•The newly promoted individual contributor, now leading their former peers and implementing significant improvements companywide.

•The long-term associate performing well in one division, then hired by a different type of leader for a similar role. As this new leader provides more exciting challenges and direction, the associate’s influence and confidence suddenly grows at an exponential rate.

•A highly credentialed technical expert in their field who never fully assimilates into the company culture or understands the business model. Their time in their role is short, and they point a finger at others as the reason for their departure, when they could have had significant impact with better collaboration and coaching from their leader.

Business author and leadership expert Jim Collins famously wrote in Good to Great, “Get the right people on the bus, the wrong people off the bus, and the right people in the right seats.” Building a winning team can be one of your greatest legacies as a leader, but it’s rarely recognized or rewarded in real time. In fact, you’ll likely only get credit for it after the team disbands or you’ve moved on.

The challenge for leaders is that there’s no shortcut (that I know of) to guarantee you’ve got the right people in the right roles. I think of it as a “years in the saddle” thing, meaning it takes a good deal of mistakes and even falling off. You have to pick yourself up and take the reins again. This isn’t a skill you’re born with—there’s no workshop or list of absolute best practices to follow. It’s an art, not a science—you earn it by learning and living it. I know a person in our company who has been with us for fifteen years and is in their seventh role. And everyone agrees, the seventh role is the right one. Thank goodness we (and she) took the time to figure it out and get it right. It doesn’t mean this person was wrong in her previous roles, but rather that she’s fully found her voice, she’s the right person in the right seat, and the organization is reaping extraordinary rewards. She also seems more fulfilled, more valued, and happier than I’ve seen her before.

To accelerate the process of getting the right person into the right role, carefully consider these questions:

•What skills and passions does this person have, and what type of team can make the most of them?

•What kind of leader will help this person flourish and tap into their strengths?

•What types of personalities will this person struggle to work with, and can you address it early, make it safe to talk about, and help ensure success?

•What systems and processes will help this person thrive in their new role? Are they used to bootstrapping and fixing things themselves, or used to large infrastructures and deep resources to call upon?

•What culture will this person experience in their new role? Are they nimble enough to assimilate into a strong culture, or are they influential enough to lead and breed a new and better culture?

•Is this person moving from an individual contributor to a leadership role? Are they able to identify, and perhaps let go of, some of the traits that made them successful and learn new skills to inspire and lead others? Are you in a position to help coach this person and help them be successful?

•What are the seemingly small, self-defeating traits you’ve noticed in this individual? Can considerate and courageous coaching minimize them or even turn them into assets?

•Which changes could you make in your own style to better ensure their success and impact in their new role?

Successful leaders often discover they’re much like the eHarmony of business—they embrace the art of matchmaking and introducing the right people to the right roles. This is a hard-earned competence of mine that truly didn’t come until a decade into my formal leadership experience. Many leaders will have to fail their way to eventual success at this; the key is how fast can you get there with as few divorces as possible.

While we’re on the topic, ask yourself: “Am I in the right role? How do I know? Is there another division, team, or leader that could better develop my skills and broaden my own influence?” Don’t be reluctant to ask these questions of yourself and, maybe even more important, of your own leader.