20.1. Foster a Culture of Effective Hiring

The Japanese philosophy kaizen gives us an excellent model to utilize as we attempt to foster a culture of effective hiring. Kaizen focuses on continuous but small change. The person who introduced me to kaizen suggested that organizational change is akin to changing the course of an ocean liner. As with an ocean liner, there are no shortcuts in establishing a culture of effective hiring.

We live in an impatient world. We want change overnight, but rarely is the human organism capable of such immediate change. Though we might be able to discipline ourselves for a short period, we often revert to our previous behavior. To change culture we must think of our company as that ocean liner, making slow and steady process toward the goal of a culture that celebrates the exceptional hire.