If you have ever heard the phrase “get the right people on the bus,” you probably know it sounds simple. Almost too simple.
But after leading in the Submarine Force and then helping organizations on land navigate high-stakes change, I have become convinced of something Jim Collins captured perfectly:
Most leadership teams try to solve “what should we do?” before they solve “who is going to do it?”
That order works when the world is stable. It fails when the world is moving fast.
In 2026, strategy shifts quickly. Technology shifts quickly. Customer expectations shift quickly. If you do not have the right people in the right seats, you will feel like you are always chasing the plan.
Why “who first” matters more than ever
The labor market is not as chaotic as it was a couple years ago, but it is still expensive to get hiring wrong and even more expensive to keep the wrong person in the wrong seat.
Mercer’s 2025 U.S. turnover survey shows average voluntary turnover at 13.0% for 2024 to 2025. That is lower than the prior year, but it is still a meaningful amount of churn for most organizations. (IMercer)
At the same time, engagement is not giving leaders much margin for error. Gallup reports that U.S. employee engagement averaged 31% in 2025, unchanged from 2024. (Gallup.com) And Gallup’s mid-2025 analysis estimates the cost of disengagement in the U.S. at approximately $2 trillion in lost productivity. (Gallup.com)
Put those together and the leadership message is blunt: you cannot afford slow decisions, misaligned roles, or passengers who do not own the mission.
What “right people on the bus” actually means
People often misinterpret this concept as “hire the smartest people you can find.” That is not it.
Jim Collins’ actual framework is more precise. It is First Who, Then What. Get the right people on the bus, get the wrong people off the bus, and get the right people in the right seats before you decide exactly where to drive it. (Jim Collins)
So what is a “right person”?
From my perspective, it is someone who consistently demonstrates:
- Mission alignment: they care about what you are building
- Ownership: they take action without waiting for permission
- Judgment: they can make decisions under uncertainty
- Coachability: they learn fast and adjust faster
- Team mindset: they make others better, not smaller
The “bus” is your organization. The “seats” are the roles. The mistake I see most often is not hiring bad people. It is putting good people in the wrong seats and then trying to manage the mismatch with more meetings.
The three leadership moves that make this real
1) Define what “right” means before you recruit
Most hiring processes focus on experience and technical skills. Those matter. But if you do not define the behaviors that win in your environment, you will select for the wrong things.
Write down the non-negotiables for how your leaders lead and how your team operates. Then hire against that.
2) Stop confusing performance with potential
Some people perform well in a narrow lane. That does not always translate to leadership, ambiguity, or cross-functional problem solving.
In the Submarine Force, we did not promote someone because they were good at yesterday’s task. We promoted when they had demonstrated readiness for tomorrow’s responsibility.
3) Get serious about “right seat” changes
One of the most useful expansions on the bus concept is that it is not just “right people on.” It is also “right people in the right seats over time.” (Jim Collins)
That means leaders must be willing to move people when the mission changes, when roles evolve, or when fit becomes misaligned.
Keeping someone in the wrong seat does not protect them. It erodes them and it erodes the team.
What this looks like in high-performing teams
High-performing teams do not rely on heroics. They rely on fit and readiness.
They build systems where:
- people know the mission and their role in it
- decisions are pushed to the edge, not trapped at the top
- leaders coach and develop, not micromanage
- the culture reinforces ownership and action
That is why “who” comes first. The right team adapts. The wrong team stalls.
How Fast Attack Leadership™ helps
Fast Attack Leadership™ is built around creating leaders at every level, not just at the top. It helps organizations get clarity on mission, build decision-making capability across the team, and establish the leadership rhythms that reinforce ownership.
When you combine “who first” with a leadership operating system, you stop hoping the right culture emerges. You build it.
That is when the bus moves fast, even when the road changes.
Book Marc Koehler for your 2026 leadership event
If your organization is growing, restructuring, adopting new technology, or feeling the drag of misaligned roles, I can help.
In my keynote, I share the elite leadership practices that build ready, aligned teams that act with confidence under pressure. You will leave with practical tools your leaders can apply immediately.
Learn more or book me at marckoehlerspeaks.com
Sources
- Jim Collins. First Who…Then What (Get the right people on the bus). (Jim Collins)
- Jim Collins. First Who, Then What: Get the right people on the bus (article). (Jim Collins)
- Jim Collins. Getting the Right People in the Right Seats Over Time. (Jim Collins)
- Mercer. Results of the 2025 U.S. Turnover Surveys (voluntary turnover 13.0% for 2024–2025). (IMercer)
- Gallup. Anemic Employee Engagement Points to Leadership Challenges (disengagement cost about $2T). (Gallup.com)
- Gallup. U.S. Employee Engagement Declines From 2020 Peak (engagement averaged 31% in 2025).