“If you hire the ‘right people’ again and again, you will strengthen your culture over time.”
– Truett Cathy, Founder, Chick-fil-A

When hiring, have you ever looked an “A-Player candidate” in the eye and said, “Sorry, but you’re just not the right fit for our organization”? GUTSY – especially in today’s tight labor market!

Every CEO, President, Executive Director, and organizational leader is searching for the slightest advantage over their competition. Most of us would agree that when we hire an individual with outstanding technical skills or a track record of successful work experiences, we’ve just given our organization a competitive advantage… or have we? If we’ve neglected to also evaluate the candidate’s character – for values alignment and culture fit – we run the risk of making a bad hire. Google “cost of a bad hire” and you’ll quickly find the price tag ranges from $25,000 – $240,000 per hire!

But, what if…

What if we thought about hiring differently? What if we placed more importance on fit than skills and experience? What if every aspect of our organization’s human systems, from hiring and orientation to performance evaluations and compensation, were created to reinforce our organization’s core purpose, values, and service offerings?

It is critical that organizations keep human systems simple while remaining steadfast in their quest for organizational clarity. Organizations that hire well evaluate potential new hires fastidiously and without compromise. Candidates must score “green” on three or four simple, specific (to you/your organization) criteria. Not even one “yellow” rating is acceptable and “red” is unthinkable!

An organization can be confident they are true to their purpose, values, and service offerings when they adhere to them, even when it hurts… even when they walk away from that technical expert/cultural misfit “A-Player”, knowing that their team will be short-handed for yet another day.

How do your human systems eliminate compromise and keep everyone focused on what is important to your organization?

• Does your hiring process include an evaluation for values alignment and culture fit?
• Does your orientation educate new hires on your organization’s elements of clarity?
• When given a raise, do employees know that they are being rewarded for behaving in a way that is consistent with your organization’s core values, not just achieving technical outcomes?