Understanding the value of cultural fit.

By Eliza Liddy.

About ten years ago, I found myself standing in front of a group of very smart business leaders, all with stunned looks on their face. While this post is a little trip down memory lane (and even just writing the intro brings back the feeling of standing there, not fitting in at all) that day I learned all I ever needed to know about cultural fit.

On the way to a company sales conference, I stopped over in LA for a day with a close colleague. After a late night out in West Hollywood, we were on a flight to a middle American city to attend the much-hyped, bi-annual event. Trusting that the team who were arranging our schedule had it all in hand, we made my way to the hotel and settled in.

The next morning, bright and early, we showed up at the conference to be greeted by all the senior execs. We were impressed that they had all arrived early to meet their employees. Given that we were Australia based and had only had email conversations with most of them, or just heard their names in revered tones, there was much chat and enthusiasm on both sides to finally meet. Humbling given we were talking to the brains trust of a half-billion dollar company.

As I looked around and enjoyed the moment, it dawned on me that there was me and my colleague, these impressive executives and a waiter. That was it.

After the ‘so-great-to-finally-meet-yous’ and ‘we-hear-so-much-great-stuff-about-the Australian operation’ it dawned on me that we may just be in the wrong place. I checked the schedule that had been left in my room and we were indeed in the right place.

So, what were we doing in the senior executive meeting? With all the senior executives….and us?

About the same time it dawned on us and we were ready to make our embarrassed exit and apologies for crashing their meeting, it also dawned on our lovely hosts.

Rather than watch us walk out, wondering how we had ended up there in the first place, they saved us the embarrassment and invited us to join them. Minutes later, we were sitting with the power-trust of our hugely successful company - at a table with the founder and owner. The mix of jetlag and the early start had us travellers looking at each other with resigned looks. It seemed we were attending the senior executive meeting completely unprepared.

The meeting was what you would expect. Strategy for the coming year, how we are going to meet the aggressive sales growth, global acquisition, updates on each location. And then working groups on allocated topics that the company leaders had been working on in teams. For weeks and weeks. Topics we had not prepared for and that were being presented after a final 30 minute group discussion.

Rather than sit around for half an hour and listen in to three different conversations, we decided to make use of our time and run through the exercise as it applied to our part of the business. We were there, we had nothing else to do in the next 30 minutes and there was a white board at our table. Why not?

We spent ten minutes on each topic as it related to the Australian operation. Sales, operations, hiring. We thought we had some good bullet-points for each topic and felt quite good about what we had laid out in such a short time.

One by one, each working group stood and presented – great ideas as you would expect from a group of leaders who run such a large and successful organisation. And then all eyes turned to table number 4.

Yes, us.

The whole room was looking at us and after what felt like the longest ten seconds, we realised they wanted us to present our plans. Not at all daunting presenting what we had done in minutes after listening to what they had spent months discussing and reviewing.

I looked at my partner in crime who just shrugged her shoulders at me, and timidly stood up. I started by introducing that we had no idea what we were doing - not in general, we did each run a key part of the Australian business so it would not have been a good forum to suggest we were flying blind. But that our ideas had been generated in exactly ten minutes per topic – without the benefit of great ideation sessions they had all benefited from. We had just participated to make the most of our time with them.

As I presented our ideas, there were lots of nodding of heads and encouragement. There is something I love about American enthusiasm. Or maybe they were just being kind given the situation.

But the more I spoke, the bigger the nods got and the louder the encouragement became. I still remember the last point vividly. I was presenting our ideas on what to look for when hiring and apart from the obvious around technical ability and propensity to do the work, I suggested that the most important thing the two of us look for when hiring is cultural fit.

I still remember that exact moment when I finished on the point about cultural fit.

Everyone in the room look at us pensively, almost astounded at the simplicity but impactfulness or cultural fit as a hiring priority. Then there were lots of loud claps and one of the execs, a man whose name was always said with great admiration by those that worked directly with him, stood up and gave us a huge wrap. He was both humble in taking on our ideas and incredibly complimentary.

It was at that point that I really understood how important cultural fit is to an organisation.

Fit can be so easily missed in an interview. You find a candidate who is ideal in so many ways. Who can do exactly what you need and has all the right qualifications. But when you have spent months or years building a culture you are proud of, it is important you don’t destroy that in one hiring decision.

To those who were in the room that day, it was an experience that I will not forget. And I am sure given that cultural fit became a documented part of the hiring process, the company is still better off for it today.

To find out how you can build the culture you want at your company, talk to us today.