether your team’s comfort is turning into complacency. “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” has its place, but refusing to change when change is needed is a fast track to irrelevance.
Your best people aren’t okay with coasting. They crave challenge and momentum. If they can’t find it on your team, they’ll find it somewhere else.
3. Good People Want Growth, Not Comfort
This one’s related, but distinct. High performers don’t just want the team to win — they want to win personally. They want to grow their skills, expand their influence, and see a path forward that excites them.
Growth always involves stretching, and stretching is uncomfortable. If your culture prizes comfort over challenge, you might be creating an environment that unintentionally drives away your best people.
The Solution: Create Multiple Paths for Advancement
Leadership is a natural path for many top performers, but not all. Leading people and excelling individually require different skill sets.
For those who aspire to leadership, provide real support — training in communication, trust-building, conflict navigation, and coaching. Don’t just hand them a title and hope they figure it out.
And for those who prefer to deepen their technical craft, create alternate tracks — senior specialist, advisor, or expert roles that let them keep growing without forcing them into management.
Nobody wants to lose good people.
And by addressing these three pitfalls — ineffective leadership, complacent culture, and limited growth — you can build the kind of team where A-players don’t just join… they stay.
