Cultural Fit and Career Success

I think we can all agree that hiring for culture FIT is old news. But here’s why we also need to reconsider just hiring for culture add/contribution too. For years, business leaders have focused on cultural fit, aiming to bring in people who seamlessly blend with an organisation's existing values and behaviours. In more recent years, the concept of hiring for culture add or contribution has gained more traction. This approach is all about hiring people who not only fit but also enhance the existing culture by bringing in their diverse perspectives and new ideas. This shift has been crucial for fostering innovation and creating more inclusive workplaces. However, I've learned that there's an even more crucial element for us to consider. CULTURAL ADAPTABILITY While writing Let’s Talk Culture, I was fortunate to interview Sameer Srivastava, an Associate Professor at UC Berkeley’s Haas School of Business. Sameer’s research, which analysed over 10 million pieces of internal communication, revealed a fascinating trend. The study tracked how employees adapted to different cultural conventions over time and the consequences of these adaptations on their career trajectories. Employees who demonstrated high adaptability, even with initially low cultural fit, significantly outperformed their peers in the long run. They received more promotions, favourable performance evaluations, higher bonuses, and had fewer involuntary departures. Can the people you hire evolve with your culture? In my culture study, 81% of leaders said their culture is dynamic and changes from one day to the next. Change is a certainty. It makes sense to hire people who can adapt with the culture as it changes over time, not just those who can fit in with the culture as it is. If we recruit adaptable people, we'll build a team that can thrive in any environment.

We hired a Senior developer with an impeccable resume and brilliant technical skills. Within three months, two team members were threatening to quit. The technical interview had been flawless—our new hire solved complex problems with elegant solutions, knew our tech stack inside out, and had an impressive portfolio. What we failed to evaluate was cultural fit. The issues emerged quickly: 😒 refused to participate in code reviews unless forced 😒 regularly interrupted junior team members during discussions 😒 worked in isolation, creating solutions without consulting stakeholders 😒 dismissed design documentation as "a waste of time" Despite technical brilliance, the team's velocity actually decreased. The collaborative environment we'd built was deteriorating. The painful lesson: technical excellence without cultural alignment is ultimately destructive. Now, client's cultural fit assessment is as rigorous as their technical evaluation. Some approaches that have worked for us: ✅ include diverse team members in the interview process ✅ create scenarios that test collaboration, not just technical knowledge >> "How would you approach onboarding a new junior developer to your project?" >> "Tell me about a time you received feedback on your code that you disagreed with." ✅ be explicit about your values and expectations ✅ have candidates walk through how they've handled specific situations that align with your team's challenges What strategies have you found effective for evaluating cultural fit in technical hires? Have you ever experienced a similar situation? #TechHiring #CulturalFit #TechTeams

The last company I co-founded won 20+ culture awards, including Forbes' Top 100. But here's what most don't realize: Great culture isn't about ping pong tables or free snacks (although those are awesome perks). We wouldn’t have been able to take my last company public if not for the culture. Even though we were just a small company on the coast of North Carolina, we were able to: - Hire top tech talent - the kind you might see at FAANG. - Early on retain employees 2x as long compared to most tech companies - Win new customers because they liked us (for real) That’s because when culture is done right, it creates specific behaviors that drive real business results. Here are a 3 KEY cultural behaviors that I've pulled into Raleon (and shared with other startups). // 1. Speed as a moat At Raleon, our company mantra for this is: Why not today? There are few things as disruptive as moving faster than your competitors. Example: Early on at nCino, a $500K ACV prospect needed a crucial feature we didn't have related to underwriting. Most companies would've said “we'll add it to the roadmap.' and moved on. Instead, the team put in the time and I was in a McDonald's parking lot the morning of the demo making final configuration touches before we walked in. We won the deal that afternoon. // 2. Ruthless cultural fit Cultural fit doesn’t happen by accident. The hiring process should always have 1 interview dedicated to cultural fit. It shouldn’t matter how skilled or experienced the person is if they’re not the right fit. But here’s the thing - hiring the wrong person WILL happen. That’s not what will kill your culture though. Not acting when you realize you hired the wrong person will. Nothing demotivates a team like seeing their leader unwilling to remove someone from the team that doesn’t fit. That’s why my rule of thumb is move fast. We’re talking 30 days from realizing they’re probably the wrong fit to some kind of action (this gets harder as the co gets bigger). // 3. One team mindset Companies move and grow quickly when everyone is aligned. Nothing slows down progress, kills culture, and drives me crazy like finger-pointing and departmental silos. An easy way to know if you’re not in a one-team mindset: You have department heads fighting for their "area" more than what's best for the company. The mentality should be we’re all in this together. That’s why I’ve always been a fan of the “We’re all in…” phrase: - Sales needs help? We're all in sales - Customer success swamped? We're all in customer success - Product pushing a key feature? We're all in product When culture is done well it's not building a family, it's creating a winning sports team. And that team becomes one of your biggest competitive advantages.

If you’re a senior-level CPA or finance exec exploring new opportunities, you already know the market is competitive—but here’s an often-overlooked consideration: ➡️ Culture fit isn’t just the company’s concern. It should be yours, too. ⬅️ When stepping into a new CPA firm or a CFO/Controller/VP of Finance role, your leadership style will shape the tone of the assurance, tax or finance function. And if that tone doesn’t align with the company’s culture? It won’t matter how impressive your resume or interview skills are - you may have a short tenure. 🤔 Culture misalignment is one of the top reasons executive level hires don’t work out long-term. Even if the numbers add up, misalignment in expectations, communication, or decision-making pace can wear down both sides. ℹ️ So how do you protect your long-term success? ➡️       Ask questions about leadership tenure & dynamics during interviews. ➡️       Look beyond compensation—what’s the company’s plan for growth management? Does the company have a value statement? ➡️       Reflect on your own leadership style: Do you empower or direct? Are you process-oriented or agile? How will this fit with the role for which you are applying? The goal isn’t just to land any role. It’s to land the right role—one where you can thrive, grow, and stay a good long time. 📈 As an experienced recruiter, I’ve seen it time and again: the most successful placements happen when candidates are just as focused on fit as they are on function. When the candidates’ career growth plans and management style are aligned with the company’s thesis and culture. So don’t just interview for a new employer and team. Work to understand the environment. That’s where long-term impact begins. #cpacareers #jobinterview #companyculture

𝗖𝘂𝗹𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗮𝗹 𝗱𝗶𝗳𝗳𝗲𝗿𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲𝘀 𝗮𝗿𝗲𝗻'𝘁 𝗯𝗮𝗿𝗿𝗶𝗲𝗿𝘀. 𝗧𝗵𝗲𝘆'𝗿𝗲 𝗼𝗽𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁𝘂𝗻𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗲𝘀. But only if you know how to decode them. I recently had a coaching session that highlighted this perfectly. 𝗛𝗲𝗿𝗲'𝘀 𝘄𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗵𝗮𝗽𝗽𝗲𝗻𝗲𝗱: A client was struggling with her boss. The issue? Cultural miscommunication. The boss was Dutch. My client was from Asia. Two different cultural backgrounds colliding. 𝗛𝗲𝗿𝗲'𝘀 𝘄𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘄𝗲 𝘂𝗻𝗰𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗿𝗲𝗱: 1. 𝗖𝘂𝗹𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗮𝗹 𝗖𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗲𝘅𝘁 • The boss's communication style was typically Dutch • Direct, which can seem harsh to other cultures 2. 𝗠𝗶𝘀𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗽𝗿𝗲𝘁𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 • My client saw it as personal criticism • In reality, it was cultural norm difference 3. 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗦𝗼𝗹𝘂𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 • Understanding the cultural context • Adapting communication styles 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗿𝗲𝘀𝘂𝗹𝘁? • Clarity in communication • Improved working relationship • Enhanced job satisfaction Once we put the cultural puzzle pieces in place, everything changed. My client learned to "speak Dutch" professionally. The takeaway? Cultural intelligence isn't just nice to have. It's a critical tool for career success. 𝗪𝗮𝗻𝘁 𝘁𝗼 𝗱𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗹𝗼𝗽 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗰𝘂𝗹𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗮𝗹 𝗱𝗲𝗰𝗼𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘀𝗸𝗶𝗹𝗹𝘀? Watch my LinkedIn Live: "Build Your Global Leadership Edge: Cultural Intelligence for Team Success" 👉 https://lnkd.in/e3udvtik Learn how to turn cultural challenges into career opportunities. Now, I'm curious: Have you ever had an "aha" moment about cultural differences at work? Share your story in the comments. Let's build our collective cultural intelligence together. 𝗣.𝗦. 𝗧𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗸 𝗮𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝗮 𝘁𝗶𝗺𝗲 𝘄𝗵𝗲𝗻 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗺𝗶𝘀𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗽𝗿𝗲𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝘀𝗼𝗺𝗲𝗼𝗻𝗲'𝘀 𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 𝗱𝘂𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝗰𝘂𝗹𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗮𝗹 𝗱𝗶𝗳𝗳𝗲𝗿𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲𝘀. 𝗛𝗼𝘄 𝗱𝗶𝗱 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗿𝗲𝘀𝗼𝗹𝘃𝗲 𝗶𝘁?