To turn culture aspiration into reality you need to actively manage your culture, just as you do your other business operations. In this
We have already looked at what The Taylor Assessment is and how it helps with hiring for culture contribution. In this blog we’re going to explore why hiring for culture contribution is so important.
When you’re leading a culture change, your people are constantly looking for signs about how serious you are about it. When leaders are seen to be walking the talk your people start to see that your organisation is serious about change, and adapt their behaviour accordingly. The name of our company, as well as my first book, Walking the Talk: Building a Culture for Success, reflect how important this is. In fact, my editor told me the title of the book should reflect the essence of what it is about. It does!
In Walking the Talk’s culture diagnostic work, we always ask focus group participants whether they see a connection between the culture leaders communicate they want, and how they themselves are behaving. Sadly, often the answers come back that leaders say they want one thing, but they keep hiring people who are the opposite. Your hiring choices, and your choices on who to promote, send a strong signal about what you really value, (rather than what you say you value). If you can ensure your choices do align with your stated desired culture, they will accelerate your change. If they don’t, they will undermine your credibility and damage your change plans.
When you use the Taylor Assessment, you have at your fingertips a report which will help you help each new hire to make the best contribution to your future culture.
When you hire with culture contribution in mind, your ZRG hiring consultant can help you to have an open conversation with a candidate about why they have been hired, what you are looking for them to build, and how you can effectively onboard them so they can fast track their contribution to your desired culture. We can provide supplementary onboarding coaching to accelerate this. Having explicit conversations at the start of their employment increases the likelihood that these change agents will stay with you, play to their strengths, and see culture transformation as part of their mission with your company. In doing so, they will bring your organisation along with them, and your change journey will be faster and smoother.
For insights on culture view our selection of case studies, ebooks, reports and white papers or contact us to learn how we can transform your culture.
