What if your talent strategy wasn\u2019t based on engagement scores, org charts, or compensation bands? What if it was based on clarity? Precision. Focus.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The KOHO 50 is a dynamic of the 50 most important roles in the company right now. If those jobs are done well, everything else gets easier. If they\u2019re done badly, things start to fall apart. So KOHO puts more time, support and attention into making sure the right people are in those roles, and that they have what they need to succeed. That\u2019s it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n This isn\u2019t just an interesting idea. It\u2019s backed by real-world data on talent investment and planning:<\/p>\n\n\n\n 2. Remote Is Expensive. And Worth It.<\/strong> 3. Coaching as Infrastructure, Not Intervention<\/strong> 4. Performance Over Popularity<\/strong> <\/p>\n\n\n\n \ud83c\udfa7 Listen Now:<\/strong>
That\u2019s exactly what Dan Eberhard<\/a>, founder and CEO of KOHO<\/a>, proposes in the latest episode of What the FTE?<\/em><\/a>. Dan is not interested in talent strategy as usual. He\u2019s done with engagement scores that average out signal, remote culture by default and leadership programmes that don\u2019t touch the people who actually set the tone.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
His answer is the KOHO 50: a system to identify and invest in the 50 most critical roles in the business. Not by title. Not by tenure. By impact. And for HR leaders tired of bloated org charts, quiet politics and headcount theatre, it might be the most practical thing you hear all year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
What is the KOHO 50?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\u274c Not the most senior people
\u274c Not the loudest voices
\u2714\ufe0f The jobs that really matter to where the business is going.
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Why It Works<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n\n
What KOHO Gets Right (And You Can Steal)<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
1. Focus Beats Fairness<\/strong>
KOHO doesn\u2019t pretend every seat holds equal strategic weight. The KOHO 50 receives concentrated investment because of the leverage those roles hold. Think staff engineers, senior product leads or the compliance team managing a banking licence application. This isn\u2019t about status. It\u2019s about impact.
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\u201cRemote isn\u2019t cheaper. It\u2019s more expensive,\u201d Dan admits. But they\u2019re very clear about one thing: It\u2019s not a money-saving strategy.
In fact, the company spends significantly more on in-person offsites than they did on their old Toronto HQ. KOHO\u2019s executive team meets every six weeks in person. Teams are expected to meet 5 to 8 times per quarter.
Why? <\/strong>Because strategy needs space. Relationships need oxygen. And distributed trust doesn\u2019t happen automatically. KOHO can hire from anywhere. But they know that presence still matters, and they plan for it.
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KOHO employs three full-time coaches who are available to everyone. But coaching at KOHO isn\u2019t about conflict resolution or burnout recovery. It helps people develop leadership range, emotional clarity and career self-awareness. Dan\u2019s view is simple. Coaching isn\u2019t a perk. It\u2019s infrastructure. You wouldn\u2019t run a high-performance system without reliable power. So why would you run one without reliable feedback?
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New managers often want to be liked. It\u2019s understandable. Leadership is a huge leap. But at KOHO, they\u2019ve learned the hard way that being liked doesn\u2019t scale. Being respected does.
Here\u2019s what often happens: if someone on your team is underperforming, and you avoid addressing it, your high performers feel it first. They pick up the slack. They absorb the mistakes. They stay late to get things back on track. And they start to resent you for not fixing it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
That\u2019s what Dan means when he says leaders are responsible for setting the \u201cpeer bar.\u201d
At KOHO, managers are expected to address performance issues directly and early. They don\u2019t outsource it to HR. They don\u2019t wait for review cycles. They deal with it. Because if they don\u2019t, someone else is quietly doing two jobs. And that\u2019s how you lose your best people.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Dan puts it simply. \u201cIf you don\u2019t build the right peer group, your stars will carry the burden. That\u2019s on the leader.\u201d<\/em>
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Final Takeaways for CHROs and Talent Leaders<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
This isn\u2019t a \u201cbest practice.\u201d It\u2019s a design principle.
If you\u2019re still managing through averages, this might feel uncomfortable. That\u2019s the point.
The KOHO 50 is a challenge to design your organisation around clarity, not coverage. To put your highest performers in your highest-leverage seats. To invest disproportionately in what matters most. And to have the courage to say what doesn\u2019t.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
If you\u2019re ready to stop managing averages and start designing for impact, this episode is your blueprint.
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