The Right Seat

Talented people underperform every day. Not because they lack discipline. Not because they don't care. Because they're in the wrong seat.

This is one of the most common and most expensive leadership mistakes there is. A good person struggles, and the leader assumes it's a people problem. So they coach harder. Manage tighter. Eventually move the person out.

But often the person isn't the problem. The seat is.

"Right People, Right Seats." Most leaders fixate on the first part. They spend all their energy finding and keeping good people. That matters. But the second part is where the leverage is.

Right Seat means the role fits the person's unique abilities. Not their resume. Not their tenure. Not what they're willing to do. What they are genuinely wired to do well.

A great estimator does not automatically make a great project manager. A great project manager does not automatically make a great VP of Sales. The skills are different. The wiring is different. Promoting someone into the wrong seat isn't a reward. It's a setup.

Here's the hard part. Sometimes the wrong seat is one the person asked for. They wanted the promotion. They lobbied for the role. They see it as growth.

And now they're drowning, and you can see it, and they can't.

That conversation is difficult. You're not telling someone they failed. You're telling them the thing they wanted isn't the thing they're built for. Most leaders avoid it because it feels cruel.

But leaving someone in the wrong seat is crueler. They feel the friction every day. They know something is off. They start questioning themselves instead of questioning the fit. Over time, it erodes their confidence, their energy, and eventually their willingness to stay.

Moving someone to the right seat isn't a demotion. It's a rescue.

Who on your team is working hard but not producing? Not because of effort, not because of attitude, but because the role doesn't match how they're built?

That person doesn't need a performance plan. They need a different seat.

Placing people well is quiet work. But I'm convinced it's one of the highest-leverage things a leader can do.

Get the seat right, and the person you were about to give up on becomes the person you can't live without.

Don’t settle. Be relentless.

— Hunter