The Right Person in the Wrong Role: A Leadership Blind Spot We Can’t Afford

One of the most overlooked challenges in organizations is not hiring the wrong people—it’s placing the right people in the wrong roles. These are individuals who are competent, committed, and aligned with the mission, yet struggle to perform, feel

disengaged, or fail to thrive. When this happens, leaders often mislabel the issue as a performance problem, when in reality, it is a role-fit problem.

This distinction matters more than we often realize.

Most leaders are trained to address gaps through coaching, accountability plans, or performance improvement processes. But no amount of coaching can compensate for a fundamental misalignment between a person’s strengths and the demands of a role. When leaders treat role mismatch as a character flaw or lack of effort, they risk losing valuable talent—and damaging trust along the way.

Why This Happens So Often

Role mismatch is rarely intentional. It usually emerges from good intentions and practical constraints. A high performer is promoted because they’ve “earned it.” A reliable employee is given expanded responsibilities because they’re capable. A technically strong contributor is moved into leadership because it’s the next logical step.

But logical does not always mean aligned.

Success in one role does not automatically translate to success in another. Technical excellence does not guarantee people leadership effectiveness. Operational discipline does not always equate to strategic agility. When organizations reward past performance without assessing future role demands, they unintentionally set people up to struggle.

In higher education, healthcare, and other mission-driven sectors, this happens frequently. Leaders want to retain institutional knowledge, reward loyalty, and avoid turnover. Ironically, those same instincts can lead to disengagement, burnout, or underperformance if role fit isn’t thoughtfully considered.

The Human Cost of Role Misalignment

The impact of the right person in the wrong role is not subtle.

Individuals may begin to doubt themselves, even if they were previously confident and successful. Stress increases. Engagement drops. Feedback starts to feel personal rather than developmental. Over time, frustration replaces motivation—on both sides.

From the leader’s perspective, this can be confusing. “They’re capable. They care. Why isn’t this working?”

From the employee’s perspective, it can feel demoralizing. “I’m trying harder than ever, and it still doesn’t seem to be enough.”

When this dynamic goes unaddressed, organizations lose more than productivity. They lose trust, psychological safety, and often, good people who leave believing they “just weren’t good enough,” when the reality is that they were simply miscast.

Role Fit Is a Leadership Responsibility

Effective leadership requires moving beyond the question, “Can they do this?” to the more powerful question, “Is this where they can do their best work?”

That means leaders must deeply understand:

• The true demands of the role (not just the job description)

• The natural strengths, motivators, and stressors of the individual

• The context in which the work occurs (pace, ambiguity, emotional labor, decision authority)

When those elements are misaligned, performance issues are often symptoms—not causes.

This is where courageous leadership comes in.

Addressing role fit requires honest conversations, humility, and a willingness to challenge traditional advancement paths. It may mean redesigning roles, reassigning responsibilities, or even helping someone transition to a different position that better leverages their strengths.

Contrary to fear, this is not a sign of weak leadership. It is a hallmark of mature leadership.

Reframing the Narrative

Organizations must stop equating movement with upward progression and start valuing fit, impact, and sustainability. Not every strong contributor wants—or should—manage people. Not every leader thrives in high-ambiguity roles. And not every role is the right long-term seat for someone, even if they were once successful in it.

When leaders normalize role alignment as an ongoing process rather than a one-time decision, they create environments where people can be honest, adaptive, and resilient.

The goal is not to avoid misalignment altogether—that’s unrealistic. The goal is to recognize it early and respond with clarity and compassion.

The Bottom Line

The right person in the wrong role is not a failure of talent—it is a failure of alignment.

When leaders learn to see performance challenges through the lens of role fit, they unlock better outcomes for individuals, tea

ms, and the organization as a whole. They retain strong people, reduce unnecessary turnover, and build cultures where contribution—not title—defines success.

Ultimately, great leadership isn’t about putting people in boxes. It’s about placing them where they can do their best work—and having the courage to move them when they can’t.