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Transcript

Forget Skills—Here’s What You Should Really Hire For · The Science of Leading

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  Hey everyone-welcome back to The Science of Leading.
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  I'm Claire Monroe, and yup, Edwin Carrington is here with me,
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  as always.
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  So today, we're getting into something that I-honestly-wish someone had
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  explained to me, like, way earlier in my career.
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  Hiring for fit...
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  not just for skills.
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  Edwin, I feel like this is one of those things that
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  sounds simple, but people mess it up all the time.
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  Why is that?
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  Because, Claire, most hiring still revolves around what's
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  on paper-CVs, credentials, polished interviews.
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  We look for the "right experience" and just hope that means the person's
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  gonna thrive.
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  But, as we've talked about before,
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  that totally skips what actually drives long-term success-cultural and
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  behavioral fit.
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  You can have a team of A-players on paper...
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  but if they don't sync with your company's values or work style?
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  You'll get friction.
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  Disengagement.
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  And yeah-people leaving sooner than you planned.
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  Ohhh,
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  I've definitely lived that.
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  My first job after college?
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  This tiny startup-super cool product,
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  super smart team, tons of responsibility.
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  But like...
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  I just didn't fit.
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  The pace was nonstop, and everyone kind of thrived in that chaos.
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  I'm more of a plan-it-out person,
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  and I remember feeling totally off from,
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  like, day one.
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  I think I lasted six months?
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  It wasn't my skillset.
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  It just...
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  wasn't my environment.
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  That's a textbook example.
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  And you're not alone.
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  There's a lot of data showing that poor fit-not poor ability-is one of
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  the biggest reasons talented people walk away.
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  Companies like Zappos and
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  Patagonia actually lead with fit.
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  Zappos even offers new hires a bonus to quit if they realize early on
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  the culture isn't right for them.
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  Why?
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  Because they'd rather part ways early than force a mismatch onto the
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  team.
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  That's...
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  kind of wild.
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  But also-yeah-it makes so much sense.
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  And Patagonia,
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  too, right?
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  They're, like, super clear about their values-sustainability,
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  activism, all of that.
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  It's not just,
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  "Are you good at the job?" It's,
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  "Do you believe what we believe?"Exactly.
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  When you hire for fit, you're building a team that aligns on more than
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  just ability.
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  It's about shared values,
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  shared ways of working.
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  Skills can be taught.
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  But if someone doesn't align with how you operate
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  or what you stand for...
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  it's a much tougher fix.
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  Okay-so if CVs and interviews aren't enough...
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  then how do you figure out if someone's a fit?
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  That's what I really wanna get into next.
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  First step?
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  You've gotta define what "fit" actually means for your organization.
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  Before
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  you even write the job post, you need clarity on your core values,
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  your company culture, what makes your team your team.
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  Are you scrappy
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  and fast-paced?
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  Or more structured and deliberate?
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  Without that clarity-it's almost impossible
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  to recognize the right fit when you see it.
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  Right,
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  so it's not just about the candidate,
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  it's about knowing yourself as a company.
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  I feel like a lot of leaders
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  skip that part and just kind of...
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  hope it works out.
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  They do.
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  And then they get frustrated later on.
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  Once you've nailed down your culture,
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  you can weave it into every step of the hiring process.
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  Behavioral interview
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  questions are a great place to start-like,
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  "Tell me about a time you had to navigate a team conflict."Those kinds
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  of questions show you how someone works-not just what they know.
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  Oh yeah,
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  we talked about this way back in our first episode-the whole idea that
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  how you work matters just as much as what you know.
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  But even with great
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  questions, it's easy to miss stuff,
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  right?
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  That's where OAD's fit assessments come in?
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  Exactly.
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  OAD uses behavioral science to measure traits like adaptability,
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  communication style, emotional intelligence.
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  It gives you a deeper look-beyond
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  the interview and the credentials-to figure out if someone will actually
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  thrive in your environment.
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  It's not about creating carbon copies.
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  It's about finding people whose strengths complement the team and who
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  share your core values.
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  I love that.
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  And I know you've mentioned trial projects,
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  too.
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  Why do you put so much emphasis on those?
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  Because anyone can sound great
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  in an interview.
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  But a trial project?
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  It gives you real-world evidence.
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  It doesn't have
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  to be huge-just a small assignment,
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  something practical.
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  You see how they communicate.
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  Do they ask smart questions?
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  Take initiative?
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  Do they own it?
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  It's one of the clearest ways to see fit in action-especially
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  for high-stakes roles.
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  Yeah, that totally makes sense.
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  Like...
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  you wouldn't buy a car without a test drive,
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  right?
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  So why hire someone without seeing them in motion?
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  Exactly.
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  And when you stack those steps-defining your culture,
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  using behavioral interviews, fit assessments,
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  trial projects-you massively increase your odds of building a team that
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  actually sticks.
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  Okay, cool-so let's say you do find someone who's a great
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  fit.
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  Now comes the next part: keeping them that way.
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  That's where onboarding
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  comes in, right?
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  That's right.
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  Onboarding is your moment to double down on your culture and values.
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  It's
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  not just paperwork and logins-it's how you help people feel like they
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  belong.
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  From day one, they should understand how their work connects to
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  the bigger mission.
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  Totally.
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  I read that Google's onboarding process is,
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  like, legendary for that.
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  They don't just toss you in-they assign mentors,
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  set clear goals, and help you feel plugged in right away.
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  And that's probably
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  a big reason why their teams are so aligned.
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  Absolutely.
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  Great onboarding drives engagement,
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  performance, retention.
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  But-it also helps you spot red flags early.
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  If
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  a new hire isn't connecting, or resists feedback,
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  or seems checked out...Those are signs you should pay attention to.
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  Have
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  honest conversations.
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  Offer support.
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  And if needed-rethink the role or even the fit.
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  So it's not just about
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  hiring-it's about setting people up to thrive.
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  And if things go off course,
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  being willing to adapt or make a change.
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  I love that.
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  It feels like this
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  whole process-defining fit, assessing it,
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  reinforcing it through onboarding-that's what separates high-performing
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  teams from the rest.
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  That's it, Claire.
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  Fit isn't a box you check during hiring.
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  It's a long-term strategy.
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  When
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  you get it right-you build teams that are aligned,
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  engaged, and ready to grow together.
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  Well...
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  I think that's the perfect place to wrap it for today.
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  Thanks,
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  Edwin, as always.
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  And to everyone listening-If you're curious how this all works in practice,
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  definitely check out o-a-d dot a-i.
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  You can book a free demo and see how
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  fit-focused tools-like behavioral assessments-can transform your hiring.
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  We'll
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  be back soon with more on building stronger teams and smarter workplaces.
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  Edwin,
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  always a pleasure.
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  Always a pleasure,
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  Claire.
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  Take care, everyone-and talk soon.