Common sense tells us the right people have to be in the right jobs. Yet so often they aren’t. What accounts for the mismatches you see every day? The leaders may not know enough about the people they’re appointing. They may pick people with whom they’re comfortable, rather than others who have better skills for the job. They may not have the courage to discriminate between strong and weak performers and take the necessary actions. All of these reflect one absolutely fundamental shortcoming: The leaders aren’t personally committed to the people process and deeply engaged in it.
