“The Diary of a CEO” host and entrepreneur Steven Bartlett swears by his scenario-based “Culture Test” in hiring, and says there’s one question he loves, but that’s rarely answered correctly.
Speaking on the “Hot Smart Rich” podcast, Bartlett said he uses a 35-question test rather than asking about academic grades to determine how people will act in a given situation and identify high-performing employees.
The question he loves goes like this: There’s an event that’s six weeks away, and an important supplier said they won’t be able to get you the things you need in time. The options are: scale back the event, push back the date, or — the answer Bartlett is looking for — ask why it takes six weeks.
“It’s so crazy, because about 7% of people click that button, but that is so clearly the right thing to do,” he said.
Bartlett said the concept came up in his own company when an employee said he couldn’t provide the animation for “DOAC” by Bartlett’s deadline. When the employee was asked why, he cited his aging laptop.
“$2,000 fixed the problem that’s now going to save me 60% of my time for years,” Bartlett said.
Bartlett’s point is that most people fall back on artificial constraints and traditions that keep them from pushing back. He cited innovators like fast-fashion company Zara and Bernard Sadow, a pioneer of the rolling suitcase, who challenged those conventions.
Bartlett said that, as a result, he prioritizes hiring and has developed a Culture Test, which he turned into a company by the same name.
He added on the podcast that he had spent “50% of my month on hiring.”
Bartlett’s flagship show, which often ranks at the top of Apple’s business podcasts chart, is part of his holding company, Steven.com, which he recently said raised an eight-figure investment. It encompasses businesses like Flight Story, a media and investment company that’s expanded into a network of other shows.
Bartlett presented another Culture Test scenario on the podcast: Consider what you might do if your biggest client called on Christmas Eve, saying they were logged out of their account. Would you reply immediately, wait until the holidays are over, or send a rude response reminding them it’s Christmas? He said that how people react represents the company culture.
Adding some heft to Bartlett’s view, research has shown that hiring people for culture fit can lead to higher performance and lower turnover.
There are potential pitfalls in prioritizing culture fit, however. Critics argue that it can lead employers to hire people who look like or share the same characteristics as existing staff, potentially at the expense of diversity. Research has shown that diverse teams outperform more homogeneous ones.
