You can train skills. You can’t train attitude.
That’s the difference between a team that works and a team that wins.
Startups, companies, and leaders often fall for the same trap. They chase resumes. They get impressed by degrees, titles, and buzzwords. Then, six months later, they wonder why things feel off. The answer is simple: the culture doesn’t match.
Hiring the right team has nothing to do with how perfect someone looks on paper. Long-term success comes from how people show up, work together, and deal with stress—not what’s printed on their LinkedIn.
Why Culture Should Come First
A strong culture doesn’t just look good. It saves time, reduces turnover, and helps teams move faster with less drama.
According to a 2023 report by LinkedIn, 89% of hiring failures come down to attitude and cultural mismatch—not lack of skill. Another study by Gallup found that companies with high cultural alignment have 33% higher revenue per employee.
You can have the most experienced hire in the room. But if they’re a bad fit, they’ll cost you more than they bring.
Credentials Don’t Predict Behaviour
Resumes don’t tell you how someone acts under pressure. They don’t show how well they take feedback, handle conflict, or support others.
Mark Stephen McCollum once shared that he hired a leadership team based on experience alone. “They had the right background, but the wrong mindset,” he said. “They never connected with the people. I had to rebuild the team from scratch.”
That mistake taught him a lesson: alignment beats appearance.
What Culture Fit Really Means
Culture fit doesn’t mean everyone looks the same or agrees on everything. It means people share core values—things like:
- Taking ownership
- Being honest when something goes wrong
- Supporting each other
- Staying calm under pressure
- Asking for help
It’s not about personality. It’s about behaviour.
The best teams are made of different types of people who work toward the same kind of outcome.
Ask the Right Questions
If you want to hire for culture, stop asking about goals. Start asking about habits.
Try questions like:
- Tell me about a time you had to admit you were wrong.
- How do you respond when a teammate misses a deadline?
- What’s one work situation you would never want to be in again?
- What do you look for in a manager?
- How do you handle stress when no one’s watching?
These questions get past the surface. They show how people think and behave.
The Hidden Cost of a Bad Hire
A bad culture hire doesn’t just slow you down. It sets the tone for everyone else.
One negative employee can cause good people to leave. They can make communication harder. They create second-guessing. Energy goes into managing emotions, not doing the actual work.
According to the U.S. Department of Labor, a bad hire can cost up to 30% of the employee’s annual salary. And that doesn’t include the energy lost or damage to team morale.
Hiring someone for the wrong reasons is expensive—emotionally and financially.
Training Is More Effective with the Right People
Hiring someone who shares your values makes training easier. You don’t have to fight them to learn. You just have to guide them.
People with strong cultural alignment pick things up faster because they care. They listen. They adjust. They’re not trying to prove they’re smarter. They’re trying to be better.
It’s hard to train someone who doesn’t want to be part of your system. Even if they’re experienced, they’ll resist change, hold on to old habits, and avoid feedback.
Start with attitude. The rest will follow.
Onboard with Culture in Mind
Your onboarding process should teach more than job duties. It should teach how your team communicates, solves problems, and makes decisions.
Use your first week to show—not tell—what your culture looks like:
- Invite new hires to observe team meetings
- Walk them through past conflicts and how they were resolved
- Let them shadow someone who shows the values you expect
- Give them feedback early, even on small things
First impressions matter. Show them what “good” looks like in your world.
Promote from Inside When Possible
Nothing builds long-term success like loyalty. And nothing creates loyalty like opportunity.
If someone inside your team is coachable, committed, and respected, invest in them. Give them chances to lead, even in small ways. Let them run a meeting. Handle a decision. Own a result.
Experience is great, but shared history is better. Promoting from within builds trust and signals to the rest of the team that growth is possible.
Fire Fast, But Fair
Sometimes, it’s not a fit. That’s okay. But dragging it out only makes things worse.
If someone breaks your values, creates conflict, or refuses to grow, make a clear decision. Don’t hide behind paperwork or performance plans that go nowhere.
Be respectful. Be direct. End things clearly.
Keeping the wrong person for too long sends the wrong message to the team. It says, “We care more about not rocking the boat than protecting the culture.”
You can’t afford that.
Building for the Long Game
The teams that last aren’t built from perfect resumes. They’re built from shared trust, consistent actions, and strong alignment.
You can’t teach someone to care. You can’t force someone to take responsibility. But you can spot those things early—if you’re paying attention.
Look past credentials. Look for people who ask questions, take feedback well, and want to grow.
Those are the people who will show up on the hard days. Those are the people who will build your business right alongside you.
And those are the people you won’t find by only looking at paper.
