Customized Development and Delegation?

I was talking to a partner at a local firm today at lunch about one of her staff. Her eyes were gleaming. She was talking about how this particular professional was taking on more responsiblity in new areas like marketing, sales, and client communications.

I could tell the partner had systematically looked for areas to delegate to this person, whom she referred to as a "star." She delegated work that she thought the person could excel at, and was challenging. Also, most mportantly, she formally sought instant feedback from that person.

"Stars" don't grow on trees, and there have been many professionals who have been pegged as future leaders only to see them lose interest. They must be developed. They must be challenged. They must be provided a forum where their input matters. The partner's eyes were gleaming because she was really excited about this person. I also know she understood her important role in the development.

Oh and by the way, some people might not like this but all this development must be done one on one. It needs to be customized to the individual. If you do not have the time to do this yourself, you will need to create leaders under you who will and they'll need to do it one on one to others. Don't have time? What is the alternative?