Whether or not you secure a position with billionaire Mark Cuban boils down to two essential qualities: culture and competency.
According to Cuban, these are the “two things that matter the most.” He emphasized this perspective during a recent MasterClass course released last month, stating, “Are they competent enough to do the job? And do they fit in the culture of the organization? If they fail on either one, you’re going to be in trouble.”
Culture, Cuban stressed, outweighs raw talent. This sentiment resonates with a significant portion of the workforce: a 2019 Glassdoor survey of over 5,000 adults in the U.S., the U.K., France, and Germany found that 56% of workers prioritize a strong workplace culture over salary. Additionally, more than 75% of employees stated they would consider a company’s culture before applying for a job there.
The importance of company culture is particularly pronounced among young millennials and Gen Zers, as noted in the Glassdoor report. As these demographics increasingly ascend the career ladder, Cuban’s observation may prove even more pertinent.
While Cuban values employees who demonstrate competence by completing tasks effectively and efficiently, he warns against solely focusing on technical skills. He considers searching for the perfect candidate, a “home run hire,” without adequately assessing their cultural fit as a grave mistake.
To identify candidates who excel in both competency and cultural fit, Cuban employs specific interview questions such as:
1. What’s one thing you’ve failed at and one thing you’ve succeeded at?
2. Tell me about a time you took a chance at work.
3. Why did you leave your last job?
4. What’s the best culture of a company that you’ve ever worked in?
5. Who’s the best manager you’ve ever worked for?
“I want to get them talking about their positive or negative experiences so I can understand whether or not they’re going to be a fit,” he explained.
For Cuban, finding the right fit doesn’t mean seeking out replicas of himself. Instead, he seeks employees and partners who complement his skill set and are unafraid to voice dissenting opinions.
“I think one of the biggest mistakes an entrepreneur or CEO can make is they hire people who are like them,” Cuban remarked. “You don’t need to hire people like you. You’ve got you.”
“I don’t need people to tell me yes,” he continued. “I can tell myself yes … I need people who are going to challenge conventional wisdom and challenge me, and when they think I’ve done something wrong, say, ‘I think you think you’re making a mistake here, and this is why.’”
