Important and strategic are not the same thing. A person can be extremely important to your business and at the same time not be a strategic asset to you or your company. Sometimes I offer important people in my company to share in the success of the company, but that does not mean I ask them, or allow them, to participate in the planning, analysis or decisions that set the strategy for my company in the medium or long term. People can play key roles and be critical the perception of your company in your client’s eyes and not sit at the table that determines growth targets, profitability targets, health care options, new product offerings or expanded service offerings.

In fact, important people can get a seat at the strategic table and then get distracted by the demands of this seat. The stress of spending clock time on both strategic items and on their day-to-day tasks can cause them to perform poorly at both of these levels – even though these people got what they wanted – or thought they wanted – or even what they specifically asked for.