Autor: Kaitlin Boileau
Working alongside founders and CEOs as their right hand, we get a front-row seat to what drives execution, and what quietly slows it down.
In PE and VC-backed companies, the clock is always ticking. Every quarter is a sprint to hit aggressive targets, keep investors confident, and keep the team moving in the same direction. And while strategies, funding, and market position matter, one factor consistently separates companies that scale smoothly from those that stall: whether you have the right people in the right seats at the leadership level.
In May, Growth Elevated explored why leadership alignment matters more than simply adding headcount. This time, we’re looking at how that alignment actually comes to life — and how to know when it’s at risk.
The Founder’s Reality
In fast-growth environments, three pressures collide:
- Ambitious growth targets
- Investor expectations
- A leadership team that can deliver
When the right leaders aren’t in the right roles, whether it’s a culture mismatch, skill gap, or both, execution slows. It’s not always dramatic, but it compounds over time: deadlines slip, priorities compete, and the CEO gets pulled back into day-to-day problem-solving instead of driving the company forward.
The numbers tell the same story we see on the ground:
- 1.9x: Companies with aligned leadership are nearly twice as likely to achieve above-median financial performance (McKinsey)
- 50%: Time leaders spend on people issues when the wrong person is in a key seat (EOS Worldwide)
- 70%: Underperforming PE portfolio companies citing “management team gaps” as a main reason (Bain)
What “Right People, Right Seats” Really Means
The EOS framework breaks it down simply:
- Right People: Leaders who embody your organization’s values and approach to problem-solving.
- Right Seats: Roles that match their skills, capacity, and motivation — with clear accountability for results.
Both have to be true. A cultural fit without capability slows you down. A high performer who erodes trust is just as costly.
When founders get this right, a few things change almost immediately:
- Ownership is clear. No turf wars, no duplicated effort.
- Decisions move faster. Leaders know their lane and have the authority to act.
- Trust deepens. Debate stays healthy, execution stays unified.
- Founder leverage grows. More time for strategy, capital, and growth instead of untangling operational knots.
Gallup research backs it up: organizations with high role clarity see up to 20% higher productivity and 29% higher profitability.
Early Signs of Misalignment
Alignment doesn’t disappear overnight and there are signals. We see them before they hit the boardroom:
- Chronic missed commitments without external cause
- Avoidance or overreach in leadership meetings, signaling role discomfort
- Frequent CEO involvement in work that should stay with the team
- Cultural friction even when numbers look good
- Unclear or overlapping accountabilities that stall decisions
When these patterns show up, it’s worth asking: Is it the person, the seat, or both? Addressing that early is far less disruptive than letting it play out.
Keeping People and Seats Aligned
In high-growth companies, the “right seat” today might not be right a year from now. Founders can keep pace by:
- Reviewing the accountability chart quarterly. Make sure it reflects how the business actually runs today.
- Evaluating on two axes. Culture fit and performance. Both matter equally.
- Addressing issues quickly. Keep the conversation about expectations and outcomes, not personalities.
- Building a bench. Develop internal talent and keep a warm network for high-impact seats.
From the Right-Hand Seat
Sitting alongside CEOs and founders, we’ve seen the difference this makes up close. When the right people are in the right seats, execution speeds up, decisions stick, and the CEO has the space to lead from the front instead of managing from the middle.
For founder-led, investor-backed companies, time is the most expensive currency. Protect it by making sure every leader at the table is both the right person and in the right seat. That’s where momentum and lasting value is built.