If You Don’t Have This…..You Are Not Ready To Hire For Culture

“Culture eats strategy for breakfast.” In working with many entrepreneurs, I have found this to be very true, as the culture is the secret sauce that keeps employees motivated and clients happy. “

Jacob M. Engel “Why Does Culture ‘Eat Strategy For Breakfast?” Forbes.com Nov. 2018

Hiring for culture is important because it ensures that new employees fit in well with the existing team and company culture. While skills and experience are certainly important, they are not the only factors to consider when hiring. Here are some reasons why hiring for culture is often prioritized:

1. Promotes team cohesion: Hiring employees who fit well with the company culture can help promote team cohesion and reduce the chances of conflicts arising due to personality clashes.
2. Enhances job satisfaction: When employees share the same values and beliefs as their coworkers and the company, they are more likely to feel fulfilled in their work and have higher job satisfaction.
3. Increases retention rates: Employees who fit in well with the company culture are more likely to stay with the company long-term, reducing turnover and associated costs.
4. Encourages innovation: When employees share the same values and beliefs, they are more likely to work well together, share ideas, and collaborate. This can lead to greater innovation and creativity.

Of course, it’s important to strike a balance between culture fit and skill level or experience. It’s not enough to hire someone simply because they fit in well with the company culture if they lack the minimum necessary skills and experience for the job. However, when all other factors are equal, culture fit can be the deciding factor in making a successful hire.

3 Ways to Tell If You Are Hiring For Culture

1. Look for candidates who share your company values: During the interview process, ask questions that are designed to reveal whether or not the candidate shares your company’s core values. For example, if teamwork is a key value at your company, you might ask the candidate to describe a time when they worked collaboratively with others to achieve a common goal.
2. Assess the candidate’s personality: Personality tests and assessments can be useful tools for determining whether or not a candidate will fit in well with your company culture. These tests can provide insights into a candidate’s communication style, work preferences, and personality traits.
3. Ask for references from former coworkers or managers: Speaking with former colleagues or managers can give you a better sense of how the candidate has interacted with others in a work setting. Ask questions about the candidate’s teamwork skills, communication style, and ability to fit in with the company culture.

Overall, hiring for culture is about finding candidates who will not only excel at the job but also thrive within the company environment. By focusing on candidates who share your company values, assessing their personality traits, and speaking with former colleagues or managers, you can increase the chances of making a successful cultural fit hire.

The Missing Ingredient to Hiring For Culture

Having effective onboarding, training, and development programs is also crucial for ensuring that new hires can thrive within your company culture. While hiring for culture fit is important, it’s not enough on its own.

Currently, we use a Team Member Training Matrix displayed with the critical Standard Work items along with corresponding SOP’s to ensure each skill set is covered by our training program.

It utilizes an incremental 25% completion criteria for progress tracking.

25% – SOP has been reviewed and signed

50% – Team member participates in the process

75% – Team members can complete the process with little or no supervision

100% – Team member is a subject matter expert and can train others

If you don’t have effective onboarding and training programs, you are not ready to hire for culture.

Richard Rich

Here are a few reasons why:

1. Ensuring that new hires have the necessary skills: Even if you hire someone who is a great cultural fit, they may not have all of the skills necessary to excel in their new role. Effective onboarding and training programs can help to bridge that gap and ensure that new hires are equipped to succeed in their new position.
2. Accelerating the learning curve: Even experienced hires may take some time to adjust to your company’s specific processes and workflows. By providing comprehensive training, you can help to accelerate the learning curve and reduce the time it takes for new hires to become fully productive.
3. Fostering a sense of belonging: Effective onboarding programs can help new hires to feel welcomed and supported within your company culture. This can help to foster a sense of belonging and reduce the chances that the new hire will feel like an outsider.
4. Supporting ongoing growth and development: Training and development programs can help to support ongoing growth and development for all employees, not just new hires. This can help to keep employees engaged and motivated over the long term.

In short, while hiring for culture fit is important, it’s only the first step in building a successful team. By pairing culture fit with effective onboarding, training, and development programs, you can set your new hires up for success and help to build a thriving company culture over the long term.