As hiring managers, we face the daunting task of selecting the ideal candidate to join our team. However, the hiring process entails much more than simply evaluating an individual’s skill set. To ensure long-term success, it is essential to assess if the working environment of your team is a good fit for the candidate you select.
While it will be important to get to know candidates – let us first pause to take stock of the environment they’d be entering. Here are things you can reflect upon:
Know Thyself: Understanding Your Management Style
Effective leadership stems from a deep understanding of one’s management style. Reflecting on your own tendencies, strengths, and areas for improvement helps align expectations and seamlessly integrate new team members. Consider whether you take a hands-on or hands-off approach, whether you prioritize autonomy or close guidance, and how you provide feedback to your employees. Understanding your management style enables you to evaluate whether a candidate will not just survive, but thrive under your leadership.
Evaluate Team Dynamics and Company Culture
Every team operates within a specific working environment characterized by its own set of values, norms, and practices. Before interviewing candidates, it is vital to examine and appreciate the existing dynamics and culture within your team. (We’re not talking about the polished language on your recruiting website, but your actual lived experiences – good and challenging.) This knowledge sheds light on the qualities, skills, and personalities that would seamlessly integrate into the existing dynamics and positively impact team performance.
Brainstorm words that describe your company’s culture and match them with complementary attributes. For instance, if your team is known for its collaborative work environment, look for candidates with interpersonal skills, openness to feedback, and strong teamwork capabilities. If your company values innovation and risk-taking, look for candidates who demonstrate creativity and a growth mindset.
The Power of Team Compatibility
By acknowledging and understanding your leadership style and team environment, you can develop an interview process that values compatibility. By tailoring evidence-based questions to gauge not only technical skills but also compatibility with your management style and work environment, you can assess a candidate’s potential to integrate, contribute, and excel in their role.
The success and strength of a team hinges not only on individual talent but also on the unity and compatibility of its members. As hiring managers, it is our responsibility to find candidates who not only possess the desired skills but also align with our management style and work environment.
Understanding our own leadership style, team dynamics, and workplace culture allows us to tailor our interview process effectively. By doing so, we can hire individuals who thrive in their roles and contribute to the long-term growth and success of our teams.
Bonus Tip!
Academic research on expectations in the workplace paints a clear picture: people tend to do what is expected of them, as long as they understand what is expected of them.
It also increases employee engagement and retention. Open communication about your management style and company culture not only helps you find the right candidate, it also fosters a sense of belonging for new hires.
Let’s apply this to hiring: if we candidly share what we’re like as managers and what it’s really like to work at our companies – candidates form accurate expectations. For example, if you are a written communicator, share that with your candidates. If you have a highly structured environment, share that.
People are more malleable and adaptable than we typically think they are. If they know what to expect, they will adjust. And if they love written communications and structured environments, that’s great, but not required for you and your new hire to build trust and a successful working relationship.
