Hire Right!
Have you ever contemplated how YOU turn the business around? Tried to figure out how YOU affect the corporate culture? Over the years I have gotten into the habit of saying it all comes down to two simple words….HIRE RIGHT!
So…as odd as this is going to sound…Dilbert is correct! Even though the secret to success is hiring the right people…it is harder than it sounds to find what “right” is…generating the business success….attracting the “right” talent….and….retaining the “right” talent. I would also submit that hiring the right people for your team also means coaching up or coaching out. In effect if you are coaching up it is almost like finding a new hire.
Couple of points related to teams:
Teams are groups of individuals who are asked to work together to accomplish big things on behalf of the company. Like brothers and sisters (and most family members) they did not get to choose one another – the heads of the household (or in this case the leaders) choose who is going to be on the team and they all have to find common ground to grow and support one another
Teams work best when there is diversity. I don’t just mean diversity based on sex, race or creed (even though this is very important)….but also diversity in thought, approach and skillset. This means that leaders must hire people who have the ability to work together, share common values yet who are not carbon copies of one another…and…probably most importantly…not a carbon copy of the leader themselves
Back to “Culture Easts Strategy for Lunch” – the repercussions of NOT hiring right is that you will not be able to find success in your business without the culture being behind it and the individual shared values are what will either propel you forward or take you down.
So “hire right” isn’t as straightforward as it might seem. It is obvious yet ambiguous and nebulous. In fact, some of my best hires (or teammates I have coached up) are those where they filled in skills, capabilities and experience gaps that I felt I did not have or that was missing on the team. At first…I even drove some of these people a little crazy and they drove me crazy…somehow able to recognize that we needed each other to ultimately succeed. When we embraced what made us different...it ultimately made us better...and from that moment on... we bonded as a culture.
In Closing...
I have done a lot of interviewing over the years. I have come to the conclusion that what I am looking for are traits that demonstrate that candidates are authentic, passionate and hardworking. I am also screening to ensure that they have the attitude of 100/0 (100 % accountable – 0 excuses). I feel that if they have those traits…coupled with the ability to bond with the other team members...that with their diverse experience, background and skillsets that they will be contributing members of any team.
I also read an article a while ago that I LOVED and it very articulately connected the dots for me between “hire right” and corporate culture. It was titled Why Executive Teams Shouldn't Write “Culture Decks”
The line in the blog that resonated the most with me was
“ Authentic culture emanates from people—a natural expression of who they are, and arises out of shared experiences together inside and outside the office”.
As leaders, there is no more an important decision than ensuring we hire the right people so that they can emanate the expression of who they are to accomplish great things together. Culture is not a corporate directive, despite what a lot of companies would like to believe. Even though culture is organic…not imposed…it is built with purpose…from the ground up…with shared PERSONAL values that bond a group of diverse people together. It is simple yet brilliant!
Leadership questions of the week for YOU:
How do you define “hire right” and what advice do you have for leaders so they can hire right too?
How hard is it for YOU to push boundaries and hire diversity into your team... not just race, sexuality and creed.. but also diversity of thought and approach?
Reflect on the last few people you hired or that were hired within your team. Were they cookie cutters of the other teammates? Were they a clone of the leader?
Can you think of skillsets, or diversity that is missing on your team and how can you push the envelop to make change for the overall success of the business?
Assuming you agree that culture is organic…what are the attributes you would describe as defining the culture within YOUR current team?
Thanks for reading….and remember…YOU make a difference!
Please continue the conversation by liking…commenting or sharing this article. You can also follow me on twitter marciedwhite or connect with me on LinkedIn.
