Intentional Hiring is not quick or easy, but we don’t think it should be. Hiring should be intentional, timely and personal. After all, you are adding someone to your team. The most important part of your business.
A cohesive team is a game changer.
1. Every organization has a culture.
Are you intentionally building your organizational culture, or has it built itself over time?
Defining your core values and getting buy-in from your team is critical. You must intentionally create opportunities for your team to connect and collaborate if you want them to understand and commit to your values. It’s imperative that they feel like a valued member of the team.
You can’t hire good culture fits if you don’t define your culture.
What are your organization’s values and what are the values that are not negotiable (things like integrity, honesty, etc)? Take those and create questions that will make these non-negotiables appear in an interview.
2. Communication, communication, COMMUNICATION.
It is vital on any team but especially a remote team. WISE communication values include: seeking clarity, active listening, asking questions and being honest.
On a remote team, you don’t have the luxury of walking down the hall and seeing how someone is doing or joining a conversation in the break room.
You must intentionally seek out opportunities to connect with your team.
You also can’t sit in a room with someone when you hire. All we see is the perfect square box that the candidate portrays. Communication helps you see beyond the box. Do they listen? Are they responding appropriately to your questions? How do they deal with conflict?
Ask open-ended questions and ask candidates to give examples or experiences. Don’t let them give simple yes or no answers.
Their communication before, during and after the interview is a key indicator of how they will be with team members and clients.
3. Clarity is at the center of team engagement and performance.
Team members who don’t know where the organization stands are not going to be truly committed.
In order to grow together, your team has to be on the same page. This includes values, goals, and expectations. These three things should be reinforced and reiterated by all levels within your organization.
Clarity shows up all throughout our hiring process. It’s important to WISE that candidates know where they stand throughout the process and are given feedback if not selected. WISE doesn’t hire maybes. The candidate has to be a yes from our entire hiring team.
This is sometimes messy but it causes us to have intentional conversations about each candidate and their potential. Two people can be in the same interview and hear the candidate say very different things. These conversations help exclude bias, give perspective and help us find the truth.
Great team members seek clarity. They are not afraid to ask questions or hold others accountable.
Finally, take your time. It’s ok to interview someone multiple times for a position. Be sure that this candidate will fit/mesh well with your culture, meet your organizational communication standards, and has clarity on what their position will require.
Building a healthy organizational culture is not easy and finding culture fits to add to your team is even harder. Both take intentionality, time and team commitment. Take a few minutes today to ask your current team their opinion on both.
Resources for Hiring:
Ideal Team Player– free questions on the website
Resources for core values, clarity and retention:
Start with Why
Wondering if your hiring strategy could be better? Want to up your game as a business owner? Schedule a strategy meeting with us today!
