Opinion: Want better results? Align talent to energy

Andrea Battaglia

You may not be understaffed – you may be underleveraging.

Most teams are sitting on untapped potential. Not because people aren’t trying, but because they’re working in roles that don’t match how they naturally think, solve and lead.

I see this all the time: High performers struggling in the wrong lane, or steady contributors who quietly light up when handed the right kind of problem. As leaders, we often chase capacity when we should be releasing capability.

Building excellent teams starts here
It’s a shift from filling roles to unlocking unique excellence. Not just hiring for fit but developing for impact. It’s the difference between managing someone to a description – and helping them grow into their genius zone.

Why it matters
When people spend most of their time on what drains them, burnout and bottlenecks follow. But when you give them more of what energizes them? Engagement increases. Initiative spikes. Turnover slows.

You can see the difference. And I promise you will feel it.

This is where energy, ownership and momentum start to return.

How to maximize it
These changes don’t happen overnight, but they are possible, valuable and you can start today. Here’s what I recommend to get where you want to be:

• Open every 1:1 with: What’s energizing you right now? What’s draining you? Then start shifting work toward what matters to them and for them.
• Spot invisible wins – where someone naturally solves things faster or better. Remember it. Recognize it. They’ll start to repeat it.
• Assign stretch work by interest and instinct, not just bandwidth.
• Swap “Who has time?” with “Who could grow from this?”
• Build one role around strengths – not status. See what shifts.

I’ve led teams where I carried too much for too long – and teams where I finally got it right. The shift came when I stopped managing tasks and started noticing where people worked with energy and excellence. That changed everything. If you’re in that heavy season right now, I get it. It can get better.  You don’t have to do it alone – and you don’t have to start from scratch.

The right people are probably already with you; you just need a better way to unlock the excellence and energy within them. If you want better results, start by noticing what makes your people come alive and lead in a way that brings out the best in everyone.

Andrea Battaglia is the chief excellence officer at Abacus in Springfield. She can be reached at abattaglia@abacuspro.com.