What's the key quality employers should look for in applicants?

Disney CEO shares advice based on lessons learned during 15 years at company

What's the key quality employers should look for in applicants?

Disney CEO Bob Iger has advised organisations to look for this specific trait in applicants when hiring: genuine decency.

"When hiring, try to surround yourself with people who are good in addition to being good at what they do," Iger said.

"Genuine decency — an instinct for fairness and openness and mutual respect — is a rarer commodity in business than it should be, and you should look for it in the people you hire and nurture it in the people who work for you."

Iger shared this advice in his memoir The Ride of a Lifetime, where he reflected on the lessons he learned during his 15 years as CEO of The Walt Disney Company.

Prevailing toxic workplaces

The CEO's advice remains relevant amid a prevailing culture of toxic management in workplaces across the world.

Findings from a FlexJobs survey last year revealed that more than eight in 10 professionals have worked with at least one toxic boss (87%) or a toxic colleague (84%). At least four in 10 professionals said the top qualities that make managers toxic include:

  • Being a poor communicator (43%)
  • Acting dismissively (41%)
  • Micromanaging (40%)

On the other hand, the top qualities of a toxic colleague include:

  • Excessive complaining and negativity (44%)
  • Acting unprofessionally (41%)
  • Not being a team player (40%)

The result of working with toxic bosses and colleagues is massive, with nearly half of the respondents (43%) saying they quit because of toxic behaviours at work. Employees also reported experiencing increased anxiety due to a toxic boss (51%) and mental fatigue due to toxic management (44%).

Source: FlexJobs

Toxic workplaces can also cause a massive financial toll on workplaces.

Findings from the Society for Human Resource Management in 2019 revealed that the cost of turnover due to workplace culture reached $223 billion in a span of five years.

Addressing toxic workplaces

With major organisational risks on the line, how can employers address toxic workplaces?

Kathy Caprino, global career and leadership coach, recommended on LinkedIn four measures that organisations can take in addressing workplace culture:

  • Regularly and consistently, take the pulse of your organisation
  • Build a mentoring community within the organisation and provide new opportunities to obtain influential sponsorship, mentorship, guidance, and support.
  • Do the dedicated work of building a culture of trust, strength, support, and growth where employees can communicate without fear of retaliation.
  • Stand up to mistreatment and understand the deep cost if you don't.

Caprino told organisations to stop expecting employees to rat out bad bosses.

"That's not their job and it's too risky for them," she said. "It's your job as a senior leader to assess and evaluate the work culture on a regular basis, with concrete data and information, and find new ways to keep employees safe and protected from mistreatment."

Screening toxic talent during hiring

But as per Iger's advice, finding talent with genuine decency begins as early as recruitment.

Adrian Gostick, a consultant specialising in corporate culture, shared on Forbes various steps on how to identify red flags as early as the hiring stage:

  • Have candidates meet their future teammates, their boss, and one or two people in the organisation who don't have a vested interest in the position.
  • Ask the "why" questions to determine their real character and potential fit with your team.
  • Ask behavioural questions and be on the lookout for specific behaviour-based examples that can show a candidate's true nature.
  • Observe language red flags on candidate's answers, such as blaming others for past failures, speaking negatively about previous companies, displaying signs of arrogance.

"We can all do a better job of screening for toxic team members during the hiring process," Gostick said in the article. "By emphasising cultural fit and prioritising candidates who demonstrate collaboration, integrity, and emotional intelligence, we can bring more quality people into our teams."