Casting Not Hiring : Build a Thriving Company Using the Secrets of Great Theater

The next big idea from bestselling author Dan Sullivan, rooted in the same high-level teachings his clients pay thousands to learn—stop hiring for jobs and start casting for roles to build teams that perform, not just function.

Stop hiring. Start casting.

Most companies hire to fill jobs. The best leaders cast to build greatness.

In Casting Not Hiring, legendary entrepreneurial coach Dan Sullivan, co-founder of Strategic Coach®, and acclaimed director, playwright, producer, and best-selling author B. Jeffrey Madoff introduce a radical new approach to building extraordinary teams, not by managing employees, but by casting talent like a director casts a play.

Sullivan and Madoff show that the key to building a world-class business isn’t in résumés, job descriptions, or interviews. It’s in seeing people for their unique strengths, casting them in roles where they can shine, and aligning their talents with your company’s bigger purpose.

Drawing on decades of coaching top entrepreneurs and creating groundbreaking creative work, Sullivan and Madoff provide a powerful framework to attract, align, and elevate talent in a way that creates commitment, culture, and growth.

In these pages, you’ll learn:

• Why traditional hiring keeps your business stuck.
• How to cast for character, creativity, and contribution.
• How to design roles around people, not force people into roles.
• Dan Sullivan’s 4 x 4 Casting Tool™ for setting clear expectations and unlocking top performance.
• Real-world stories from entrepreneurs and creatives who built thriving teams through casting.

If Who Not How showed you why finding the right people matters, Casting Not Hiring shows you exactly how to do it.

When you cast the right people in the right roles, your business doesn’t just grow—it transforms. This book will challenge everything you think you know about hiring.