The Right People in the Right Seats Starts With You

“The right people in the right seats” is probably the most repeated phrase from Traction — and the most misapplied. Leaders love to aim it at their org chart. Fewer aim it at the mirror.

Wickman's test: do they share the values, and can they do the job?

Wickman gives two practical tools here. The People Analyzer checks whether someone genuinely lives your core values. GWC asks whether a person Gets it, Wants it, and has the Capacity to do the role. “Right person” is about values; “right seat” is about fit. A great person in the wrong seat is still a problem — and so is a high performer who corrodes the culture.

Maxwell's test: are you worth following?

Maxwell's Law of Influence cuts to the same bone from the other side: if you think you're leading and no one is following, you're only taking a walk. You can't attract and keep the right people if you're not someone the right people want to follow. The Law of Addition raises the bar further — leaders add value by serving the people they lead, not by extracting value from them.

You don't build a great team by finding great people. You build it by becoming someone great people want to build with.

Putting it together

• Define your core values for real — then hire, review, and (when needed) part ways by them.

• Run your key roles through GWC. Where someone is struggling, get specific: is it Get it, Want it, or Capacity?

• Ask the harder question: am I adding value to this person's growth, or just their workload?

Right people, right seats is a systems problem and a leadership problem at once. Wickman gives you the framework. Maxwell reminds you that it starts with who you are.

Source note: Drawn from Gino Wickman's Traction (People Analyzer, GWC, right people / right seats) and John C. Maxwell's Laws of Influence and Addition.