Growing Your Own Leaders: Legacy, Trust, and the Human Side of Leadership Development

In collaboration with Elsplend Realities, this episode explores what it truly takes to build lasting leadership—from within.We are joined by Rich Ashton, a seasoned entrepreneur with over 45 years of experience acquiring, operating, and transitioning small businesses. Faced with the common leadership dilemma of choosing between external hires and internal growth, Rich chose a different path: developing leaders from within his own organizations. The result was not only stronger businesses, but a culture built on trust, alignment, and long-term sustainability.Drawing from his book Growing Your Own: Common Sense Advice for Developing Leaders in Small Business, Rich shares practical, experience-based insights on identifying leadership potential, building confidence in others, and creating systems that allow people—and businesses—to thrive together.This conversation goes beyond strategy into the human core of leadership: patience, empathy, and the decision to invest in people before they feel ready.If you’ve ever felt the weight of doing everything yourself, this episode offers a grounded reminder: the strongest organizations are built when leaders are grown, not just hired.