Issue 1 - January 2004

Success file by Bob Levoy
Hire people who fit into your culture

Knowledge and skills are, of course, important traits when hiring new employees. Equally important, however, are people who will be a good fit with the culture of your practice.

In their book, Corporate Cultures: The Rites and Rituals of Corporate Life (Addison-Wesley), Terrence Deal and Alan Kennedy write, “If employees know what their company stands for, if they know what standards they are to uphold, then they are much more likely to make decisions that will support those standards. They are also more likely to feel as if they are an important part of the organization. They are motivated because the company has meaning for them.”

When there’s a good fit between the culture of a practice and its employees, people tend to be happier, harder working, more productive and, as a rule, stick around longer.

Bernard Marcus, one of the co-founders of Home Depot was interviewed about his company’s corporate culture. “It starts with the basics,” he says, “hiring the right people, the folks in the store who will create the shopping environment.

We want extroverts, people who like other people. We look for people with pleasing personalities and people who are highly motivated and want to learn. You have to be discerning in finding them. Typically, out of 8,000 applicants, we hire 200 people.”

Herb Kelleher, CEO of Southwest Airlines was similarly asked about his company’s corporate culture. “It starts with the hiring,” he said. “We are zealous about hiring. We are looking for a particular type of person, regardless of which category it is. We are looking for attitudes that are positive and for people who can lend themselves to causes. We want folks who have a good sense of humor and people who are interested in performing as a team and take joy in team results instead of individual accomplishments.”

In both these examples, the top management was highly focused on the type of person best suited to the long-term goals of their organizations.

Action steps: To begin the search for employees who are compatible with the culture of your practice, first get a solid handle on the core values of your practice. Then, when interviewing job applicants, ask questions and make observations that enable you to learn about their values, temperament and job-related priorities.

“After the interview,” says Dr. Kenneth R. James of Kent, Wash., “ask yourself whether the interviewee warrants a positive answer to these three questions:”

• “Does he or she fit into our office culture?”

• “Does his or her temperament suit those of the other people in our office?”

• “Does he or she fit comfortably in our office environment?”

If you make a mistake and hire team members who don’t fit the culture of your practice, it will become readily apparent to everyone concerned — in which case, it’s best to just cut your losses and move on.

Reality check: Most chiropractic practices have unique cultures and employees with various job-related priorities. And these preferences are neither good nor bad. They’re just different. Those differences are just part of what makes some practices (and some employees) outstanding.

Bob Levoy is a seminar speaker and writer. He can be reached at 516- 626-1353.