Tell us if this sounds familiar:

There’s a person on your team who...

... is incredible at getting things done.

... They’re responsive. Get things done on time.

... They’re smart.

... They‘re even hitting their numbers.

But… they don’t “fit in.”

Maybe they just really aren’t a team player and that’s important in your business that the work is done with a collaborative spirit. 

Or they just don’t seem to take the initiative to grow personally or professionally in the ways the rest of your team does.

Or they get the job done, but sometimes you worry about how they do it and how it represents the company.

The challenge is common. You might have a great worker in your midst, but they are missing it somewhere that feels really important, but hard to quantify. That something is often an alignment to the values and ultimately the culture of the business. 

Ensuring your team members fit the values of the organization means protecting what the company stands for and attracting people who are as passionate as you are about how you do business. 

At System & Soulᵀᴹ we call the alignment with company values being a “Healthy F.I.T.”.

F.I.T. is an acronym we use to define how well someone fits a role in the organization. “Healthy” is all about how they fit the values systems of the business.

For an organization to realize its full potential—not just at the bottom line—values are essential. If it’s going to be a place where exceptional leaders are attracted to work, a place where the culture within the business makes it stand out in the marketplace, its people have to represent the values at their core.

We encourage the business leaders we work with to first ask if the person is a good F.I.T. Then, once the organization is clear on what its values are, review the individual’s alignment to those values. This can be done using a simple 1-4 rating scale. One being, they don’t represent this value at all. Four being, they represent this value almost always. 

Below is an example of how we write out this exercise and "rate" a team member.

When we review team members for how “Healthy” they are, it allows us to quickly identify if there are values gaps and reveals the people on the team who are championing the values and culture within the business. 

Once these numbers are aggregated for an individual, the decisions to hire, fire, review, reward, and recognize become clear. 

Keep in mind that values alignment (Healthy) and F.I.T. can be an ongoing conversation. We’ve got a free list of Healthy F.I.T. conversation starter questions you can download here.

Use this guide as you work with team members to talk through gaps, or even reward and recognize the people who are carrying it best. 

The outcome is an organization that is clear on how it does business, what it believes in, and what is most important about the people who represent it.