Shape Your Workforce for Strategic Success (HBR Article Collection)

How to leave rivals scrambling? Craft a workforce that can carry out your strategy with skill, focus, and dedication. Start by recruiting the right people--those individuals who possess the qualities and capacities most essential to your company's success. Then grow their talent and loyalty by giving them clear direction, teaming them with smart colleagues, and publicly recognizing their contributions. When your stars start to shine, put them in your "A positions"--the jobs most essential to execution of your company's strategy--and reward them handsomely. Help B players in these strategic positions elevate their performance to A levels. And move C players out of A roles. Finally, give top performers in A positions the control over resources they need to implement your strategy. By adroitly managing your workforce, you ensure that the right people with the right skills are in the right positions to steer your company to success.