Improving Our Team Culture

When ArcLight managers became frustrated with their current hiring process, they sought out new resources and developed a strategy that not only improved their hiring outcomes but also had a significant impact on enhancing work culture.

Pulling Together

“We have got to figure out our hiring process,” Giana exclaimed, her voice filled with determination. “Yeah, I agree,” Jacob responded, nodding emphatically. “We devote a considerable amount of time to our entire hiring process, and we need to bring in some real winners. You know, hit some home runs.”

Michael chimed in, his frustration evident, “Well, I for one am tired of onboarding new employees only to soon discover that it isn’t a good fit for the employee or us.”

And so it began! The three managers, Giana, Jacob, and Michael, eagerly scheduled their first in-person meeting to brainstorm how they could revolutionize their hiring process. The atmosphere was somewhat tense but also charged with anticipation. Giana, brimming with energy, wrote these pivotal questions on the whiteboard:

• What problems are we encountering with our current process?
• How do we improve our hiring process outcomes?
• Where do we go from here?

The team buzzed with ideas, swiftly identifying a list of issues with the current process. They realized they needed more comprehensive information about candidates who were invited back for additional interviews. They also pondered if their close involvement in the process was causing them to overlook key information.

“Let’s invite Jeff to our next meeting and get his input,” Michael suggested, his eyes lighting up with inspiration. “He’s one of our more seasoned team members and will likely have some good insights for us.”

No one was surprised when Jeff quickly accepted the invitation and offered to bring bagels to the meeting. As the team enjoyed the scrumptious bagels, Giana keenly summarized the team’s first meeting results. “That is a lot of useful information,” Jeff remarked, clearly impressed. “And those are some insightful observations on how to improve the hiring process.”

Jeff actively probed the team, pushing them to delve deeper into their key observations. His enthusiasm was contagious, sparking a lively discussion.

Giana continued, “We want competent people who really want to be here and are striving to grow in this industry, and we also need staff members who can relate well to our clients.” The team nodded with approval, knowing that all employees experience much phone time with customers, especially the Help Desk. “And our clients typically only call us when they are experiencing a problem,” Michael added, “so there is usually already some frustration, at least minimally, and our team must be able to relate to the caller’s emotional aspect.”  

Jacob, having just polished off his second bagel and refilled his blue coffee mug, quickly jumped into the conversation with excitement. “Yeah, some of those emotionally charged conversations can be tough to handle. I think we need to continue using those as case studies for ongoing training,” he added. While stepping back to better scan the ideas written on the board, Jacob observed, “While we have a lot of great ideas on how to improve our current process, I am still wondering if we are missing any key pieces?”

Michael, with a thoughtful expression, cautiously approached the topic of work culture. He wondered aloud if they should also dedicate time to discussing how work culture and hiring are connected. “What does our work culture look like and what is a healthy work culture?” he asked.

Improving Work Culture

After a brief break to top off everyone’s morning beverages, the team reconvened with renewed energy. They launched into a focused discussion about the elements of a healthy work environment, their voices filled with passion and determination. The room buzzed with new ideas.

The team also decided to research components of a healthy team. In their quest for quality resources, the team quickly discovered Patrick Lencioni’s book, The Ideal Team Player. Upon reviewing the outline, the team suddenly realized they had found a valuable guide to help them shape their work culture vision. The team agreed to read or listen to Lencioni’s book and set a date to reconvene.

When the team reconvened three weeks later, there was an obvious new lift in the air. Jeff kicked things off with an open-ended question, “What did you think of the book?” The responses were enthusiastic! Everyone loved the fable storytelling approach, finding it incredibly relatable and insightful. The characters’ journeys mirrored their own experiences, making the lessons hit home even harder. The practical application section was a goldmine of takeaways that everyone was eager to discuss.

The conversation naturally flowed to the “Three Virtues” section. Jeff, sensing the importance of this part, slowed things down and asked each team member to reflect deeply on what Lencioni meant by “humble, hungry, and smart.” The room was filled with nods of agreement about the blending of all three virtues. This combination, they agreed, is the secret sauce for any successful company.

After a quick break to refill their coffee and tea, the group reconvened, brimming with ideas. They wrapped up by summarizing the key points discussed and planning their next steps. There was a unanimous decision to delve deeper into each of the three virtues. They all agreed to ponder more on what it truly means to be humble, hungry, and smart, and how they could actively incorporate these virtues into their hiring process. The excitement was tangible as they looked forward to the positive changes these discussions could potentially bring to their company!

“We should share this information with our entire company!” exclaimed Michael, his enthusiasm lighting up the room at the start of the team’s next meeting. “Yeah, I was thinking the same thing,” Jacob chimed in with a smile. Giana nodded in agreement, adding, “But let’s also make sure we use ‘humble, hungry, and smart’ to refine our hiring process. Let’s create a profile of the ideal candidate and include questions in our interviews that assess these virtues.”

“Great job, team. I can tell you’ve all been giving this serious thought,” Jeff observed, clearly impressed. “Let’s dig in a bit more.”

Learning Something New

The team began crafting a detailed description of the ideal candidate for their current open position. They used concentric circles to visually represent the blend of all three virtues. Drawing from the book’s Applications section, they agreed on key questions to incorporate into their revised interviewing process.

Everyone was on board with integrating this new approach into their hiring process. They quickly outlined a plan to compare notes and observations about each candidate’s competencies as well as humble, hungry, and smart rankings. The enthusiasm was real as they envisioned the positive impact these changes would bring to their company!

“I really like what we have created and want to circle back around to Michael’s earlier comment that we should share this information with our entire team,” Jacob remarked, his excitement evident. “Let’s move forward with reviewing our new hiring process with leadership and then scheduling time with the entire team,” he continued. The team was in full agreement, their eagerness clearly noticeable.

After a high-level discussion with leadership, the team was motivated to share their ideas with the entire work group. They quickly scheduled an internal meeting to strategize the best way to present the information.

Jacob offered to discuss the overall changes to the hiring process. Regarding the concepts of humble, hungry, and smart, Michael suggested a dynamic approach. “I think we each should discuss a topic we find most challenging. Basically, what we most need to learn is what we should teach. So, with that said, I nominate myself to discuss the humble topic,” he declared. The others valued this idea. Giana agreed to talk about smart, and Jacob would discuss the hungry topic.

At the next all-staff meeting, the energy was electric. Jacob kicked things off with an overview and what the team had been working on, “We believe this is an excellent way to improve our hiring process and better maintain a healthy work environment. Plus, we care deeply about our improving our work culture.”

Following Jacob’s power point presentation about hungry, Giana followed with her discussion about smart and included clever handouts. She described a recent difficult conversation with a long-standing client. Our team had yet to solve the identified problem, and the frustration level was increasing for the client and our team. It resulted in our team not handling the situation in an emotionally smart way. Giana proceeded to describe her involvement in the process and how she could have handled things differently from an “emotionally smart perspective.” Michael concluded the presentation by discussing humble and offered practical insights and personally relatable stories to further explain the importance of humility.

The room was filled with a sense of purpose and excitement as the team envisioned the positive changes these new strategies would bring to the company’s hiring process as well as the impact on work culture. It was clear that everyone was on board and ready to embrace this new chapter with enthusiasm and dedication.

New Approach

The team was thrilled to see how these virtues could be integrated into their hiring criteria, creating a more cohesive and motivated workforce. They asked specific questions during each interview to assess the topics of humble, hungry and smart for each candidate, along with the usual job skills competency questions, and ranked each applicant’s responses. The job applicants with a favorable profile were then invited for additional interviews. The ranking of each applicant’s humble, hungry and smart profile proved to be remarkably valuable information to consider in the overall decision making.

Getting Better

During quarterly meetings the team re-evaluated their new process. After one year, they observed that while they had hired a few candidates who didn’t work out during the initial 90 days, they learned some valuable lessons to help them continually refine the hiring process.  One lesson was learning to be very intentional with internal communications during the hiring process. Take time to thoroughly talk through every concern raised. The team also celebrated the new hires that proved to be a very good fit!  

Over time, the ArcLight managers’ commitment to improving their hiring process truly paid off, setting a new standard for excellence within the company. By being laser focused on the core job competencies along with the attributes of humble, hungry, and smart, they were able to attract candidates who not only had the right skills but also the right mindset to contribute positively to the company culture.

This shift in strategy led to a more engaged and collaborative team, fostering an environment where everyone felt valued and driven to succeed. The impact was profound, as the new hires brought fresh perspectives and a renewed sense of purpose, ultimately leading to a more dynamic and productive workplace.