Assignment is the art of putting the right people in the right roles and preparing them to perform at their highest level.
Alignment sets the table by getting everyone focused on the same target—the hub of the wheel. Assignment is the next step. It defines what each spoke needs to do and prepares the team—I don’t often say “staff”—to make it happen.
Think of a football coach evaluating the roster. You don’t put the speedy kid at tackle just because you need to fill a position. You study what each player can do, understand what every role requires, and put people where their strengths give the team its best chance to win.
Assignment makes alignment real. A shared goal might give the team something worth fighting for, but the goal means very little if people don’t know their responsibilities. Jordan Peterson’s idea of “proper aim” comes to mind nearly every day. You need a meaningful target, and your aim needs to be on. Assignment ensures the team is properly built and prepared to pursue it.
It also builds trust. Good coaches know more than their players’ statistics. They understand their hearts. Leadership should work the same way. Get to know what inspires your people, what drains them, where their natural energy comes from, and what type of work brings out their best.
Sometimes motivation matters as much as ability. Someone may have the technical skills to perform a job but feel completely drained by the work. Another person may have less experience but bring the curiosity, energy, and desire needed to grow into the role. Strong leaders learn to recognize both.
Assignment begins with understanding exactly what the job requires. Break the role down into its necessary skills, mindset, responsibilities, and effort. The purpose must be clear and directly connected to the larger goal.
“Help with sales” isn’t an assignment. “Lead client outreach with the goal of increasing sales by 10 percent” gives someone ownership, direction, and a measurable target.
The same applies when hiring. If a growing company needs someone to lead social media, it must first decide what success looks like. Is the company simply looking for someone to make posts, or does it need a person who understands the brand, represents the culture, and knows how to create genuine engagement? You need to understand the role before you can select the right person.
Matching the person to the role is at the heart of assignment. If someone naturally connects with people and lights up a room, client relations may allow that person to thrive. Putting the same person alone behind a spreadsheet all day may bury the very strengths that made them valuable.
This is where extreme ownership applies to leadership. Leaders must own the decision to place someone in a role. They must also own the responsibility of making sure that person has the information, tools, authority, and preparation needed to succeed. You can’t assign someone a responsibility, leave them unsupported, and then blame them when the work falls apart.
Even the right player still needs coaching. Talent doesn’t eliminate the need for preparation. Training, mentoring, repetition, clear expectations, and honest feedback build a person’s ability to execute. You don’t install a play once on Monday and expect it to run perfectly on Friday night without practice.
Training should be consistent and connected to the work. It might include workshops, one-on-one coaching, technical instruction, or simply spending time beside someone while they learn the role. The format matters less than making sure they are prepared.
Assignment also requires empathy.
Mama said—and you’re going to see this a lot—to treat people the way you want to be treated. That doesn’t mean lowering expectations or ignoring poor performance. It means recognizing that people occasionally struggle.
If someone is off their game, I may pull them out for a moment. Not to embarrass them or give up on them, but to talk, slow things down, clear their head, and flush out whatever is interfering with their performance. Then they go right back in.
Thinking back to my playing days, when I did something stupid on the field, the coach rarely needed to say much. Sometimes the brief pause or removal delivered the entire message: Get your mind right, then get back in the game.
Assignment begins to fail when leaders force people into roles that don’t fit their skills, personality, or natural energy. It also fails when someone is handed a responsibility without proper training. A title isn’t preparation, and a job description isn’t coaching.
Vague roles create another problem. An unclear assignment is like a playbook with missing pages. Someone may understand the general idea but not their specific responsibility. When that happens, work gets duplicated, important tasks get missed, and accountability becomes nearly impossible.
Leaders also create resentment when they ignore what their people are telling them. If someone repeatedly expresses that a role is draining them or preventing them from using their strengths, that conversation deserves attention. It doesn’t automatically mean the assignment must change, but it does mean the leader should listen and understand what is happening.
That requires getting deeper than basic workplace conversation. Ask people what gives them energy. Ask what drains them, what motivates them, and what their ideal day looks like. These questions can be useful during interviews, but they may be even more valuable with the people already on your team.
Most people enjoy these conversations because they rarely get asked. You may be surprised by how much you learn and how strongly it improves the relationship. More importantly, it helps you place people where they have the best chance to succeed.
In the workplace, this may mean allowing a creative employee to lead branding instead of forcing them to manage budgets. It may mean training that person on the tools needed to turn an idea into a successful campaign.
The same idea works in everyday life. When friends plan a road trip, the organized person handles the schedule, the high-energy friend controls the playlist, and the snack person keeps everyone fed. Nobody needs a formal title. People naturally fall into the roles that match their strengths, and the trip works because everyone contributes.
Assignment means knowing your people—their strengths, challenges, motivations, and the things that drain them. It means clearly defining the work, placing people carefully, training them properly, and keeping their eyes connected to the target.
Alignment gets everyone focused on the hub. Assignment determines where each spoke belongs and strengthens it to carry the load. Get that right, and the team can execute with confidence, ownership, and heart.
Get the spokes right, and the wheel rolls.