Powerhouse teams don't happen by accident – great managers build them.
As you think about building your own team, bear in mind that hiring solely for “culture fits” can inadvertently stifle organizational growth. After all, if managers consistently hire the same type of employee —similar schools, backgrounds, and experiences — the team will always lack diversity of thought.
Instead of “culture fits,” focus on “culture adds,” as Julie Anne Crommett, founder and CEO of Collective Moxie and former VP of Multicultural Audience Engagement at Walt Disney, recommends. We caught up with Julie on a recent episode of The Standup to discuss her top advice for identifying candidates who can drive company culture in more innovative directions and this week’s tips are inspired by her insights.
How can you build a stronger team culture based on diversity of thought?
Map the process
Like creating any strategy, it’s important to identify the outcomes you want from your team culture before any other activity is done. Think about bringing in an expert in the area you want to expand, for example, AI, to help you figure out where you want to go and how you might get there. Then, track your team’s current processes. Once you’ve done that, start asking questions like, “Why is each step necessary?” “Why do we do it this way?” and “Are there gaps or points where the system breaks down?” These questions can spark conversations helping you understand your current team culture’s strengths and areas for improvement.
Talk about hiring criteria
Many teams write job descriptions based on templates from other companies without discussing what the ideal candidate truly looks like. Instead of going with boilerplate job spec, get specific about writing down your priorities for each role. Then, ask your team to do the same to compare notes. You might find that maybe you're focused on candidates with a proven track record while your team values fresh ideas and creativity. Address these differences in opinion to come to a consensus on the characteristics of your top candidate. This can equip you to identify the candidates that will get your team culture trending in the right direction.
Check for biases
Hiring teams often have subconscious biases and show a preference for candidates with similar working styles. “Disruptor” candidates – those who think innovatively about how your organization might run – may appear threatening to your current team members, leading them to score those candidates lower. Don’t forget that you're looking for employees who complement your team by bringing fresh perspectives to the table, so coach your team about being open to candidates who may think differently. Remind them that having diverse opinions will ultimately make their collective work stronger.
Identify “culture adds”
As Julia suggests, you need to identify culture adds, and it's critical to know what you're looking for! Throughout the interview process, you'll be able to spot a culture add when a candidate reveals gaps in your current culture. Perhaps the candidate illuminates issues like a lack of creativity in some area, insufficient consideration of a certain audience set, or consistent problems in the project development process. When you notice these issues because of a candidate interview, and that candidate presents innovative solutions, you probably want to pay close attention.
Support disruptors
Hiring a disruptor can be transformative but only if you, as a manager, are ready to support them. Even the most forward-thinking employees will not succeed if the environment isn’t conducive for them to take charge of their domains. So first, always make sure new hires are properly onboarded and the whole team has clear expectations about what that employee was hired to do, and what they add. Remember to ask your disruptors what they need in order to be successful and find ways for them to make an immediate impact, such as creating opportunities for them to share their expertise in larger forums so others can learn from them.
