We’ve all seen the job postings: a wish list of skills, experience, and qualifications so specific that only someone who’s already done the job would get an interview. And that’s often exactly who gets hired. But there’s a hidden cost to this approach: boredom, stagnation, and a broken pipeline.
Hiring someone who can do 100% of the job on Day 1 may feel efficient, but it often leads to a shallow bench and poor succession planning. Instead, the sweet spot is hiring for 70 to 80 percent readiness, leaving room for growth, development, and long-term engagement.
The Danger of Day-One Mastery
When someone is already fully qualified for the job, they may bring short-term productivity, but they also bring long-term risk. If they can do the job with their eyes closed, how long will they stay engaged? How long until they start looking for their next challenge?
In healthcare, where lean staffing is the norm, hospitals often feel they cannot afford the learning curve. But the irony is this: hiring for perfect fit often just transfers burnout from one hospital to another. The employee moves, but the problem stays.
No Bench Strength? Look Up and Down the Org Chart
Many executives today are staying in their roles longer. That blocks natural advancement for the leaders below them. At the same time, those same executives say they do not see much bench strength in the ranks.
That is not just a perception issue. It is a development issue. If your emerging leaders are never given the stretch, they will never develop the muscle.
Hiring at 100 percent capacity at every level removes the need for coaching, mentoring, and investing in growth. It may feel easier in the short term, but it is costly in the long term.
Transfer of Boredom: The Hidden Turnover Engine
Refer back to the survey showing that 55 percent of healthcare workers are planning to change roles within the year. One contributing factor? People are staying in roles far beyond the point of challenge.
When someone leaves a role they could do in their sleep and joins another organization just to do the same tasks in a different building, that is not a career move. That is recycling stagnation.
We need to break this cycle. And it starts with how we define readiness.
The 70 to 80 Percent Sweet Spot
Hiring someone who is 70 to 80 percent ready means they bring strong foundational skills but still have room to grow. They are challenged. They are learning. They are engaged. Most importantly, they are less likely to leave.
This approach builds loyalty, encourages development, and prepares your next tier of leaders. It also makes succession planning real rather than reactive.
The “Next Person Up” Philosophy
In sports, when a starter gets hurt, the team does not have weeks to replace them. It is next person up. That person has to be ready to perform now, not six months from now.
The same is true in healthcare. Unexpected retirements, resignations, or emergencies do not come with a runway. If you have not been developing people all along, you will be in crisis mode.
Make staff development a requirement in every manager’s and executive’s performance plan. Build it into annual goals. Hold people accountable for building the bench.
Development Is the Best Retention Strategy
If your employees feel like they are learning and growing, they are far less likely to look elsewhere. If they feel like their role is static and their future unclear, they are already halfway out the door.
Hiring for potential and developing from within is not just a feel-good HR initiative. It is a core business strategy. It is what keeps your pipeline full, your teams agile, and your culture focused on growth.
Final Thought:
Hiring for 100 percent fit might seem efficient, but it robs your organization of future-ready talent. Aim for 70 to 80 percent readiness. Develop the rest. That is how you build a workforce that stays, grows, and steps up when it matters most.