As a new founder, when hiring a team for the first time, I’ve been grappling with issues of cultural fit, mindset fit, and experience fit. What are the criteria?
Based on everything I’ve learned from launching Trumpet, a B2B sales platform, culture fit is about identifying people with similar interests, attitudes to life, hobbies, personality dynamics, and ways of interacting with others. I believe in hiring.
In a nutshell, if you put this group of people around the dinner table, would they be able to relate to each other, chat comfortably, and innately develop friendships? It is important to note that this does not mean hiring someone of exactly the same , race, or background. I think that’s the trap people think they need to fall into when hiring based on ‘culture’.
But is corporate culture the right approach for a fast-growing company? Instead of just considering cultural fit, I believe startups should also consider another approach: mindset fit.
What is Mindset Fit?
Mindset fit sits alongside cultural fit, but focuses more on what employees want from their jobs and how much they enjoy working to achieve their goals. Do they want to grow as fast as the company? Are they willing to take risks? Are they okay with failing and learning? Do they have a passion for improvement? Are they self starters?
There may be two people who are very similar from a cultural point of view, but the answers to these questions can be very different.
From the employee’s point of view, it is very important to fit into the company’s culture. Company culture is an important factor for her 46% of job seekers, with millennials prioritizing “people and cultural fit” above all else. We find that job specifications give as much weight to the job itself as it does to perks and company culture.
At Trumpet, we created a concept document outlining not only our corporate culture, but our values as a founder and company. It’s a nice crossroads between “perks” and what we as people and managers actually stand for.
All of this falls apart when recruited solely on education and prior experience. Of course, some roles require some experience. But when a college degree or years on the job are the only checkboxes, I think you’re ready for a downfall.
A team should always be able to work together and work together to be successful, regardless of individual member talents. There are similar parallels in sports where winning teams have not just his one superstar, but a very dedicated employee whose performance is 202% better than his.
Binh University Degree
My two co-founders, Nick Telson and Andrew Webster, decided to develop a fit of culture and mindset above all else in their previous venture, DesignMyNight.
This has resulted in teams that can work together, socialize together, and in some cases even live together. We were all on the same page, we all had the same attitude of working hard and playing hard, and we were able to communicate effectively as a team and move the company forward in a positive direction.
Of course, not all employees always want to socialize or be best friends with their fellow teammates. As long as they don’t let the rest of the team down or look down on people who are social, that’s fine. Anyway, non-work friendship groups get the same thing. People who want to socialize non-stop or who want to come and go more.
I’d like to see a similar concept for the trumpet, but put mindset compatibility above all else and trash cultural compatibility and college degrees.
Being able to do the job effectively is the big green checkmark, but no if nothing else. The first 10 hires will develop close bonds, be able to give each other candid feedback, disagree with each other and ultimately band together to ensure that every decision is not about the ego but about what is for the company. It should be understood that it is based on what is best.
My job as co-founder is to hire the right people to fit this mold and create a culture that allows us all to thrive as a unit.
Rory Sadler is the co-founder and CEO of Trumpet.
