There are so many things we can’t control – from the economy, supply chain challenges, actions of competitors, and those are to name a few. If our people are our most important asset, we need to pay careful attention to the one thing we can control– the quality of our people. This is especially true for leadership positions.

As leaders, we can get caught up in strategy, operations, current people issues, and the business of every day. I have been guilty of this numerous times and failed to pay more attention to who we selected. I realized that the best competitive advantage we had was the quality of our people, and that is our differentiator.

Some of you reading this may remember the computer giant COMPAQ. As it turns out, COMPAQ was out-competed by a much smaller company. You may know the name DELL. One of Michael Dell’s main strategies was to seek and attract the best talent and put them where they could shine. Business books have similar stories about the critical importance of talent, and truthfully, there is no substitute.

Bottom line, if you look at any successful enterprise, whether it is a global empire, family business, a regional giant, or a department—the leaders focus intensely on people selection. It’s the one area the leader must own. Hopefully, this will serve as a reminder that let’s get the right people and put them in the right seats.