4. Select for Business Excellence

Focus on smaller number, e.g. five important questions, that you carefully selected and check them with many who, what, why, where, when, and how!

You know how important your culture is, and you must have heard the statement “Putting people first“. In the selection process we like to point on culture first. If an organisation wants to align everyone in the same direction and towards shared goals, the prerequisite for doing so is to align around the core values.  

Employ people who have a very good cultural fit with your company is the best strategy, but easier said than done. Therefore, invest significant efforts into it. Test the candidates, ask them, and then decide. Employ only if values are likely to fit. There is no need to find a perfect match, however, understanding and aligning employees is much easier when people share their understanding of values, and then direct their behaviour towards mutual expectations. Any other skills, experience and knowledge are easier to acquire when values and beliefs match. Avoid putting knowledge and skills before values. 

We suggest:

• Conduct the Personal Employeeship test and give feedback to the candidate for more insight
• Know the values that are the most important for your corporate culture
• Check values through discussion, questions, and examples from candidate’s work life

Your culture can only support strategy if it is being lived in the company. Employees and managers must also walk the talk also in the culture: talk about the values and consistently do what they say. Only then people’s values can cooperate with the strategy and help everyone to bring out their best. Forgetting to check on value fit is the same as to talk about the culture but not doing what it takes to make it succeed.

Verify the person’s Professional Business Excellence but decide on the General Business Excellence. Employ the tests available, give feedback conversations to find out more and deeper knowledge about the candidate. Measure the EQ profile and the Employeeship values for these are what you really expect regardless of how knowledgeable and skillful the candidate is.