What is the “most important factor” in guiding the selection of new talent for organizations?
A new client of ours made it clear that they were indifferent regarding the specific industry experience needed for the new addition to their C-Suite they have engaged us to secure. Fitting into this company’s rich and transparent culture is the singular must-have requirement – the wisdom of this approach appears to be reflected in the exceedingly healthy relationships that exist in this fine company, along with their highly successful business outcomes.
Juxtapose this with another company we recently encountered (not a client of our practice) whose C-Suite is fully stocked with industry veterans, all talented, but that have not been blended strategically to generate relationship synergy and a high level of trust – this organization feels a lot like a train wreck waiting to happen.
Of course, the richness of the cultures is the key difference between these examples, but think about people who have joined your company and who are tremendously successful – I’m sure some of them have strong industry experience, but I’d bet that none of them fit poorly with your culture or are out of alignment with the values that matter most in your environment.
It takes a courageous company to value culture fit over most other selection criteria (and to buck the “conventional wisdom” that over-emphasizes industry-specific experience), but we continually see winning examples and outstanding success stories that result from this courageous choice in a variety of our clients’ culture-rich organizations.
In our unique fit Practice, we realize that what truly matters most is to listen – to understand the values that are central to making your company special. We encourage you to continually ask this key question when adding new talent – are you focused on the fit of values? – because without this answer, you really have no potential to realize how the “fit” of talent can help your company reach new heights.
Two simple asks for you:
- If you’re in a company or organization like so many others we know, where ideal-fit new talent is critical to success, we would love to explore how our special approach can make a huge difference – all search resources are not the same!
- Please refer our practice to other companies you know who need real “fit” solutions and would benefit from our assistance.
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