The Future You Build Depends on Who You Hire

Reinforcing Talent Strategy with EOS® 

We’ve always believed that people are everything. The right people accelerate growth. The wrong ones slow it down. Everyone says this, but few fully build their business around it. Then, ten years ago, we started running on EOS®, and we haven’t looked back since. 

It didn’t overturn our beliefs or radically change our values. Instead, it gave us a language, a rhythm, and a structure that cemented the strategies we knew were critical and helped us apply them with discipline and clarity. 

What EOS® reinforced was simple but profound: who you hire and how you hire determines the future you build. At the core of our talent strategy is a concept popularized by our CEO, Jonathan D. Reynolds, best-selling book, Right Seats, Right People. 

Jonathan’s approach turns conventional wisdom on its head: It’s not simply about finding the “right people” and then placing them; A-Players who are going to make the kind of impact that wins Nobel prizes and solves the unsolvable. Instead, it starts with defining the right seats: a clear, visionary understanding of roles, responsibilities, and alignment with long-term goals. 

Only when those seats are clearly designed can you identify and hire the right people who will thrive in those roles and carry the vision forward. This subtle but powerful shift from focusing on people first to focusing on seats first has fundamentally shaped how we think about hiring and growth. 

Taking its cues from the Vision, Traction Organizer (VTO) is a strategic tool used in EOS® to clearly define an organization’s vision, core values, target market, marketing strategy, long-term goals, and plan for achieving them. Right Seats, Right People complements the VTO one-page roadmap that aligns leadership and teams on both the “vision” of where the company is going and the “traction” needed to get there.  

Vision First — Then Hire 

The power of “Right Seats, Right People” lies in having a clear vision. Knowing where you want to go helps you see what seats matter and who fits them best. 

EOS® reinforced this truth, giving us a framework to define not just skill sets, but mindsets, adaptability, and cultural alignment needed for growth. 

By clearly articulating our core values and company vision, EOS® helped us translate our CEO’s original concept into company-wide discipline. 

From Thought Leadership to Scalable Practice 

We’ve been innovative leaders in talent strategy for years; our process was built on disrupting the status quo, but ideas alone don’t sustain growth. 

EOS® gave form to our leadership ideas, helping us pursue them systematically across all teams. 

When we envisioned doubling client engagements or entering new verticals, the question wasn’t just “Who do we hire?” but “Who will carry this vision forward?” 

The EOS tools and disciplines gave us clarity on the seats critical to our future and how to evaluate candidates not only for today’s needs but tomorrow’s challenges. 

Scaling the Vision 

EOS® introduced the rigor of weekly Level 10 meetings, quarterly Rocks, and accountability charts that aligned hiring with execution. 

With clearer seats and role definitions, it’s possible to scale vision without losing momentum or culture. 

This isn’t theory;  it’s proven by results and in measurable outcomes. SHRM shares that 20% increases in project speed and efficiency are possible when a team member moves into the “right seat” (SHRM). 

The Q4 Hiring Advantage – Timing is Everything 

True vision-driven companies hire ahead of the curve, and they aren’t letting their strategies be defined by what’s happening in the industry, like tight or bloated candidate markets or what other companies are doing.  

Visionary companies see that the holiday hiring slowdown is a chance to power up, not pause. We’ve seen Q4 hiring lead to quicker onboarding, stronger culture alignment, and immediate execution success in Q1. 

Market data shows hiring drops by over 20% in December, offering a rare opportunity to tap deep talent pools (HR Dive). 

Metrics Make the Vision Concrete 

Tracking time-to-productivity, retention, engagement, and alignment helps validate that vision and talent strategy are working in lockstep (Forbes HR Metrics). After all, ideas are only as good as their execution, and results are what turn strategy into measurable business impact. The domino effect is that hiring for the right seat sees employees thrive, and this thriving leads to people talking, and before you know it, you’re attracting more top talent. Imagine building like this! 

It’s not just data; it’s the proof that the principles from Right Seats, Right People are thriving within an EOS framework. 

Our Leadership, Your Future – For Businesses Built on EOS 

“Right Seats, Right People” and “Right People, Right Seats aren’t simply taglines; they are a philosophy central to helping you scale. Taking hiring from filling a role, to architecting your future. 

With vision as your compass and EOS as your map, you can build a company that’s not just successful today, but primed for impact tomorrow. 

With the EOS Conference fast approaching, our message is clear: Don’t wait for the future. Hire for it. With intention. With vision. With discipline. 

The Wrap Up 

For the last ten years, we have lived and breathed EOS®, and everything from our hiring process to our internal culture reflects this powerful approach. We are experts in delivering the people component of EOS®. We are also proud to be part of the EOS Toolkit – helping organizations make great hires so they can build impactful businesses. 

Our CEO, Jonathan D. Reynolds, will also be delivering a scintillating keynote speech at the EOS® Conference in April 2026. See you at the EOS Conference.