Culture Over Capability Every Time

When it comes to hiring, many organisations still default to prioritising technical expertise over the right cultural fit.

While this may seem like the safest path, particularly for roles requiring strict compliance such as finance, medicine or engineering, it often overlooks a more powerful and lasting determinant of success: mindset and cultural fit.

The truth is that technical skills can be trained, but mindset—the way someone thinks, adapts, learns, and leads—is much harder to instil.

According to a Leadership IQ study of over 20,000 new hires, 89% of hiring failures occur due to attitude or cultural misfit, not lack of technical ability. That’s a signal worth heeding.

A person with the right mindset will lean into challenges, embrace feedback, take ownership, and lift those around them. These are the traits that drive innovation, resilience, and high performance in fast-changing environments.

If someone’s values and behaviours consistently jar with those of the wider team, it won’t matter how skilled they are. Friction will build, trust will erode, and performance will suffer.

Conversely, someone who brings curiosity, humility, and a commitment to shared goals will usually outperform a technical expert who doesn’t align.

This doesn’t mean technical fit doesn’t matter. In regulated environments—where safety, compliance, or precision are non-negotiable—technical capability must meet the mark. But even here, mindset remains the differentiator.

The best technical experts are those who also communicate well, collaborate easily, and actively contribute to culture.

Smart organisations are starting to recalibrate. They’re hiring for attitude and agility, not just experience. They’re building cultures that reward learning and adaptability, not just job titles and tenure.

The challenge for leaders is this: do your hiring practices reflect the culture you’re trying to create?

Are you building teams that grow together—or just ticking boxes?

It’s time to stop treating mindset and culture as the ‘soft’ stuff.

If you want a great team with great results, you as the leader need to step up and make the right decisions?

Hiring for skills is lazy leadership!