I’ve been re-watching Friday Night Lights and remarked about how perfect Kyle Chandler is in the Coach Eric Taylor role. The other actors are wonderful and the script does a great job of developing the story, but in my opinion, Chandler makes the show.
I’m always in awe of casting agents who somehow seem to find just the right person to bring a character to life. Choosing between Great Actor A or Great Actor B can re-shape the whole movie as no matter who is chosen creates their own imprint on the work. Not that one is good or bad, so to make the right choice, agents and directors need a clear idea of what they are looking for in that audition. Natalie Portman, Scarlett Johansson, Rachel McAdams, Kate Hudson, and Kirsten Dunst were all considered for the Andy Sachs role in The Devil Wears Prada, but it would have been a different movie without Anne Hathaway.
The same is true in a hiring situation. Managers may be faced with several resumes that represent qualified potential employees, but to cast the right person in the role they need to know the attributes and traits that are most desirable in the position — spending time to craft a vision of what they are looking for beyond the generic job description duties, and then developing a position description and interview questions that align with that.
Who you “cast” onto your team will influence your culture and performance outcomes for the length of their employment. Invest the time to be clear about what a star looks like in this particular role before you “audition” anyone.
