The Right People,The Right Place, The Right Care.

I once worked with an executive who kept being solicited for a higher role in the organization. She was super effective in leading her team in exceeding established revenue targets for her part of the business. She was also strong in leading up – – she had cultivated a reputation with those higher in the organization for being honest, and having integrity to tell the truth, even if it was an unpleasant truth. Everyone assumed she would be a shoo-in for one of the top spots in the organization. But she didn’t want the repeatedly offered top spot. Fortunately, the culture she worked in was accepting and respectful of her choice. Would your organization be as accepting if the "right person" didn't choose what you believed was the "right place?" If this leader had allowed herself to be pushed into the other position, it could have been an example of having the right person in the wrong place. 

While your team member might have the personal and leadership skills to effectively do the job, is it a job they want? Being the right person for a particular position is about more than skills; it also includes the desire to make a significant contribution through the work, the ability to build credibility with the team, and the temperament to deal with what is peripheral to the primary responsibilities. The person having the skillset to do the job is just the beginning. Here are how desire, credibility and temperament can help identify the right person for the right role.

Desire. In the example above, both the personal and professional skills made the executive respected and valued by peers, team members and organizational leaders. No doubt the executive checked all the boxes for successful execution of the responsibilities, except the biggest one: she didn't want the job. Here are two ways having the right person in the wrong place could impact your company: it might demonstrate your organization is not willing to look at other potential leaders for the job [who might actually want it] and make room for talented employees to look elsewhere. Promoting the right person into the wrong position might also indicate a short-sightedness when considering that individual's potential to successfully execute goals in a position they didn't want.

Credibility. Does the person you are considering have a reputation for doing what they say, or as a social climber? Again, using the example above, the leader had cultivated a reputation as a truth teller, whether she was talking with her team, peers or superiors. That kind of credibility in a leader is a 'lighter lift' to building trust and cohesiveness with a new team. Consider the reputation of the proposed leader, not just from a few people, but across the organization, and don't forget to figure your own biases or blind spots into the evaluation.

Temperament. How has the proposed leader dealt with stress or pressure in their current responsibilities. In addition to assimilating into a new team and set of responsibilities, there are peripheral concerns to every position; relating well to stakeholders within and outside the organization, the unspoken but real expectations of the team and the leader, and implementing team learnings to recover and increase effectiveness. Remember, the leader must accomplish the performance targets through that team. Does he or she have the temperament to lead this particular team? 

These are three factors that might indicate whether you have the right person in the right place. You could also have the right person, in the right place, but who needs the right tools. Might leadership coaching help your leader develop the mindset to overcome credibility and temperament issues? Team Coaching can also assist in the assimilation process while helping the entire team maximize its strengths and performance.

And finally, notice I didn’t say the wrong person, because as leaders it is our responsibility to find the right place for each member of your team. Are you willing to have the uncomfortable conversation that will create the best environment for your team? When the right person is not in the right place, other members of your team must pick up the slack. When the right person is in the right place they shine. His or her gifts, abilities, and temperament contribute to the work of the entire team, and that helps your organization perform well even in a challenging environment.

Michele Aikens is Lead Coach of Clear Sight Coaching & Consulting, Inc.