The Truth About Managing People, Third Edition

Truth 9. Hire People Who Fit Your Culture: My “Good Employee” Is Your Stinker!

Many a manager has hired a new employee based largely on his or her skills and then lived to regret it. While skill competence is certainly an important ingredient in the making of a “good employee,” never underestimate the role that an organization’s culture plays in an employee’s success or failure.

Employee performance typically has a large subjective component. Bosses and colleagues have to make interpretations: Is Dave a team player? Is Tina taking unnecessary risks? Is Laura too competitive? And whether those interpretations are positive or negative depend to a great extent on how well an employee is perceived to fit into the organization. A good person-organization ...