If this changes how you think about  something by even one percent, it's worth the read.

If you've even logged into LinkedIn lately, you've noticed the flood of #opentowork badges.

Former Senior Executives and C-Suiters to IT specialists and analysts, plus everything between, career professionals STILL seeking employment. Many who have been looking for over a year, unsuccessfully.

As someone who's sat on both sides of this table after being RIF'd while simultaneously building Long Legacy Collective, one questions keeps coming to mind.

What if we're filtering out capability because we're looking for qualifications?

I've been having conversations with hiring managers as well as people looking for work, but this goes beyond hiring.

It applies to leadership. Partnerships. Promotions. Building teams. Even the way we self-evaluate.

Somewhere along the line, we've gotten incredibly good at measuring qualifications. Years of experience. Degrees. Certifications. Specific industries. Exact job titles. Linear career paths (which is the one that disturbs me the most).

All of those things matter. They tell part of the story.

But they aren't the WHOLE story.

Qualifications tell us where someone has been.

Capability tells us what they're able to do.

Those things aren't always the same.

Some of the most capable people I've worked with didn't have the most conventional backgrounds.

However, they asked thoughtful questions. 

They learned quickly.

They built trust.

They connected ideas that others couldn't see.

They stepped into unfamiliar situations and figured them out.

None of those qualities fit neatly into a checkbox.

And, I've noticed another pattern.

Everyone is trying to "pivot."

Rewriting resumes. Tailoring every application. Making themselves fit neatly into a job description.

And I understand why.

The system rewards matching.

But I keep thinking...

What if we're asking talented people to reshape themselves instead of asking better questions about what they're capable of contributing?

What if we've become so focused on finding the perfect match on applications or resumes that we're overlooking people who could bring exactly what the moment requires?

Not because they lack experience.

Because their experience doesn't fit neatly into the categories we expected.

The ironic part is that the same problems organizations are trying to solve today rarely fit neatly into one box either.

They cross departments.

They involve technology, people, operations, communications, and change.

Most importantly, they require judgement.

Curiosity.

Adaptability.

Pattern recognition.

The ability to bring clarity to complexity.

Those are qualities that move organizations forward.

They're also some of the hardest qualities to measure before you actually have a conversation.

That's one of the reasons I built Long Legacy Collective.

Not because every client needs a solution.

But because the most valuable work often starts by looking beyond the obvious and asking a better question.

Not...

"Who checks every box?"

But...

"Who's capable of helping us solve the problem we're actually trying to solve?"

There's a difference. 

And it matters more now than ever before.