Values & Coachability: The Secret Sauce to Hiring Right in Education
Why you should NOT just hire your most knowledgeable candidate.
Would you marry someone after just two dates? Seems crazy, right? But what if in those two dates you learned that person shared every single one of your core values?
Standard interview processes have 2-3 touch points (dates) and then an offer ( marriage proposal). If the candidate accepts your proposal - they essentially agree to marry your organization. Hiring the right people for your organization is the most important thing you do. So how can we make sure we are proposing to the right people?
In this blog I will share:
The 2 qualities research shows to look for in a candidate during interviews
How to find these 2 qualities in the school interview process
Your own “copy” of one school’s quick interview survey
Hire people who live your organization’s values.
Jim Collin’s extensive research of the highest performing organizations shows they all have 3-5 core values they base everything they do on. And, hiring people who align to those values is the most important thing the organization does.
How to Identify Your Values: If you don’t already have a list of your organization’s values - there’s no better time than today to do so. Although it’s tempting to want to build “buy in” and include every current educator of your school in the process - don’t. We hire people who align to our organization’s values - we don’t base our organization’s values on the people who are currently working for us at the moment. School leaders can identify and define their top 3-5 values in 30 minutes (here’s Brene Brown’s values list), and here’s an example of SouthSide Elementary Charter School’s vision statement that includes their core values.
Then, when applicant’s apply, have them complete a quick survey to see if they LIVE your values. Here’s The Compass School’s “School Core Values Alignment Survey” hiring tool - it can be found on our Free Tools page under the “coaches & admin” heading. Adapt it and make it your own! You’ll be surprised how much you learn from it about your candidates.
2. Hire for Coachability
Marriage is about finding someone who will grow and change with you over time, who will support you, and who will help you become a better version of yourself. Coachability involves being able to take feedback AND grow from it. How can we look for these two traits in the hiring process?
The Interview: Probing for Coachability
Your interview process itself is a prime opportunity to intentionally assess a candidate's coachability. Here are two key strategies:
Listen for a Learner's Mindset: Actively note how often the candidate expresses a desire to learn, develop new skills, or grow professionally. Does the candidate speak about seeking feedback, rethinking practices, or embracing new challenges?
Address Philosophical Misalignments Directly: When a candidate voices a belief or pedagogical approach that contrasts with your organization's established values and methods (e.g., "I'm a strong advocate for Lucy Calkins and the Whole Language approach!"), view this as a key assessment moment. Clearly articulate your organization's philosophy in that area. Then, directly ask the candidate: "Given our school's approach, would you be open to unlearning previous methods and relearning alongside our team?"
You'll often find their response revealing—showing not just the depth of their existing beliefs but also their genuine willingness to adapt. While we acknowledge that everyone operates from the best of their current knowledge and training, your crucial task is to find candidates who are truly willing to rethink, learn, and grow in alignment with your organization’s values. Ultimately, even a candidate with extensive knowledge, for instance in the science of reading, won't be a true asset if they aren’t coachable and prepared to evolve with your team.
The Model Lesson: From Feedback to Demonstrated Growth
The model lesson is a staple of many teacher interviews, whether you're the one teaching or on the hiring team observing, often with a scoring guide in hand. Many teams wisely use the post-lesson debrief to gauge a candidate's receptiveness to feedback—a crucial aspect of coachability. But what if we moved beyond discussing feedback to seeing it in action?
Consider these possibilities: Could candidates revise a portion of their lesson based on your feedback and resubmit it? Or, if they struggle with the revision, could they identify the hurdles they encountered and outline the support they'd need to overcome them? This offers a tangible way to assess if they can truly want to learn and grow from feedback and guidance.
It’s tempting to want to hire the candidate who knows the most about literacy or has the most impressive resume… But remember - you’re asking someone to marry you. Would you marry someone just because they know a lot or because they’ve done a lot of things? Probably not. We want the people who work tirelessly for the cause of the organization - and those are the people who wholeheartedly believe in your organization’s values, and who are willing AND able to grow with you over time.
References
Collins, Jim. Good to Great: Why Some Companies Make the Leap...And Others Don't. HarperBusiness, 2011.
Ramsey, Dave. EntreLeadership: 20 Years of Practical Business Wisdom from the Trenches. Howard Books, 2011.
Related articles:
The HOW: The School Leader’s Role in Bringing the Science of Reading to Life
Building a Science of Reading Foundation: It Takes More Than Just Training
Related article: All Hands on Deck: A Zone Defense Approach to Literacy
