by Dr. Jack MitchellEach company over time develops its own “culture” which influences the way employees work, how they are treated, and how they treat others, be they colleagues, customers, vendors or competitors. Actually, when you think about it, almost all behavior is influenced by the “culture” of a company and you come to realize that most of the “culture” comes from the top. The CEO and Leadership Team usually establish the “culture” of a company or organization. Most times it is not verbally articulated, but established by the behaviors, such as the verbal and non-verbal rewards and recognition, given by those in leadership positions

In my career, I have experienced very different work “cultures”:

In one company”culture”, education was not highly regarded. I was informed not to use my “doctoral title” because it might embarrass fellow employees and the company’s customers. In another company, they insisted I use my professional title, because they thought it would impress the customer base. In a third company, everyone was called by their first name, including the CEO. The “culture” established was one of informality and there was a desire to have a casual and “creative” work environment. There was no written policy about this, it simply was the way people communicated, including the CEO and entire leadership team.

Consider the “culture” of most financial services companies compared to the “culture” of most advertising agencies. There are no written rules about the different “cultures”. They have simply developed over time based on mostly non-verbal behaviors of those in leadership roles

With this understanding in hand, consider the challenges involved in hiring the correct person for a job. To be successful in placing the right candidate in the correct position a hiring manager must look not only for the technical skills of the candidate, but also the personality style and the culture in which the new hire will work.

If a candidate scores highly, for example on the Regulatory motivator, which means they do well in a structured, orderly environment, and your company’s “culture” is very entrepreneurial, shooting from the hip, with little to no formal policies or procedures, this person, though highly skilled, will more than likely not succeed, and will either voluntarily or non-voluntarily leave the company.

Hiring correctly demands much wisdom and skill. Limiting hiring decisions based on looking only at the technical skills of a candidate and perhaps their longevity in a job is often reflected in the company’s turnover rates. The cost of turnover and many times the hidden costs of having the wrong person in the wrong job, and even in the wrong company, can be significant.

Are your hiring managers using the right tools to hire the best people to add to the success of your company?

After making sure a candidate has the requisite technical skills and proper work experience, then the real work of successful hiring begins. Building a hiring tool box using various assessment tools to assure hiring the best person possible.

DISC Personality assessment
Motivators assessment
Cognitive assessment
Emotional IQ assessment

Nothing can “guarantee” hiring the ideal person for the job within your company. However, using all the correct tools can certainly reduce the chance of hiring the wrong person-saving time and money.

Actions speak louder than words. One of our clients, Nick B, of Tampa, continues to insist that every new person interviewing for a position within his garage door company complete at least 2 to 3 of our recommended assessment tools. His company is growing dramatically, and he attributes much of this success to his personnel, who have been correctly screened and hired based not only on their technical skills, but also their personality style, their cognitive abilities and their fit into his company’s culture.

Today, we have the scientific tools and experience to really help business owners succeed.

Being able to measure and understand How and Why someone will behave is vital to indicating the performance of job applicants, optimizing employee performance, building top performing teams, uncovering the source(s) of communicative dysfunction and developing self-aware leaders.

Contact us to learn how to use the right tools to hire the best people to add to the success of your company.If you are having any turnover issue, contact PPI at 772 210 4499, www.ppidisc.com or email for more information or to set up an account.