Two Success Factors for Recruiting Great Employees
The success of a leader and an organization rises and falls with its people. That’s why you should pay special attention to the kind of individuals you recruit. Logically, this means investing significant time and energy in finding the best candidates. Yet in practice, recruitment processes often yield uncertain results. The main reason: there is a lack of clarity about which people best fit the organization or your team.
For successful recruitment, you essentially need clarity on two decisive factors: the values that you and the organization embody, and the behaviors through which these values are consciously expressed and lived out in everyday business life.
What Values Does Your Organization Embody?
I receive very different answers to this question. Some employees and managers list a wide range of values they’ve heard somewhere, ending up with a list of over 30. Others simply shrug, unsure what values really mean—let alone which ones are actually practiced in the organization.
Let’s be honest: if your employees were asked on the spot, could they all name the values that guide your company? If not, it may be because those values are little more than attractive buzzwords, not lived realities.
Outwardly, a company’s aspirations are often visible—on websites, in presentations, or on social media. But corporate values should be just as present for employees. Ideally, they are paired with a living company culture. Alongside sustainability and diversity, traditional values like reliability, openness, and mutual appreciation must also have their place.
Values are important—not only for individuals, but also for organizations. They give employees guidance in their daily actions. To be effective, the number of core values should be kept as small as possible: in line with the “less is more” principle, ideally no more than three.
These values should be lived consistently across every level of the hierarchy and be tangible to customers. This isn’t about choosing fashionable words that merely sound impressive. It’s about values that reflect the true core of the organization—values that are part of its DNA and championed wholeheartedly.
Values should always be present in employees’ mindsets and authentically modeled by leaders. They don’t need to flash in giant capital letters during every presentation or be emblazoned on every office wall. Nor must they dominate intranet pages. What matters is that the organization’s core values are clearly defined and actively lived.
Behaviors Within the Organization
Typically, there are around 8 to 12 behaviors that make company values visible and tangible. They describe how things are done: how communication takes place—face-to-face, in video calls, or by email—how people treat each other in meetings, and how they support one another.
This level of clarity creates alignment, even in large organizations. Whether employees have internalized these behaviors can be determined through quarterly reviews and employee discussions.
I know of a very successful company that honors employees every quarter for exemplifying key behaviors. To reinforce these behaviors, companies can offer targeted training, and leaders are encouraged to regularly remind employees of the desired behaviors and demonstrate them themselves.
Clarity in the Recruitment Process
Once values and behaviors are clearly defined, recruitment can be carried out much more effectively and precisely. You can quickly and clearly see whether candidates already embody the values and behaviors or not.
Integrating values allows both sides to better assess the match between company and applicant. This pays off in the long term. While a high salary or attractive benefits might be appealing at first, they alone cannot sustain engagement and motivation. Only shared values and behaviors can.
Advantages of Values-Based Recruiting
- Stronger employer branding. Companies should not only integrate their values into hiring but also communicate them externally, showcasing company culture on their website or social media. This gives potential applicants a clear sense of their future work environment.
- Efficient matching saves resources. Hiring can take months, and it’s costly if a new employee leaves during the probation period because their values don’t fit. Values-based recruiting helps ensure precise matching from the start or can tip the scales between two equally qualified candidates.
- Shared values foster team spirit. When employees share company values and culture, they often pursue common goals. This strengthens colleague relationships, boosts morale, and reduces absenteeism, as everyone works together to overcome challenges.
- A positive environment delivers positive results. Employees who identify with company values are more committed. They feel connected to the organization and strive to achieve meaningful results, increasing productivity and creating happier customers.
- Stronger retention through shared values. A Gallup study shows that 73% of German employees plan to change jobs within a year. Values-based recruiting can counter this trend and retain talent long term. When employees feel appreciated, they tend to stay, enabling the company to invest in their professional development—a win-win situation.
If you’d like to learn more about recruiting great employees as a leader and how your leadership style can help them stay, I recommend my book The Hero’s Journey of a Leader – How to Become the Best Version of Yourself as a Leader.