Company culture is always a crucial topic when it comes to hiring. Every candidate, at every level of the organization, has to contribute to the overall team. This subject matters even more, when you recruit executive candidates. You need to make sure these leaders fit into your company culture.
A disconnect between your management team and your corporate culture can send mixed messages to your employees. Still, many organizations have trouble marrying executives with their core values.
This happens even at the highest levels. For instance, one study showed that more than nine out of 10 CEOs described their organization as empathetic. However, the survey also found that only half of the employees of those companies viewed their CEOs as empathetic people.
In that example, a big chunk of top executives aren’t living up to their stated values. That can cause serious issues that trickle through the rest of the firm. Morale, turnover rates, and productivity can all get influenced by these mismatches.
Avoid this in your organization. Make culture a central focus of your executive recruitment efforts. Here are a few tips to make sure executive candidates fit your company culture:
How to Find The Right Fit When Hiring Executives
Current Culture Fit
Make culture a key element in the recruiting process. Bring up the topic often as you talk to your candidates. This counts in both formal interviews and more casual conversations.
Part of this process involves defining and communicating your culture. Before you begin discussions with executive candidates, conduct an internal process to nail down the tenets of your corporate values. Figure out how best to describe it to potential hires, so they can understand what you are trying to accomplish.
At the same time, involve more people in the process. Let your executive candidates meet others at the same level of the organization. Also, include your general staff as well. Get a sense of how your potential hire interacts with the team they will be leading.
Ability to Shape Culture
An incoming executive will be responsible for more than just fitting in. Sure, you want a culture match at the start of their tenure. But over time, you expect your executive hire to contribute to the firm’s cultural evolution.
As a leader in the organization, your executive should set the tone. Their team will look to them for long-term direction and signals about the company’s values. As such, you should investigate how your executive hire will demonstrate and shape culture over time.
Here are a few topics to consider as you run through the recruiting process:
- Conflict Resolution
- Leadership Style
- Team Building
Long-Term Development
We’ve all become aware of the ways that workplace standards change over time. The #MeToo movement, in part, exists to expose long-standing office behaviors that no longer fit with the current cultural climate. A good leader should have the ability to anticipate these changes and keep current.
When hiring an executive candidate, don’t just think about how they fit into your current culture. Think about the future as well.
How will they adapt to changing policies? How can they provide leadership as ideas evolve? These questions will let you know whether you have found someone who can take your culture through the 2020s and beyond.
Find The Best Executive For Your Company!
Looking for the right executive hire for your company culture? Finding the right fit can prove challenging. Teaming with a strong recruiting firm, like Elby Professional Services, can help. You’ll find the perfect executive talent for you.
Contact Elby today to find out more.
