{"id":94,"date":"2015-03-10T17:12:48","date_gmt":"2015-03-10T17:12:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/asg.updatesfrom.co\/?p=94"},"modified":"2015-03-10T17:44:08","modified_gmt":"2015-03-10T17:44:08","slug":"why-culture-fit-matters-even-more-at-the-top","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/asg.updatesfrom.co\/2015\/03\/10\/why-culture-fit-matters-even-more-at-the-top\/","title":{"rendered":"Why Culture Fit Matters Even More at the Top"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"BusinesspeopleBy Laurie Bradley<\/p>\n

When your organization hires your next C-level executive, what will you be looking for? An impressive CV? Proven leadership experience? Success in a top position with a competitor? The ability to affect change in your organization?<\/p>\n

All are important considerations. However, the one consideration many organizations overlook can be the most important of all: culture fit. If a new executive hire doesn\u2019t fit well within the company culture, no amount of on-boarding can increase his or her chance of success \u2014 or decrease the chance of failure.<\/p>\n

When evaluating new C-level executive candidates, boards typically focus on data, goals, and shareholder value. Rarely do they consider matters of corporate culture when making hiring decisions \u2014 an oversight that directly impacts the success or failure of the candidate chosen.<\/p>\n

A tale of two cultures<\/h2>\n

Because poor cultural fit is the defining cause of 89% of hiring failures,<\/em> considering corporate culture is crucial \u2014 and you must start at the top. As Forbes<\/a> contributor, Erika Andersen, explains, company leaders may hire \u201cagainst type\u201d for good reasons. In one of her examples, a leader believes his media company has become stagnant, so he hires an executive selected for being a risk-taker and free-thinker. In another example, an executive is selected because leadership viewed the company as \u201ctoo nice\u201d and wants to implement a direct and assertive environment.<\/p>\n

Both cases show leadership\u00a0attempting to change a culture that was already deeply ingrained in employees who placed high value in their shared beliefs and modes of operation. Examples like these aren\u2019t evidence that change can never happen; but the change must happen from within, rather than coming from outside. To do that, your new executive must first be able to connect with the existing culture.<\/p>\n

Changing the story<\/h2>\n

Truthfully defining your company culture<\/a> and using it as a clear measure for hiring new executives can help maximize their chances of success \u2014 and yours. Here are a few steps to help you change the story and put your company culture to work in your hiring decisions:<\/p>\n

    \n
  1. Know your real <\/em>culture<\/strong> \u2014 Do an analysis to determine what your culture truly is \u2014 not what you want it to be, but what it is in the current state of reality, and how it functions.<\/li>\n
  2. Start at the top<\/strong> \u2014 Support of company culture needs to happen at every level \u2014 most importantly at the top, starting with the founders, board members, CEOs, and other C-level executives.<\/li>\n
  3. Evaluate candidates for culture fit<\/strong> \u2014 Once you have a clear vision of your true company culture, and that culture is supported at every level of your organization, THEN ensure that culture fit is an essential part of your candidate evaluation.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    Even if your ultimate goal is to create change in your organization, any executive you hire to make that change a reality needs to earn buy-in for that change throughout the organization. Selecting an executive that fits the company culture is vital to their success \u2014 and the success of your change initiatives.<\/p>\n

    Making culture fit a \u201cmust have\u201d sets the scene for the happy ending you want. Let ASG Renaissance help! Contact Laurie Bradley by email<\/a> or at 800-238-0890.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    By Laurie Bradley When your organization hires your next C-level executive, what will you be looking for? An impressive CV? Proven leadership experience? Success in a top position with a competitor? The ability to affect change in your organization? All are important considerations. However, the one consideration many organizations overlook can be the most important […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[1],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/asg.updatesfrom.co\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/94"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/asg.updatesfrom.co\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/asg.updatesfrom.co\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/asg.updatesfrom.co\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/asg.updatesfrom.co\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=94"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/asg.updatesfrom.co\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/94\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":103,"href":"https:\/\/asg.updatesfrom.co\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/94\/revisions\/103"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/asg.updatesfrom.co\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=94"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/asg.updatesfrom.co\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=94"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/asg.updatesfrom.co\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=94"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}