Hiring for “culture-fit”. Seriously? What does this even mean?

This whole notion felt strange to me a few years ago.

After working with and observing founders across five different industries, it has slowly started making sense.

I now understand why there is a separate “culture round” with founders. Why forming a team is more than simply identifying people with the right skill set.

Every team has its own unique characteristics and group energy. A vibe.

People can be unique in their own ways, but when they come together as a whole, they lead to something greater than the sum of its parts. It is this whole that the founders tastefully create and nurture.

Especially at companies in the 0-1 stage.

One thing is for sure: Culture is more than the values on the office walls. It is more than leave policy, work timings, etc.

And more than the Friday-Fun activities and off-sites. (Sorry HR teams, it is what it is)

In fact, culture is about everything in between:

How is a good day celebrated?

What happens when monthly revenue targets are not hit?

How is a new team member integrated into the environment?

How is someone fired from the company?

Culture is about the unspoken, unwritten rules within the community.

Something you only understand after interacting and spending time in that particular environment.

And no one understands this better than the founder. They can gauge how a person will interact with the smallest element of the culture within the company.

Every culture is its own bubble. This bubble has to reach places. And to keep the bubble afloat, it becomes important to let the right people in without letting it burst into obscurity.

Of course, this whole “culture-fit” hiring thing can backfire if it masks an unconscious bias and compounds in the wrong direction.

But that is for another day.