Personality hires- the unorthodox next step towards Organizational Wellness.

I recently picked up a hobby, carpentry. A somewhat natural step having grown up with the best carpenter I ever got to meet; my granddad! What started as an arts and crafts past-time activity has become a core part of my weekends, one of the things I love about my time away from the office. In my workshop, you will find all kinds of tools hanging proudly on the walls. Each with a distinct purpose and excels in its task. The hammer - strength. The saw - precision, cutting through wood with razor-sharp efficiency. The chisel - artistry, carving intricate designs into timber. Each tool you can make a case for most important in the workshop.

Then you have a simple clamp, a tool so modest it barely catches your attention. What can it do? It doesn’t cut, carve, or build, no power or precision.

Ask a carpenter, it holds everything in place. The saw will cut straighter, the chisel will carve with greater detail, and the hammer drive nails more securely. Though the clamp doesn’t cut, carve, or pound, it creates stability and alignment. Without it, the project will falter.

Look around your team, look out for the clamp, respected for what it brings to the workshop ,not a flashy skill, but the ability to bring cohesion, structure, and harmony to every project. That team member is a personality hire, you might have stumbled upon one by chance. Lucky you. Or you can actively seek out one when hiring. A personality hire might not be the one with the most impressive resume or technical accolades.

Instead, they bring emotional intelligence, adaptability, and a unique ability to fill gaps that no technical skill can address. They create balance, communication, and inspire collaboration, allowing every "tool" in the team to perform at its peak. When building a team, it’s tempting to focus solely on measurable qualifications, like a hammer’s strength or a saw’s precision. But a team is more than a sum of its parts. Without someone bringing stability and connection, even the most skilled individuals can’t work seamlessly together.

A personality hire is the stabilizer, the harmonizer, the glue that turns a group of talented individuals into a dynamic, high-performing team. They may not always shine in isolation, but their presence makes success not just possible but sustainable. However making a personality hire requires a shift in the traditional hiring mindset. Instead of focusing exclusively on qualifications, certifications, and technical skills, you’re prioritizing traits like emotional intelligence, adaptability, and cultural alignment. Here’s how to actively make a personality hire:

·???????? Look Beyond the Resume

·???????? Use Personality-Centric Interview Techniques

·???????? Test for Cultural and Team Fit

·???????? Focus on Emotional Intelligence

·???????? Involve Diverse Perspectives

·???????? Prioritize Potential Over Perfection

You know how to do all this at once? Tailored psychometric tests. Knowing what exactly you seek and how it will look like when you see it. Book an exploratory session and we can? find a way to get you exactly who you seek for your team. I may also give you some woodworking tips as well, I now know my craft!