Want To Create A Great Startup Culture? Hire This Type of Person.

Hire “Learners” and great culture will follow. Creating a great startup culture is something every founder strives for. Culture is naturally important in any business because it’s directly correlated to and comprised of positive attributes that companies measure themselves against like employee retention, overall happiness, work-life balance, productivity, referral strength, and more.

In the early days, the bond between employees is implicitly strong—and expectedly so. Founding teams are often 1) small and 2) comprised of college buddies, roommates, or close acquaintances in some capacity. The hiring process in those days, in many ways, is more about how the candidate “fits in” with the rest of the team rather than about some unique skillset they bring to the table.

Yet, as the team expands, more roles are created, corporate objectives cloud the hiring committees judgment, and culture can often and unfortunately take a backseat.

So who are these culture carriers?

One way that startups can and should retain and promote great culture is by hiring one particular type of person into the org, regardless of how large the company has grown to.

That type of person is a** Learner. **Now, it may sound simple, but hear me out.

How many of your current coworkers would you consider to be Learners? Is that number a lot or a little? Ask yourself whether those who you consider to be Learners contribute more to a positive culture than those who are more set in their ways.

Let me take a brief step back: what is a Learner?

A Learner is someone who, simply put, enjoys the act of consistently learning about their environment, their teammates, their goals, their shortcomings and their strengths. A Learner is not complacent. A Learner is not stagnant. A Learner is not a know-it-all. An old friend used to tell me: “Every day, across all of my meetings and interactions, I intentionally try to spend half of my time giving and the other half learning.”

Here are a few more reasons why Learners are great culture carriers and can help cultivate incredible connection and employee sentiment.

1 | They actively listen

2 | They’re naturally curious

3 | They care to self-improve

4 | They’re open-minded

5 | They don’t put themselves above others

At the end of the day, maintaining a great startup culture is no easy task. It takes hard work, conscientious hiring practices, and a commitment to keeping culture always on the front burner, not the back.

I’d love to hear your thoughts about Learners and what other types of people can help you help yourself in fostering an amazing culture at your company.

Cover image via Unsplash