Culture fit and character is much harder to hire than experience, skills or education
“I gravitate towards applicants who are in touch with ‘human elements’ including the ability to connect, be resilient, and determined rather than on educational pedigree.” David Solomon – CEO of Goldman Sachs
Would you hire an applicant with a virtually blank CV? I bet not. But that’s what Steven Bartlett, the founder and host of “The Diary of a CEO” podcast did. Asked why, this is what Bartlett had to say, “I hired someone who’s CV was two lines. Their experience was zero. Much of the reason why I gave her the job was because: She thanked the security guard by name on the way into the room.” According to him, she showed acts of humility, whilst proving herself in small ways too. One example he gave was where when she didn’t’ know something in the interview; she responded “Honestly, I don’t know that yet, but here’s how I’d figure it out.” Bartlett explained. “After the interview she went and self-taught herself the answer she didn’t know, and emailed it to me within hours.
Steven Bartlett took a chance on the experience-less candidate, and it didn’t take long to pay off. Six months later, she had proved herself as one of the best hires he’s ever made, he claimed. “Fifteen years of hiring has taught me that culture fit and character is much harder to hire than experience, skills or education.”
Danny Meyer, the founder of Shake Shack, a global fast-casual chain seeks talent that posses a high “hospitality quotient” (HQ) over (IQ). Like the female candidate who Steven Bartlett hired – someone who barely had an impressive CV. Meyer told an interviewer last year that he really didn’t give a damn what one’s IQ is, going on to briefly explain “What an IQ basically says is one’s aptitude for learning. What HQ is the degree to which someone is happier themselves when they provide happiness for someone else.”
Differentiation through feelings
In a world where skills can be easily replicated, the ability to make others feel good and genuinely cared for can be an inexpensive differentiator that sets an organization apart.
Richard Coraineco – founder of Union Square Hospitality group made an interesting distinction when he said “To me, a customer is a statistic, but a guest is a relationship. We look at people as guests, and that puts us in the host mindset, which is why we put the welcome mat out metaphorically in the first place. We welcome you in and once you’re in, you’re under our care.”
“Welcome” is one of the most powerful words in hospitality. It cannot be misunderstood. When it is said with true feeling accompanied with a genuine smile; it carries warmth that transcends mere invitation. It is a gesture of hospitality wrapped in sincerity, where one is not just offering someone a room in one’s hotel or a seat at one’s restaurant; it’s about extending an embrace (hug) that says they belong. It’s always about: we’re here to make your day happy and when we do that that, it makes us happy too. These ambassadors of hospitality posses a high HQ implanted in their hearts and fashion the culture of hospitality in the organisation.
However, there are those who greet guests without truly meaning it - because they have to do it (not because they want to). Missing is the welcoming vibe and positive body language including non-verbal cues such as a genuine smile, eye contact and an upright and open posture. These mood killers as we call them, can be toxic – silently killing positivity in the workplace, shutting real progress.
In a world where skills can be easily replicated, the ability to make others feel good and genuinely cared for can be an inexpensive differentiator that sets an organization apart. However, let me leave you with a statement of caution: Danny Meyer said “People are not machines. If you are somebody who gives to others, and you’re tired and working your sixth day and 14th hour, you’re out of gas. How can you possibly share your joy with somebody if you’re exhausted? Try to put people in a position where they can give their best, always. And that means looking at them as human beings first and professionals second.”
Shafeek Wahab - Editor, Hospitality Sri Lanka, Consultant, Trainer, Motivational Speaker, Mystery Guest Auditor, Ex-Hotelier
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