Six years ago, I sat across from a candidate who, on paper, was exactly what we were looking for. We were hiring for a management-level role, and at first glance, the fit seemed perfect. They were polished, spoke well, and appeared to align with our culture. But as the interview unfolded, a nagging feeling started to set in, something just wasn’t right.
As we got deeper into the conversation, I started asking foundational questions about the Shane Homes Group. It quickly became clear that their knowledge of who we are was completely off. They couldn’t tell me how long we’d been in business. When I brought up the history of the company, they didn’t even know who my father was or the legacy he built. Most surprisingly, they couldn’t recite even one of our core values.
Now, some might think I was being petty. But I look at it differently. We live in an age where all of this information is sitting right there on our website. It’s not a secret; it’s our identity. When you’re interviewing for a senior leadership position, you’re asking to be a steward of that identity. You’d think a prospective manager would spend at least some time learning about the house they want to help run before they walk through the front door.
To me, that lack of preparation signalled a lack of genuine interest. If you haven’t done the homework on where we came from, how can I trust you to lead us where we’re going? Just like the stories you hear about CEOs passing on candidates who are rude to the receptionist, this was my “litmus test.”
I passed on that hire. Technical skills can be taught, and resumes can be polished, but you can’t manufacture the kind of respect and intentionality that comes from actually caring about the company you’re joining. Six years later, I still stand by that call. In management, the details and the history matter.
