Hiring for Culture Isn’t Fluffy – It’s Smart
I’d rather hire someone who meets the bare minimum on a job description but lives our values than someone with a flawless resume and preferred background.
Yes, you read that right.
Sure, a polished resume might impress a hiring manager, but I care more about how someone handles feedback, conflict, and collaboration, without needing the spotlight. I’ve hired the most technically skilled person in the room and watched them derail a team in under a month. Some candidates ace the interview, but it’s their values that show up when things get hard. I’ll take a values-aligned team player over a buzzword-filled resume any day. Why? Because culture clash costs far more than a learning curve.
When I’ve reviewed turnover trends at past companies, a pattern always emerged: most of the time, people weren’t leaving because they couldn’t do the job. They were leaving because of culture misalignment. Sometimes it was a clash with a manager, or frustration with how decisions were made, or just a sense of “this place isn’t for me.” And when you trace those issues back to their roots, it almost always comes down to values either not having clear ones, not living them, or hiring people who don’t align with them. Values shape culture more than anything else. But too often, we treat them like a side project.
High-performing cultures practice their values. They use them to make hiring decisions, navigate change, and set priorities. Values should be woven into your daily decisions from the very beginning so that when you need to make a tough call, you know where to turn.
One of the most overlooked moments to use your values is during hiring. Values aren’t just for onboarding culture decks; they’re your blueprint for finding people who will thrive in your environment.
If you're not using values to guide interview evaluations, you're more likely to hire someone who looks great on paper but disrupts your culture. That’s why I always encourage hiring teams to develop value-based interview questions, not just to check for skills, but to understand how a person shows up.
Yes, candidates need the technical ability to do the job. No question. But even more important is how they approach their work and relationships, how they show up when things get hard. Will they communicate transparently? Do they take ownership? Are they willing to grow? These are the things that influence team dynamics and lead to long-term success.
I had a leader recently say to me, “Wow, you really seem to understand people.” The truth is, I’ve just learned to listen—really listen—to what people are saying (and not saying) and match that to the values that drive our culture.
One of my favorite interview questions is simple:
“If I were to talk with your past teams, what would they say about working with you?”
At first glance, it seems like a softball. Of course, I want to hear something positive. But the real insight comes in how someone answers and how they don’t.
If you’re thrown off by a question that basic, I want to know why. If you don’t have an answer, I start wondering about your self-awareness. Do you know how you show up? Have you paid attention to how you impact others?
The best answers usually include a mix of humility and insight. Something like, “They’d probably say I challenge ideas, but I’m always trying to make the work better,” or “They’d say I’m calm under pressure but not great at delegation. It’s something I’ve been working on.” That kind of answer tells me a lot more than a polished monologue about strengths and weaknesses.
Because here’s the truth: I’m not just hiring for what’s on paper. I’m hiring someone who will shape the team dynamic, and that starts with knowing yourself.
It’s easy to spot the obvious poor fit: the ego-driven, the passive-aggressive, the "brilliant jerks." But what’s harder, and more critical, is identifying those subtler mismatches. If your company values collaboration, and a candidate prefers to work solo no matter how talented they are, they may create more friction than value in a team setting. Unless you're hiring for a role that’s intentionally siloed (which, let's be honest, is rare), values misalignment eventually shows up in disengagement, interpersonal issues, performance, or unmet expectations.
I am sure you’ve heard about quiet quitting. Yes, it’s become a buzzword, but it’s also a signal. People disengage when they don’t feel connected to their work or to what their company stands for. Values, when lived and reinforced, are one of the most effective tools to foster belonging, improve communication, drive retention, and shape the company culture.
When people know what your company stands for and see it in action, they’re more likely to engage, speak up, and commit. I’d take a candidate who meets the basic skill requirements but is a strong values match over someone who checks every technical box but doesn’t align with our culture, because skills can be taught. Values alignment? That’s much harder to coach.
So yes, write your values. But more importantly, live them. Use them to hire, lead, and grow. Because values that are only talked about aren’t values. They’re just words on a wall.
More to come…
