Right Person, Right Seat

1. Hire, review, and fire by your Core Values. When screening candidates for an open seat, use the interview process to determine whether the applicant is a solid cultural fit. During quarterly review sessions (we call them Quarterly Discussions), have a conversation about the team member’s demonstration of the organization’s Core Values. Lastly, when you’ve determined that someone is the wrong person for the company, the best thing for all parties is to help them find a better opportunity.

2. Operate with an agreements-based culture. Establishing clear agreements ensures we’re all on the same page about who we are, what we do, and why and how we do it. An agreements-based culture fosters high-trust relationships between team members and the company. Agreements-based cultures promote collaboration and create solutions out of Issues.

3. Communicate the organization’s Compelling Why to team members and candidates. Understanding your Compelling Why helps prospective team members understand how their work would support the organization’s vision. At Ninety, we sincerely believe that the purpose of life is to make life better. Sharing your passion for actualizing your organization’s dreams shows your current team members and prospective candidates that your company has a purpose beyond profit.

4. Use assessments to gain insight into a potential hire’s creative motivators and preferences (such as personality and natural instincts). For example, at Ninety, we leverage several Kolbe Corp tools to ensure that a candidate’s problem-solving preferences match well with the type of work associated with their Seat. Assessments help leaders better understand candidates’ work and communication style preferences. Since we share these preferences in our personal bios and include them in our Zoom names, everyone within the organization better understands everyone around them. We discuss these tools in our Assessments Brief.

Clearly detail each Seat’s roles, accountabilities, and responsibilities.
Document what each Seat is responsible for within your organization using Ninety’s Org Chart tool. This tool allows everyone in the organization to understand how they fit into the bigger picture. It also allows everyone to discover who owns various responsibilities, leading to more effective communication.

Provide meaningful feedback consistently.
Don’t wait for annual reviews to check in with team members. At Ninety, we recommend meeting one-on-one at least quarterly, and more often during times of growth or change. We use the 1-on-1 tool to facilitate healthy conversations between team leaders and their team members. These regular conversations allow us to ensure that the right person is in the right Seat and receiving the support they need to thrive there.