Hiring the culture

It's been awhile since my last post. The instructional portion of Dan's executive coaching program has been completed and I've asked to take a break from our regular meeting schedule in order to 1) focus on some pressing projects at what is typically a very busy time in my industry and 2) incorporate what I've learned into some of my daily work.
I'm pleased to say that I've been able to take some things from the coaching program and implement them quickly into the reality of my work. To me, this isn't faint praise. I've had many courses and educational opportunities that, while useful in the theory of a class setting, failed to translate as practical once I got back to my desk and the 50 emails, 5 voicemails, 3 urgent questions and one partridge in a pear-tree. Whether these previous efforts lacked true substance or simply missed the teaching moment, I can't say. I'm happy that I've been able to implement a few things from our sessions and past that, I don't spend too much time questioning something that's working.
An additional positive is that my company's in the process of hiring for several positions. We're fortunate to be hiring as the jobless rate continues to inch upward and that got me thinking about the process a little more. Luck has played a role in our current position, but a lot of the credit also goes to a culture that plans methodically and holds individuals accountable for their actions. I am more firmly convinced that candidates for jobs within the company, any job, must be evaluated based on their ability to fit into and strengthen that culture. I am guilty of viewing candidates in the past too strictly through the lense of their skills at a particular job and largely ignoring how their presence while doing that job would/could impact all those around them. It's a mistake I believe many make and somewhat silly when you think about how much of your day is spent outside the lines of a specifically-written job description.
Fingers crossed and homework done, I'm confident we'll add some strong people to our company. Onward and upward from there!