The most precious things can be hard to describe.

Glorious sunsets… delicious meals… the way a laughing child adds joy to our days. Sometimes there are just no words to describe the things that mean the most to us.  Yet, it’s those things that make all the difference in life.

The most precious aspects of the hiring process – the factors that make a huge difference in the outcome of the process – are difficult to describe too. But they are incredibly important things to consider if you wish to hire profitably.  

Personality Traits and Core Values

Everyone is a bit different. We have a variety of experiences, backgrounds, and personalities.  When you hire a new team member, you’re getting their perspectives as well as their skills and talents. You will be impacted not only by what they believe, but by how they prioritise those beliefs and put them into action.

When the pressure is on and the team is facing an important deadline, will this person put a desire for excellence over a need to be collaborative and yielding to the opinions of others? Will she value creativity over cost-effectiveness or put his desire to serve the customer over his desire to be present for his family?  

Whatever the answer to these questions – and I’m not here to judge the answers themselves – your team member’s perspectives must properly align with yours for the team to be successful.

Creativity and Intuition

Some people are highly intuitive, and can quickly understand the emotions of a team, the intent of a leader, and the way their actions fit into the group as a whole.  Others are not really very intuitive, but they work diligently to meet expectations and build relationships with others.

Some talented people are incredibly creative, but have difficulty when implementation of an idea gets boring or mundane.  Others love the details but struggle to see beyond the facts as they present themselves.

As leaders and business owners, we need team members who complement our skills and add strength where we are weak. We also need balance on our team between creativity and the ability to carefully implement, and between intuition and practicality.

Communication Style and Pace

Remember the old story of the tortoise and the hare? Instead of thinking of the moral (slow and steady wins the race) consider the characters themselves.  One of them is fast acting and high energy, often sprinting ahead and taking action while leaving others behind in the dust. The other is slow and steady, thinking before acting, and moving with tenacity toward the goal.

Your organization has a communication style and a pace.  As the leader, you set the pace with the speed of your expectations, your preferred working style, and the way you make and communicate decisions.

You’ll want to carefully consider how your new team member will function.  Will the pace you set feel comfortable to her or will you leave her behind in the dust?  Will he run so far ahead of the rest of the team that everyone is frustrated?

These precious factors and others like them are your culture.

The culture of any organization is made up of precious and subjective factors like these.  Maybe your organization is highly creative and known for its fast decision-making and ability to respond quickly to market conditions.  But maybe your reputation is built on careful analysis, detailed consideration of options, and predictability.

In order to hire profitably, you need to step back and consider the culture within your organization. Then, you need to evaluate the way potential new team members will fit into the existing team. Will their perspectives add value or create a disruption? Will they bring something valuable the team needs to feel balanced, or will they add to an existing imbalance?

Once you decide to bring in a new team member, the next step is familiarizing him or her with your existing culture. Sharing tips about intangibles like communication styles, pace expectations, core values, and prioritization will prepare everyone to work together effectively and in harmony.