When all the pieces fit, it’s a beautiful thing

Ever sit down to work a jigsaw puzzle? If you have, you know the satisfaction of finding and placing a puzzle piece in just the right spot. It’s a beautiful thing. On the other hand, what if you have a piece that doesn’t fit? That’s a different story. What do we do when that happens? If you are anything like me, you try to make it fit; you turn it every which way, try to force it to fit, maybe even try to alter its shape a little – anything to make it work. But alas, as many times as we might go through this exercise, it doesn’t work.

So where is this going? Let’s talk about corporate culture. In my opinion, the culture of any organization is a big puzzle and each employee is a puzzle piece.

Culture is about shared values, attitudes and beliefs that define the nature of an organization and characterize its members. In some companies, the culture is determined by management through defined standards and expectations. In other companies, the culture evolves from the collective traits of everyone who works there. The culture of an organization is what holds things together. An employee who doesn’t “fit” the culture is a puzzle piece that doesn’t fit and that’s not a good thing. Why? It creates friction, negativity, frustration and can totally disrupt the working environment. It somehow becomes the focal point of the day; sidetracking people from achieving their shared goals. If a piece doesn’t fit, you can’t force it. When employees are a good fit with the culture, good things happen. People work better together, attitudes are better, people enjoy their jobs more and there is a true sense of team. That is why hiring is such an important function in a company. It’s not just about hiring the first person who comes along or the one who looks best on paper. It’s about the fit. Like they say, it’s a process not an event, but when an employee fits the culture puzzle you know it and the rewards are many.

This is top of mind for me because we just added a person to our roster and she fits - perfectly. It’s exciting, positive and there’s a new energy in the office; an energy that will keep us moving forward; continuing to challenge ourselves to do better. It’s a beautiful thing.  

Posted by MJ Thomas