How do we actually use our EOS Core Values to make hiring and firing decisions instead of just leaving them on a wall poster?

Question

Tyler Smith · Accepted Answer

Core Values are worthless if they only live on a poster in your breakroom. In the EOS® framework, we use the People Analyzer to turn abstract cultural ideals into objective hiring, firing, and review tools. The People Analyzer lists your Core Values along the top and your employees' names down the side. For each value, you rate each individual with a plus, a plus-minus, or a minus. A plus means they exhibit that value most of the time. A plus-minus means they exhibit it some of the time. A minus means they rarely exhibit it. To make this tool effective, you must establish a bar. The bar is the minimum acceptable rating for anyone on your team. For example, your bar might be that an employee must score at least three pluses and two plus-minuses across your five Core Values, with absolutely no minuses allowed. During the hiring process, design interview questions that assess these specific behavioral traits. You can also use Predictive Index behavioral targets to ensure a candidate's natural drives align with your culture and the behavioral requirements of the role. When it comes to firing, if an employee consistently falls below your bar on the People Analyzer, you have a values mismatch. You must address this discrepancy directly. Give them thirty days to improve their behavior, using specific examples of where they fell short. If they fail to meet the bar after that window, they must be let go. Keeping a cultural mismatch on your team destroys morale and undermines your leadership credibility.