In our world of company culture, we often talk about fit, and how it is something to fight (and hire) for. A lot of it makes sense – if you hire someone who fits into your existing culture, their transition theoretically should be easier than someone that doesn’t. If they fit in with your existing team, there will likely be less conflict and blockages in the way of decisions being made and work getting done. All good things.

But at what cost? By hiring strictly for culture-fit, we risk boxing ourselves in. It is by adding new perspectives to a team that we gain fresh insight. Through diversity, in all meanings of the word, true innovation begins to be achieved.

So how do we communicate a balance – seeking fit, while encouraging diversity – in our recruitment marketing to candidates?

The short answer to this question is through storytelling. But let’s break that down:

Let’s think about a company’s priorities, and what they look for in a new hire, in the shape of a pyramid. At the bottom, the foundation of the pyramid, is the organization’s core values. When you hire for core values, you are creating a team that will understand and relate to each other. Even if they have differences of opinions, they are rooted in the same values and will be able to communicate with one another to accomplish a task.

At the top of the pyramid we have mission and purpose, the “why” of a company’s existence. By hiring for how a candidate relates to your mission and purpose, you are ensuring that this new addition will be working towards the same end goal as the rest of your organization.

To put this in perspective, the bottom and top of the pyramid – values and mission – are where we find fit.

The middle is where things get interesting. How a team member uniquely chooses to act out on these values, and work towards a mission and purpose – that is where we find and attract diversity.  Just because two people share the same set of values doesn’t mean they are going to live out these values the same way. Different backgrounds, personalities, behavioral tendencies – they all help shape who we uniquely are and impact the perspective and ideas we bring to a team. These diverse perspectives are what drive impact and innovation.

Stories capture the middle part – how a specific person chose to respond to a situation that demonstrates their diverse perspective. But by bringing lots of different perspectives, lots of different stories together, you are able to see the common thread – the values and mission that drive them.

Let’s try it out:

The bank services company Kasasa talks about one of its core values, Badassitude, which they define as “bringing a palpable sense of intensity to winning and to perfection” in their pursuit of serving their clients.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3I5mW4YLJTY&t=17s

When asked about Badassitude, Director of Financial Planning and Analysis An Pham told a story about a time when there was a bug in an application demo.

This bug would cause the wrong numbers to be displayed, but because the demo was focused on the concept of the application, not the execution at this point, it would not affect the presentation. Undeterred, one of An’s team members stayed up all night to fix the bug, so the correct numbers would be displayed the next day.

Flipping to customer service, one Kasasa client Coleman Claugherty recalls an occasion where due to a chance delivery mishap his marketing materials would not arrive for the event he needed them for. Without a second thought, Kasasa put a representative on the next available plane to ensure the materials were in Claugherty’s hands in time.

Two very different types of stories, skill sets and applications, yet two great examples of Badassitude at work within team members at Kasasa.

The middle. The stories. That’s where we celebrate our differences, and where true impact lies. Find the gaps in your company’s middle, and use stories to recruit the diverse individuals that fill them. Want to learn more about creating content for candidates? Check out our ultimate guide here.