Lead the Work
One book, placed in its field — what Jesuthasan, Ravin, Creelman, David etc.'s book gets right, where it goes further than the rest, and what the rest of the field adds.
Mike West, Editor · HR Leader Guide · peopleleader.guide/guides/profile-lead_the_work_jesuthasan
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Lead the Work
One book, placed in its field — what Jesuthasan, Ravin, Creelman, David etc.'s book gets right, where it goes further than the rest, and what the rest of the field adds.
Mike West, Editor · HR Leader Guide · peopleleader.guide/guides/profile-lead_the_work_jesuthasan
The problem
Organizational Performance erodes when it is left to instinct instead of method.
You were taught the moves piecemeal, never the whole model.
Lead the Work · Mike West, Editor · HR Leader Guide
The model
- 01Work Assignment Design
- 02Organizational Design (PICF)
- 03Reward System Design
- 04Talent Sourcing Optimization
- 05Workforce Agility
- 06Organizational Performance
- 07Strategic Advantage
Lead the Work · Mike West, Editor · HR Leader Guide
Step 1 of 5 · Work Assignment Design
The three dials—deconstruction, dispersion, detachment—are independent; you can pull one without the others.
Misconception
Practitioners believe assignment design is a downstream HR staffing decision made after the job is defined.
Reality
Deconstruction, dispersion, and detachment are upstream strategic choices made by the work's leader; by the time HR posts a requisition, the sourcing options have already been narrowed or expanded by how the work was configured.
Lead the Work · Mike West, Editor · HR Leader Guide
Step 2 of 5 · Organizational Design (PICF)
PICF measures boundary porosity and connection, not internal reporting structure.
Misconception
Leaders treat organizational design as an org-chart exercise about reporting lines and headcount boxes.
Reality
PICF is about the porousness and connectivity of your boundaries, not internal hierarchy; a company can have a pristine org chart and still be structurally incapable of drawing on external ecosystems.
Lead the Work · Mike West, Editor · HR Leader Guide
Step 3 of 5 · Reward System Design
Reward horizon should track the work's cadence, not the employment contract.
Misconception
Practitioners assume more money is the universal lever and that non-monetary rewards are soft extras.
Reality
For dispersed and detached talent, reputation, purpose, and autonomy often outcompete cash because these workers are choosing among assignments, not accepting a salary; imaginative rewards are the primary attractor, not a garnish.
Lead the Work · Mike West, Editor · HR Leader Guide
Step 4 of 5 · Talent Sourcing Optimization
Sourcing quality depends on the design choices made upstream in assignment, organization, and reward.
Misconception
Leaders equate sourcing optimization with cutting labor cost by hiring cheaper.
Reality
Optimization balances four variables—quality, cost, speed, and availability—simultaneously; chasing cost alone routinely destroys speed or quality and produces a worse outcome than a pricier, better-matched source.
Lead the Work · Mike West, Editor · HR Leader Guide
Step 5 of 5 · Workforce Agility
Modular work design is the precondition for rapid redeployment.
Misconception
Managers think agility means keeping a large permanent bench of versatile people ready to redeploy.
Reality
True agility comes from deconstructed work and permeable boundaries that let you compose and recompose capacity on demand; a standing bench is expensive slack, not agility.
Lead the Work · Mike West, Editor · HR Leader Guide
A framework to use
The 'Lead the Work' Decision Framework
This framework is part of the full guide. See the guide →
Lead the Work · Mike West, Editor · HR Leader Guide
The cheat sheet
- Work Assignment DesignThe three dials—deconstruction, dispersion, detachment—are independent; you can pull one without the others.
- Organizational Design (PICF)PICF measures boundary porosity and connection, not internal reporting structure.
- Reward System DesignReward horizon should track the work's cadence, not the employment contract.
- Talent Sourcing OptimizationSourcing quality depends on the design choices made upstream in assignment, organization, and reward.
- Workforce AgilityModular work design is the precondition for rapid redeployment.
- Organizational PerformanceSourcing and agility are inputs; performance results only when they target a named outcome.
- Strategic AdvantageA superior work model is harder to imitate than a product and can compound over time.
Lead the Work · Mike West, Editor · HR Leader Guide
Sources
- Lead the Work — Jesuthasan, Ravin, Creelman, David etc.
Lead the Work · Mike West, Editor · HR Leader Guide