“To develop yourself, you have to be doing the right work in the right kind of organization.” — Peter Drucker
It’s a common scenario in our industry: An experienced originator with a solid book of business is hired but fails to produce at the new company. Why? One of the reasons is a clash of company cultures. After determining whether the sales candidate has the talent to succeed, the hiring company needs to identify whether there is a culture fit with the potential originator. Too often, the culture fit component of interviewing is ignored under the thinking that originating at Company A is the same as Company B.
Every company has a way of doing business, supporting their employees and rewarding them for certain behaviors. Thus, the environmental variables for success can be different at each firm. To ensure that the candidate is a good match from a company culture perspective, hiring managers should conduct a thorough analysis of the drivers behind the candidate’s success (this is especially true in a refinance market) by asking in-depth questions regarding marketing, process impact and managerial support that the originator received.