Hire the Athlete, Not the Position: Why Winning Teams Build Roles Around Talent
1. The Problem with “Parking Space Hiring”
Most organizations still approach hiring like filling a parking space. There’s an open slot on the organizational chart; HR posts a job description; candidates are screened for “fit” within that narrow box.
But the world doesn’t move in tidy boxes anymore. Roles evolve faster than job descriptions. Market needs shift faster than recruiting cycles. Innovation—the thing every CEO claims to want—gets smothered by process.
When you hire for the box, you’re not hiring for potential. You’re hiring for predictability.
2. The Talent-First Model
High-performance teams in sports—and increasingly, in business—flip that equation. They identify difference-makers first, then mold a role to amplify that person’s strengths.
In the NFL, this has been happening for decades. Taysom Hill didn’t “fit” any role. So the New Orleans Saints stopped forcing the fit. They asked: “What can this athlete do that no one else can?” His position became “whatever helps us win.” The same logic fueled the creative use of Kordell Stewart and George Blanda before him—players who expanded what was possible within a team because someone valued ability over category.
Elite organizations do the same thing. They don’t say, “We need a Director of X.” They say, “We found someone who elevates the game—how can we build around them?”
3. The Cost of Protecting the Org Chart
Too often, business leaders and hiring managers are protecting the internal map, not pursuing the external opportunity. HR says, “We have one slot at Level 4, one at Level 5,” as if talent can be neatly engineered into hierarchy.
The result?
You get reliability instead of breakthrough performance. Compliance instead of creativity. People who color within the lines because the lines are all that matter.
And in fields like healthcare, government, or enterprise organizations—where risk aversion runs deep—that habit becomes a cultural ceiling.
4. A Better Way to Recruit
Moving from “role-first” to “talent-first” doesn’t mean chaos. It means intentional flexibility.
Here’s how elite leaders approach it:
Scout like a coach, not a committee. Look for athletes—people with range, learning agility, and competitive drive.
Design the box last. Define the opportunity around the person once you see what they bring.
Reward adaptability. Value potential impact more than linear credentials.
Use prototypes. Pilot non-traditional roles. Let the role evolve through results, not policy.
Celebrate multiplicity. The best players (and employees) can deliver value across functions.
5. Lessons from Winners
Google did this in its early days. The company often hired exceptional problem-solvers first, then figured out their exact placement later. That build-as-you-go approach produced polymath leaders who shaped the company’s DNA—people like Marissa Mayer, who started as an engineer and became core to product design and user experience.
In startups, this happens instinctively—because constraints force creativity. But as companies grow, bureaucracy replaces play-calling, and hiring reverts to risk management.
6. Building for Ceiling, Not for Fit
Hiring for ceiling means believing two things:
Potential compounds faster than position.
A flexible system outperforms a rigid plan.
The best leaders I’ve known don’t ask where someone fits today. They ask, “What could this person become in our culture, with the right coaching and stretch?”
When you hire this way, titles become temporary. Value becomes exponential.
7. Final Takeaway
If you want average, hire for the box.
If you want impact, hire the athlete and build the team around their ceiling.
That’s not messy leadership—it’s courageous leadership.
And it’s how winning teams are built.