People Strategy

CHAPTER 2Hiring for Culture and Performance

The first step to building a successful People Strategy is, well, finding the right people. People are a company's most important asset. If a company cannot attract, grow, and retain talent, it's in trouble. But how do you find the right people? It's not just a matter of finding the most talented employees; it's about finding talented employees who share in the company's mission and can add to its culture.

Phrases like “culture fit” get thrown around a lot, but they can be notoriously difficult to define. Worse, they can sometimes be used to mask homogeneous and even discriminatory hiring practices. But when I think about the culture of an organization, I'm thinking about the personality of a company. I see fit as a two-way street, where a company and a person can see a great collaborative working relationship with shared goals and values. A good company culture is one in which lots of different personalities can gel within it. The key is finding people who can work well together, inspire each other, and share passions.

Bringing this kind of talent together is the foundation of a strong organizational culture. But while some of that culture forms organically, fostering a culture in which all employees are aligned and working toward a shared mission requires intentionality – particularly in our current landscape, with many companies navigating uncertainty and more employees working remotely. It requires the establishment of clear, ...