Looking for a Unique Way to Describe Your Culture? Try This

Last week I was talking to the owner of a restaurant downtown that was working to hire the best people to join his team. He noted that while most people that came through the door with a resume in their hand had the skills for the job, not all of them were a fit for the team. Sound familiar?

He then shared with me that he had a team of highly communicative people that valued integrity, respect, and honesty. His team was there for each other, put each other first, and truly valued collaboration. Sound familiar? He was telling me the same things many other organizations would say about their people and not setting his restaurant apart.

Instead of asking him to dive deeper, I asked him what he didn’t like about the competition across the street. I wanted to hear what he though wouldn’t work here that was present elsewhere. By understanding what he didn’t like about other restaurants, it would be easier to understand what was true about their team.

He shared with me that the restaurant across the street was full of ego, flash, and glamour. He didn’t like the ‘peacocking’ that occurred and the tension people felt to be on their best and seemingly on display. While he recognized it worked for the always-busy restaurant, it wasn’t what was right for him.

And this is the key. When looking to bring on the next best person, try to focus on what your teamisn’t, not just what it is. Think about the things your competitors or people are doing in a different sector are doing that you don’t like.

For example, instead of saying we are a serious company that gets sh*t done like many, many other companies do, consider saying something along the lines of ‘while we don’t have ball pits and nap pods and rarely goof around, our people tell us that their happiness comes through the goals we accomplish together and the great impact we make.’ By stating that there isn’t a ball pit, pool table, or nap pod like some people might hope or expect, we don’t just attract people that don’t want those perks, we detract those that do.

Considering the times we’re living in today, and the unfortunate reality of employment across the country, I believe there is a silver lining: if we can take this time to truly understand what it is that makes our company and teams unique, that the people we bring on next won’t just be qualified to do the job, but that they will have the understanding of what they’ll be signing up for before stepping in the door.

If we want to build tomorrow’s greatest places to work, it is imperative that we understand and articulate not just who we are, but who we aren’t as well. The more information we have and share, the more educated our next best employee will be before they step into the position.

Questions to ponder: