An article appeared in the WSJ today talking about the dangers of hiring for culture.
Sue Schellenbarger is absolutely right about the dangers of hiring people for “cultural fit” if “cultural fit” means people that look, act and think alike.
It’s also a mistake to believe that culture is having ping-pong tables and serving craft beer.
Your culture is how you do things. It’s how you live and work and interact.
The US Marine Corps is so successful because it primarily hires and promotes based on culture, not talent. The Marines want people who can lead under extreme pressure. They can train you later to be in infantry, artillery, aviation or disbursing.
I never flew an airplane before I entered the Marine Corps. I passed Officer Candidate School and they trained me to be an AV-8B Harrier jet pilot.
Marine Corps Officer Candidate School is not a training ground; it’s a hiring testing ground. They give you just enough infantry training to put you in charge of a group and see if you can lead under physical, psychological and emotional pressure.
If you can lead, you pass. If you fall apart, then you are a better cultural fit somewhere else.
Hiring–or seeking a job–for culture is all about matching up with the goals, the story and the lived values (virtues) of the organization.
The values posted on the wall are nice, but the top three lived values of the company are far more important.
What are the top three things that are actually most important to leadership in the lived operation of the organization? Do they talk about safety but push employees to cut corners? Does leadership talk about integrity but have significant character lapses?
What are the top three things that are actually most important to the candidate? You’ll get one level of performance from a candidate who sees the role as a job, and another level of performance from a candidate that sees their role as contributing to their development as a person in life.
Whether you are hiring or seeking a job, the three most important cultural values are Wisdom, Results and Love. These values build the highest-trust, highest-performance relationships possible. Deep down, they are the actual values at the foundation of great organizations like the Marine Corps.
- Wisdom: Wisdom is knowledge + character. Does the role enhance your professional knowledge and knowledge about life? Does acting in the role enhance your character or diminish your character?
- Results: Good organizations and good people care about results. Can you close the sale? Can you make the logistics happen? In football, can you make the block? In basketball, can you make the shot? Results are critical because, as teammates, we all depend on each other playing the role and achieving results for overall team success.
- Love. Love is deep commitment to what is best for your clients and your co-workers. When your clients and co-workers know that you deeply care about them, they will give you more commitment. (If not, then its time to look elsewhere for clients and/or co-workers).
The more that you co-workers and colleagues trust your knowledge, your character, your ability to get results and that you love them, the deeper the trust, commitment and performance.
When you have have great relationships with your clients, they give you more business.
When you have great relationships with your co-workers, they perform better.
When you combine more business with higher performing workers, you get an almost unfair competitive advantage in the marketplace (or on the battlefield).
In the Marine Corps, you are expected to be expert in your professional knowledge. You are expected to have top-notch character. You are expected to complete the mission. You are expected to treat the American public you defend with respect and love. And you are expected to demonstrate agape love for your people.
Agape love is total, self-sacrificing love for others. That’s why Marines are willing to jump on hand grenades to save their fellow Marines. And that willingness to sacrifice makes them better people not just in the Corps, but with their spouse and kids, and in their community.
Whether you are an organization hiring or a person looking for the right position, Wisdom, Results and Love are the key things to look for in a good cultural match.
You can bet your life on it.
I’m Pete Bowen.
