When hiring employees who fit the company’s culture, it is important to assess not only the technical skills of the candidates, but also how their values, emotional skills, and goals fit the company’s culture. If companies like Zappos, Slack, and Tinuiti hired employees who did not share their values, their culture would stagnate very quickly because those employees would drive others to bankruptcy. If time, money and effort have been invested in defining a company’s culture, you need to use that definition to hire employees who will foster that culture, not hinder it. In order to ensure that positive forces flow into the company’s culture, you need to take the time to get the hiring process right. Once you get to know your team and develop a defined culture together, you can look for someone with the right values, character and skills to fill the gaps. Ellis is an international award-winning, best-selling author and recognized expert in culture change and project management. He works with organizations around the world to help them change the way they work. If you don’t want to damage your existing culture, you need to take the time to find someone who can enrich it. Every new employee, regardless of position or department, goes through a four-week program that is a combination of technical training and cultural immersion. Tony Hsieh, CEO of online shoe retailer Zappos, once said “he” knows nothing about shoes, but “he” knows a lot about creating company culture. Mostly it’s because they haven’t taken the time to define their culture, so they have nothing to recruit or hire. This is an opportunity to hire someone whose values, intentions, mindset and aspirations align with those of the company. Part of defining the company’s culture is creating an inspiring statement of intent that provides an incentive to go beyond the status quo. Finally, the employee knows exactly what the company stands for and how it operates, and the company can assess people’s attitudes and contributions to Zappos values. In this way, the person knows exactly what is expected of them to fit into the culture and work environment. The vision statement can also be used as a recruitment tool, as it can be used to determine if the person in question will increase the company’s chances of achieving its vision.