The Hidden Reason Great Hires Don’t Work Out

Claire Monroe

Hey everyone, welcome back to The Science of Leading. I’m Claire Monroe—and yep, Edwin Carrington is here with me again. Edwin, I’ve been thinking about something we touched on a few episodes ago…You know how a resume can make someone look like a total rockstar—but then, like, two weeks in, you’re wondering what on earth just happened?

Edwin Carrington

Ha—yeah, that’s a classic. Happens more than people admit. Most hiring still leans on experience, a list of past roles, and a bit of... gut instinct. But here’s the thing—if you don’t nail the fit, even the most impressive background can turn into a very expensive mistake. And not just in terms of money—it affects morale, productivity... even your reputation as a team.

Claire Monroe

Totally. I’ve lived through that. My first tech job—we hired this developer, and on paper, he was incredible. Like, Ivy League, open-source projects, the whole thing. But within a month? Boom. Team vibe just… cracked. He was smart, yeah, but he didn’t gel with anyone. Didn’t believe in the way we worked. And I just remember thinking, “How the heck did we miss that?”

Edwin Carrington

That’s exactly it. When you hire purely for skills, you miss the deeper stuff—like values, working style, expectations. And those hidden costs? They sneak up on you. I’ve seen studies that show a bad hire can cost up to 30% of their first-year salary. But it’s more than dollars. It slows projects down, eats up managers’ time, and drains your team’s energy. It spreads.

Claire Monroe

And it’s not just the people who leave, right? Some folks stay—but they’re like... just there. Going through the motions. That can honestly be worse than turnover.

Edwin Carrington

Exactly. Disengagement is sneaky—and contagious. Like we talked about in the retention episode, it’s not that there aren’t good people out there. It’s just—we’re not always looking for the right things. Long-term success comes down to fit, not just technical chops.

Claire Monroe

Okay, so if hiring for skills is such a gamble… what even is fit? Like, what does that really mean—and how do you measure it? ‘Cause that’s what I really want to dive into next.

Edwin Carrington

“Fit” gets tossed around a lot, but it’s not just about getting along. At its core, it’s alignment—between someone’s values, work style, and expectations… and your company’s culture. It’s the difference between someone who fills a seat—and someone who actually moves your mission forward.

Claire Monroe

So, it’s not just like, “Are they friendly?” or “Do they vibe?” It’s more like... do they thrive in your kind of environment? Do they care about the same things? Is that it?

Edwin Carrington

That’s a big part of it, yeah. Think about someone who loves chaos, speed, making decisions on the fly—they’re gonna feel boxed in at a place that runs on process and precision. And vice versa. So before you even post a job, you’ve got to define your culture. Who are you? What do you value? Without that… fit’s just guesswork.

Claire Monroe

Right—and once you know what you’re about, you can start figuring out what kind of person actually fits that. I remember we talked about behavioral interviews before—like instead of asking, “What’s your greatest strength?” you say, “Tell me about a time you dealt with team conflict.” That’s where you get the real stuff—how someone actually operates.

Edwin Carrington

Exactly. Behavioral questions surface instincts and attitudes—not just rehearsed answers. But you can go even deeper with data. OAD’s fit assessments, for example—they measure things like personality traits, how people process information, even emotional intelligence. It takes you beyond the paper credentials and gives you a clearer picture of alignment.

Claire Monroe

I love that. And just to be clear—it’s not about hiring clones, right? Like, the goal isn’t to build some weird workplace cult. It’s about finding people whose strengths actually click with your team. I always think of Zappos—they hire for culture first, and it shows. People stay. They feel like they belong.

Edwin Carrington

Exactly. Zappos isn’t just throwing around buzzwords. Their strategy is intentional—and measurable. When you bring in behavioral data and fit surveys, you’re not playing the guessing game anymore. You’re building a team on purpose.

Claire Monroe

Okay—so once you do find someone who feels like a great fit… what’s next? How do you make sure that alignment sticks once they’re in the door?

Edwin Carrington

That’s where trial projects and onboarding come into play. Because, honestly, anyone can say the right things in an interview. But how do they actually work? A short trial task—just a couple hours—can show you how they think, communicate, handle ambiguity. It’s a real-world preview.

Claire Monroe

And onboarding’s not just filling out HR forms, right? It’s about making people feel like part of something. I’ve read that companies like Netflix and Patagonia—like, they really invest in that early stage. They connect new folks to mentors, walk them through values, explain how their role ties into the bigger mission. That stuff sticks.

Edwin Carrington

It does. The first few weeks shape everything. People decide early whether this is just a job—or something worth committing to. When onboarding reinforces your culture, sets expectations clearly, and creates connection—it’s a game-changer. I worked with a manufacturing company once—tons of turnover, mostly because they hired for skills and ignored culture. We changed that. Started using fit assessments, added trial projects, reworked their onboarding. A year later, their turnover was cut in half. The team gelled. Performance went up.

Claire Monroe

That’s such a cool example. And it proves the point—skills can be taught. But if someone fits? If they’re aligned with how your team works? That’s when things really start clicking.

Edwin Carrington

Exactly. Fit isn’t a box you check once. It’s a strategy. And when you get it right—you protect your culture, your performance, and your future.

Claire Monroe

Alright—that’s a wrap for today. And if you’re ready to see how science-backed fit tools can actually transform your hiring, go to O-A-D-dot-A-I—that’s oad.ai—and take a look for free. Seriously, it’s worth a look.

Edwin Carrington

Absolutely. The right tools make all the difference.

Claire Monroe

Thanks for hanging out with us. We’ll be back soon with more on building teams that actually work. Take care, Edwin.

Edwin Carrington

Take care, Claire. Bye, everyone.