I spent some time recently reflecting on a question that should be at the top of every leader’s agenda: Do I have the right person in the right seat?
It sounds like a simple management cliché, but it is actually the foundation of everything we build. When you get this alignment wrong, the friction doesn't just slow down the individual. It creates a drag coefficient that can pull down the entire organization.
To get this right, you have to understand three intermingled circles that exist within every person on your team. First, there is the desire to be true to oneself. Second, there is the need to do work that they actually love. Third, there is fulfilment.
Without fulfilment, people lose their passion. When passion disappears, the drive goes with it. As a leader, your job is to understand these circles so well that you can spot exactly where someone fits. You need to know their strengths so they can do what they love, while ensuring the rest of the team picks up their weaknesses.
A leader’s most valuable resource is time. If you want to know if someone is in the wrong seat, look at your own schedule. How much time does that person "suck" from you?
When the fit is right, there is a natural flow. You don't have to police them. You don't have to constantly check up or micromanage, things just happen. They are enthusiastic, productive, and energized. If you find yourself constantly "checking in" just to keep a project moving, you don't have a management problem, you have a seating problem.
We also have to recognize that seats change. In the age of AI, the requirements for almost every role are shifting. A person who was the perfect fit two years ago might be in the wrong seat today. You must always have your eyes open for new talent, but you must also look inward. Is your current team still the right one for the challenges ahead?
This alignment starts with you. I ask myself every single day: Do I still deserve this seat?
It is easy to lead when the sun is shining, but you find out if you deserve the seat when things get difficult. In the bad times, you have to be stronger than everyone else. You have to ask yourself if you are still energizing the company or if you are simply "protecting the goalie."
If you are just playing defence and trying to stop the balls from hitting the net, you aren't growing. You are just surviving. A leader’s primary role is to ignite the business. If you aren't doing that, you have to be honest enough to ask what you need to upgrade in yourself or who your successor should be.
This shouldn't be a random thought you have once a year. This is a monthly conversation you need to have with your executive team.
Look at your people and look at yourself. Are you speeding the business up, or are you the reason it is slowing down? If someone is in the wrong seat, you have to be tough enough to change it. Are you happy with partial results, or are you ready to demand alignment?