In the realm of business, the importance of strategic talent placement cannot be overstated. Research conducted by U.S. consulting firm Bain and McKinsey underscores this fundamental truth, revealing that having the right people in the right positions is vital for organizational success. It's like assembling a puzzle: each piece must fit snugly into place for the full picture to emerge. Similarly, an organization is unlikely to reach its fullest potential when an employee isn't assigned a responsibility that matches their capabilities. 

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Additional research by McKinsey has also identified that mismatched skills and roles assigned to an employee can lead to decreased productivity and morale out of the employee, and workplace as a whole. There are contemporary sports examples that can help illustrate this organizational phenomenon more clearly for the rest of us. For instance, during the Kansas City Chiefs 2002 season, A kick returner by the name of Dante Hall, had remarkable success when he was able return a punt or kickoff for a touchdown a whopping four games in a row! An NFL record that earned him the name, "the Human Pinball."

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However, the average sports enthusiast may observe the record set by Hall and say, "So what, records are broken all the time." For our purposes this matters because Hall had demonstrated in his previous tenure in NFL Europe (a farm league) that he had the capacity to function as a wide receiver too. The success of this remarkable sports achievement may be attributed to a disciplined athlete who capitalized on his intrinsic gifting, but some credit must also be given to his coaches who recognized that Hall's true talents existed in his unusual ability to outmaneuver opponents during kick-returns.  

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Consequently, as leaders we need to ask ourselves who on our team has been delegated a responsibility that doesn't capitalize on their unique, God-given abilities. If individuals on our teams are assigned roles and supplementary responsibilities that carefully match their skillsets, we may find that organizational objectives are completed more rapidly because of the shift, and organizational growth may occur in this environment.

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We should observe before this article concludes that an objection to this perspective is often characterized as concern that some people in an organization may be uncomfortable with the reassignment of roles and responsibilities. Although this concern may be legitimate, we may resolve this objection with a single question: when in our history of leading did backing out of a tough decision work out well in the short or long run? If you're like me, the answer is never. 

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The right thing is not the easy thing, and the easy thing is not the right thing - anonymous. 

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Take Action: Who on your staff is managing a role that doesn't fit their skillset? Consider the implications of shifting part or all of their responsibility to a different team player and transitioning them to a role that better suits their skillset.

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References:

1. Helbling, Jonas, et al. "Decoding Global Talent." Boston Consulting Group, 2014, https://www.bcg.com/publications/2014/people-organization-human-resources-decoding-global-talent.

2. “War for Talent.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 28 May 2024, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/War_for_talent.

3. “Dante Hall.” Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 28 May 2024, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dante_Hall.