Top performers are attracted to opportunities, not jobs. It’s a game-changing insight for anyone trying to build a world-class team. Once you see this distinction, how you hire and lead completely shifts.
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Meaning
At its core, this means the best people aren’t motivated by a paycheck or a title. They’re driven by the potential for growth, impact, and challenge.
Explanation
Let me tell you, this is the single biggest mistake I see companies make. They post a job description that’s just a list of duties and requirements. They talk about “responsibilities.” And they wonder why they only get average applicants.
The A-players? They’re scanning for something completely different. They’re looking for a mission. A problem they can sink their teeth into. A chance to build a new skill, to lead a project, to make a visible impact. The job itself is just the vehicle. The *opportunity* is the fuel.
It’s the difference between saying “We need a marketing manager” and saying “You’ll have the opportunity to build our brand from the ground up in a brand new market.” See the shift? One is a task. The other is a story they can see themselves in.
Quote Summary
Reading Level60
Aesthetic Score78
Origin & Factcheck
This comes straight from Brian Tracy’s 2001 book, Hire and Keep the Best People. It’s a cornerstone of his hiring philosophy. You sometimes see similar sentiments floating around, but this is the original, properly attributed source.
Attribution Summary
Author Bio
Brian Tracy, a prolific author gained global reputation because of his best seller book list such as Eat That Frog!, Goals!, and The Psychology of Selling, and created influential audio programs like The Psychology of Achievement. He is sought after guru for personal development and business performance. Brian Tracy International, coaches millions of professionals and corporates on sales, goal setting, leadership, and productivity.
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Where is this quotation located?
| Quotation | Top performers are attracted to opportunities, not to jobs |
| Book Details | Publication Year/Date: 2001; ISBN: 978-1576751275; Last edition: 2001, Berrett-Koehler Publishers; Number of pages: 112. |
| Where is it? | Chapter: Attracting Talent; Approximate page from 2001 edition |
Context
Tracy wasn’t just making a pithy statement. He was laying out a strategic framework for attracting talent in a competitive landscape. The whole book is built on the premise that to get the best, you have to think like the best. And the best are always thinking about their next growth spurt.
Usage Examples
So how do you use this? It changes your language, completely.
- For Hiring Managers: Rewrite your job posts. Lead with the opportunity, not the duties. Instead of “Manage a team of 5,” try “You’ll have the opportunity to mentor and grow a high-performing team into department leaders.”
- For Leaders & CEOs: In interviews, stop selling the job. Start selling the future. Talk about where the company is going and the specific role you see this person playing in that journey. Paint a picture of their potential impact.
- For Ambitious Professionals: Use this as a lens for your own career. In your next interview, ask questions that uncover the real opportunity: “What’s the biggest challenge the person in this role will tackle in the first 90 days?” or “Can you tell me about someone who previously held this role and how they grew?”
To whom it appeals?
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Common Questions
Question: But doesn’t salary matter at all?
Answer: Of course it does. It’s table stakes. But for top performers, once the salary is fair and competitive, it ceases to be the primary motivator. The opportunity is what makes them choose *your* fair offer over someone else’s.
Question: How do I create “opportunity” in a role that seems pretty standard?
Answer: Great question. You have to dig for it. Is it the opportunity to work with a new technology? To cross-train with another department? To present their work directly to leadership? Opportunity is often about visibility, learning, and influence, not just a formal promotion.
Question: Is this only true for senior roles?
Answer: Not at all. Ambitious people at every level think this way. A junior person is attracted to the opportunity to learn from a great mentor or to get hands-on experience they wouldn’t get elsewhere. The currency of opportunity is just different at each stage.
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