Do You Have the Right People in the Right Seats?
Do You Have the Right People in the Right Seats?
A leader’s exercise for evaluating your team against your vision and values
“If you built your company from scratch today — would you hire everyone currently on your team?”
That’s a hard question. But it’s one of the most important questions you’ll ever sit with as a leader. Having the right people isn’t just about skill sets and résumés. It’s about alignment — does this person get where we’re going, and do they live the values we’ve built this culture around?
A brilliant employee who quietly undermines your values will cost you far more than their salary. And someone who’s passionate about your mission but stuck in the wrong role will never reach their potential. Getting this right is not a one-time hire decision — it’s an ongoing leadership discipline.
The Annual Alignment Exercise
Pull out a list of every person on your team. For each name, ask yourself two honest questions:
Do they fit our vision?
Do they fit our values?
Be honest — not brutal, but honest. What you discover will tell you exactly where to focus your energy.
Define your values in behavioral terms
Vague values like “integrity” mean nothing without examples. Write down what each value looks like in daily action — this becomes your measuring stick.
Conduct a quarterly seat check
Revisit your org chart and ask: is each person doing work that plays to their strengths? A great person in the wrong role is still the wrong fit.
Have a vision conversation with every team member
Don’t assume people know where you’re headed. Genuine enthusiasm is a green flag. Blank stares are data.
Separate performance from alignment
Someone can hit their numbers and still be toxic to your culture. Track both. High performance + low alignment is a problem. Address it before it spreads.
Build a stay interview habit
Don’t wait for exit interviews. Ask your best people what keeps them engaged now — and what would make them leave. Then act on it.
The goal isn’t to build a perfect team — it’s to build an aligned team. When the right people are in the right seats, everything moves faster, problems get solved quicker, and you spend less time managing and more time leading.
Start the exercise this week. You might be surprised by what you find.
Get started today
