Craig Groeschel: Right Person, Wrong Seat

One of the most difficult leadership challenges often comes from managing genuinely good people. They are loyal, committed, hardworking, and full of character. They care deeply about the mission and consistently give their best effort. Yet despite all of that, the results still fall short. And sometimes, as a leader, it can be incredibly confusing to understand why.

In many cases, the problem is not motivation, attitude, or talent. The real issue is placement. You may have the right person sitting in the wrong role.

That is what makes this situation so challenging. These are not bad employees or weak team members. In fact, they may have excelled in a previous position. They are intelligent, capable, and dedicated, but for some reason, they cannot gain traction in their current assignment. You see their potential, you know they care, and you genuinely want them to succeed.

But one important truth every leader must understand is this: someone can be fully committed and still struggle because they are in the wrong seat.

This leadership challenge applies to organizations of every size. Whether you lead a large company, a small team, volunteers, contractors, or even a ministry board, you will eventually face it. And sometimes, the person in the wrong seat may even be you.

Two Common Leadership Mistakes

Before solving the problem, leaders often make two critical mistakes.

1. Confusing Loyalty with Fit

Because someone is loyal and trustworthy, we assume they must fit the role well. But loyalty does not always equal alignment.

2. Assuming Effort Will Fix Misalignment

Many leaders believe that if they coach harder, encourage more, or ask for greater effort, things will eventually improve. Unfortunately, hard work alone rarely fixes poor placement.

You can coach someone extensively, but better coaching cannot solve a role that fundamentally does not fit their strengths.

Start by Evaluating the Person

Before making any decisions, assess the individual honestly.

Ask yourself:

• Are they a person of integrity?
• Do they have a strong work ethic?
• Are they capable and teachable?
• Do they care about the mission?
• Do they maintain a positive attitude?
• Are they engaged and committed?

If the answer is yes, then you likely have someone valuable on your team. And replacing good people is never easy. Your goal should not be to remove them quickly, but to help them succeed and thrive.

So if you have a good person but disappointing outcomes, what is really happening?

There are four possible explanations.

1. The Right Person in the Wrong Seat

Sometimes the role itself is simply a poor fit.

You may have:

• A relational person managing systems instead of people
• An administrator doing highly creative work
• A visionary trapped in detailed operational tasks

The person is not the problem. The seat is.

Before immediately moving them elsewhere, consider redesigning the role itself.

Ask:
Would adjusting the responsibilities help unlock their strengths?

You may be able to:

• Clarify expectations
• Narrow responsibilities
• Provide more support
• Remove unnecessary obstacles
• Improve systems or tools

Sometimes small changes create major breakthroughs.

Three Ways to Redesign a Role

Adjust Responsibilities

Simplify priorities and clearly define outcomes.

Add Support

Additional tools, training, software, or assistance may dramatically improve performance.

Remove Friction

Policies, bottlenecks, or unnecessary complications may be slowing them down.

If redesigning the role still does not work, then another issue may be present.

2. The Right Person with the Wrong Pairing

This is one of the most overlooked leadership dynamics.

A talented person may struggle because they are paired with someone too similar.

Leaders often assume that matching similar personalities creates success, but that is not always true.

Strength combined with the same strength does not automatically multiply effectiveness.

For example:

• Relational leaders paired together often create warmth but weak execution
• Visionary leaders together generate ideas but lack follow-through
• Highly organized leaders together build structure but may lack inspiration

Great teams are built through complementary strengths, not identical strengths.

A strategic planner may need a relational partner. A visionary may need an executor. A creative thinker may need someone focused on process and follow-through.

When someone struggles, do not just evaluate the person. Evaluate the partnership around them.