Remember Lauren Cooper? If not, you'll remember her catchphrase - 'Am I bovvered?'.
Now imagine if Catherine Tate’s iconic character was recruited into your team. What would happen? Chances are, you’d be annoyed.
By her lack of energy, caring and – yes – the fact she wasn’t ‘bovvered’.
Both your team’s spirt and performance would likely collapse, as would its pride – both in the job and in being part of the team.
It would be nothing short of disastrous. You might think this is unlikely to happen. But it does.
Time after time, people are recruited who don’t fit the culture you’ve worked tirelessly to cultivate.
Culture is one of any team’s superpowers and the reality is that the age-old fable of the rotten apple still rings true today.
Rarely does a good culture raise the standards of the toxic member. Typically, the toxic member drags the others down with them.
‘A players’ won’t stay where ‘C players’ are tolerated.
In fact, as Verne Harnish said: “The best thing you can do for employees- a perk better than foosball or free sushi- is hire only A players to work alongside them.”
So, when thinking about recruiting, the number one requirement is to consciously craft your firm’s culture.
The second is to guard and preserve it; remember ‘culture eats strategy for breakfast’.
And the third is to ensure every change, new hire or decision you make enhances that culture and doesn’t diminish it.
If you have consciously and deliberately crafted your culture, you should understand the Core Values and attitudes that support it and so designing your hiring processes to recruit only those people who will enhance that culture should be a natural consequence.
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