Ask a leadership team which roles they’d hesitate to refill if someone quit tomorrow—and the room often goes quiet.
Not because they don’t know. But saying it out loud means confronting a harsh truth: someone on the team isn’t essential. And that’s not just their mistake—it’s a leadership mistake.
A-players in the wrong roles do more than underperform. They slow down progress, chip away at culture, and consume time and energy that could fuel real growth.
Consider the high-performing marketing lead who lacks strategic vision. The brilliant operations manager whose attitude kills team morale. The loyal long-timer whose skills no longer align with the company’s current growth stage.
Each is occupying a seat that could be accelerating the business. Instead, they’re creating drag.
Why do they stay? Leaders fear the disruption. The gap. The temporary setback. There’s hope they’ll change, or discomfort in making a hard call.
But the actual cost is far greater: sluggish teams, missed opportunities, and a quiet erosion of excellence.
A strong hiring process focuses on more than resumes—values, fit, and potential matter more. But teams don’t just need great hiring. They need an honest evaluation.
Scaling doesn’t start with who’s missing. It begins with who’s misaligned.
Sometimes, the biggest unlock isn’t a new hire. It’s a bold decision about who sits where.