Comments on: How to Build A Successful Corporate Culture http://www.mspmentor.net/2009/04/19/how-to-build-a-successful-corporate-culture/ Managed Services & Cloud Services Blog for VARs & MSPs Tue, 14 Feb 2012 18:25:29 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: John Kilgore http://www.mspmentor.net/2009/04/19/how-to-build-a-successful-corporate-culture/comment-page-1/#comment-47352 John Kilgore Mon, 20 Apr 2009 19:09:48 +0000 http://www.mspmentor.net/2009/04/19/how-to-build-a-successful-corporate-culture/#comment-47352 James - great comment and I couldn't agree more. Frankly, some of my most attractive hires have been those looking for a step up from their current position and not a lateral one. Lateral screams stagnation sometimes. James – great comment and I couldn’t agree more. Frankly, some of my most attractive hires have been those looking for a step up from their current position and not a lateral one. Lateral screams stagnation sometimes.

]]> By: Joe Panettieri http://www.mspmentor.net/2009/04/19/how-to-build-a-successful-corporate-culture/comment-page-1/#comment-47342 Joe Panettieri Mon, 20 Apr 2009 14:46:38 +0000 http://www.mspmentor.net/2009/04/19/how-to-build-a-successful-corporate-culture/#comment-47342 James: Great points across the board, but your closing line was the real keeper. James: Great points across the board, but your closing line was the real keeper.

]]> By: James Foxall (Tigerpaw Software) http://www.mspmentor.net/2009/04/19/how-to-build-a-successful-corporate-culture/comment-page-1/#comment-47341 James Foxall (Tigerpaw Software) Mon, 20 Apr 2009 14:43:56 +0000 http://www.mspmentor.net/2009/04/19/how-to-build-a-successful-corporate-culture/#comment-47341 Hi Joe! Corporate culture is one of those things that can be really nebulous for a lot of peope. You'll study it in an MBA program, but the examples never seem to relate to your specific situation. There are dozens of angles to take on this subject, but since you mentioned avoiding bad hires, I want to chime in on that. One thing I've learned over the years is to find the right person for the job. Yeah, obvious I know. What I mean is that you will often get good applicants that aren't a perfect match for the job, and it might be tempting to hire them. Perhaps they're more suited to management but you don't have a management position available. You hire them anyway because they are sharp and you hope to move them into management someday. The problem is, if that opportunity doesn't present itself in a timely manner, you end up with an unhappy employee and one that is likely to jump ship for better opportunities. An example: In the software business, I often see frustrated developers apply for QA positions. They aren't really dedicated to QA, they are looking for a foot in the door. It's tempting to think "this guy would be great, his programming experience will really help him trouble-shoot the software", and that may be true. However, chances are good that he will never be a star at QA engineer and probably never be dedicated to the position. Instead, I look for a guy that wants to break things. By finding someone that has a passion for the job I am trying to fill, I increase the chances that the person will be content and productive. Bad hires are expensive in both time and money, and turn-over has a negative effect on culture. Take your time and hire the right person. The old adage hire slowly fire quickly is still true today. James Foxall Senior Vice President Tigerpaw Software Hi Joe!

Corporate culture is one of those things that can be really nebulous for a lot of peope. You’ll study it in an MBA program, but the examples never seem to relate to your specific situation. There are dozens of angles to take on this subject, but since you mentioned avoiding bad hires, I want to chime in on that.

One thing I’ve learned over the years is to find the right person for the job. Yeah, obvious I know. What I mean is that you will often get good applicants that aren’t a perfect match for the job, and it might be tempting to hire them. Perhaps they’re more suited to management but you don’t have a management position available. You hire them anyway because they are sharp and you hope to move them into management someday. The problem is, if that opportunity doesn’t present itself in a timely manner, you end up with an unhappy employee and one that is likely to jump ship for better opportunities.

An example: In the software business, I often see frustrated developers apply for QA positions. They aren’t really dedicated to QA, they are looking for a foot in the door. It’s tempting to think “this guy would be great, his programming experience will really help him trouble-shoot the software”, and that may be true. However, chances are good that he will never be a star at QA engineer and probably never be dedicated to the position. Instead, I look for a guy that wants to break things. By finding someone that has a passion for the job I am trying to fill, I increase the chances that the person will be content and productive.

Bad hires are expensive in both time and money, and turn-over has a negative effect on culture. Take your time and hire the right person. The old adage hire slowly fire quickly is still true today.

James Foxall
Senior Vice President
Tigerpaw Software

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