An Emphasis on Culture

“Give me a stock clerk with a goal, and I’ll give you a man who will make history.

 Give me a man with no goals, and I’ll give you a stock clerk.”

– JC Penney

Have you ever had someone take a chance by hiring you? How did it turn out? How did it feel when you succeeded and excelled in that role?

Now … answer me this … have you ever hired someone who was a terrible fit for your company culture because you needed their skillset? How did that work out?

Hiring is a bit of a problem for many in the restoration industry, right? In R&R’s State of the Industry report that we released in August, hiring and employee retention were among the top concerns of contractors, big and small, who participated in the study. In fact … check out the graph on the left. You probably saw that chart in the August issue. Three out of four contractors say finding skilled workers is one of the biggest challenges! Half of the contractors said finding labor is a major struggle.

With those facts out there, I want to talk about starting a new trend. It’s the idea of hiring for culture and character, training for skill.

What if you find someone who has a great personality, work ethic, is a fast learner, and is driven to succeed but is lacking some of the skills or job “requirements”, such as an IICRC certification? Would you give them a chance? You could help them get their certification ... and they could end up growing into a great project manager or beyond.

There are success stories of people being brought into high level positions at restoration companies as well from outside of the industry. You’ve likely read similar advice in R&R from a number of experts on hiring and employee retention! So, imagine going out on a limb and hiring because someone from another industry who has the right leadership skills and mesh well with the company’s culture, they become a rock star and help their new company reach a whole new level.