Thanks to Dr. Matthew Norton at People Plus Purpose for sharing this article with us!
Just about every business has had the unfortunate experience of hiring a new employee based upon some combination of a great resume, recommendations, and a skillset only to later find out that the new hire doesn’t fit the team or isn’t panning out as expected.
The cost of a bad hire can be extremely high ($114,000 – $240,000 depending on the role) not just in dollars, but also in stress, wasted time, lost productivity, morale, and confidence in leadership.
Focusing on other qualities and parameters other than just resume and experience can be a game changer. In today’s fast-paced business environment, traditional emphasis on experience and education is constantly being challenged. Most companies now recognize the value of hiring candidates who demonstrate a positive attitude and align with their culture.
Remember that people will always be your greatest business asset. It’s important to hire for both the specific role and how the candidate will fit with your existing team. And if prior to adding new people, you understand the key strengths of your team (all existing leaders and team members), you’ll be more equipped to bring on individuals and build a powerful team with complementary strengths. Leaders who know themselves and better understand others are more able to identify the strengths each role requires to ensure that a team thrives.
So how do we identify a candidate’s potential during the hiring process as it meets our current company culture and needs?
Determining if someone has the right technical skills is the simple part. The real secret to successful hiring lies in the hidden strengths and qualities that often go unnoticed. To do this you can use proven methods to find the unique strengths you’re looking for.
At People Plus Purpose we like to use assessments to reveal hidden strengths and qualities giving you the clearest candidate picture possible. We uncover how candidates approach their tasks and interact with others. Are they quick to act or slow-paced? Are they more likely to share their opinion or hold back? We measure how they process information and deal with problems. We also measure what inspires them within a work role. And to create the full picture, we measure how well they’re able to manage their emotions to produce better results.
Measuring these key areas can help you hire for your sake and the candidate’s to create and add to high-performing teams. Knowing your team members like this (and knowing yourself as well) is a great guide for training and development as it focuses on bringing on everyone’s strengths.
When this knowledge guides your people’s development strategies, it literally puts a spark in the workplace environment.
The greatest advice we could give you is to commit to a workplace strategy focused on understanding the strengths in your people and aim for their continual growth and development; couple that with a system for hiring the best fit for your business. Then, daily inspire them all to act on their known strengths and highest calling.
Related Article: Emotionally Intelligent Leadership
