Who’s hiring right now? Tech startups, e-commerce giants, AI labs, wellness brands, digital agencies, you name it. Despite economic roller coasters, there’s always someone building, scaling, and growing a team. But in the mad dash to find that “perfect hire,” there’s a critical truth that business leaders often tend to overlook. It’s the trait to look for when hiring that can make or break a company from the inside out. Spoiler alert: it’s not what’s listed at the top of a fancy resume.
If you’re growing a team, listen up. This one matters. And no, it’s not another tip about optimizing job descriptions or posting in the right LinkedIn group. It is also not about finding the most flashy resume or the best skills, but something that makes for the perfect job seeker or employee.
The One Trait to Look for When Hiring: Integrity
Let’s cut to the chase.
The most powerful trait to look for when hiring a talent isn’t just their raw skill, dazzling charisma, or a string of degrees. It’s their integrity that will eventually help them utilize all their skills, experience, and education for the right reasons.
You’ve probably heard Warren Buffett drop this gem of a statement before:
“In looking for people to hire, you look for three qualities: integrity, intelligence, and energy. And if they don’t have the first, the other two will kill you.”
Let that sink in.
Without integrity, intelligence becomes manipulation. Energy turns into chaos. And your business? It starts to wobble like a three-legged stool with a missing peg.
In a world where the flashiest candidate often steals the spotlight from employers, Buffett reminds us that the quiet, character-driven hire is the one who’ll show up on the rainy days. They are true talents who will own their mistakes and build the kind of work culture that lasts.
Skills Can Be Taught, Integrity Can’t Be Faked
You can teach someone to master Slack, Zapier, HubSpot, or any other new software in a few weeks. But can you teach someone to do the right thing when no one’s watching? Yes, that’s the heart of the matter.
The trait to look for when hiring isn’t about the technical know-how of a candidate; it’s about their real character. Skills can be sharpened with time. Training can be structured according to the requirements. But integrity is the steel beam that either holds up your culture or lets it collapse quietly under pressure.
You don’t need a psychic to predict how someone will behave in your company. You just need to observe how they behave in real life. Do they take ownership when things go sideways? Do they keep their word on small things like showing up on time, delivering what they promised, and not throwing others under the bus when things get tough?
That’s how you can evaluate the real résumé of a candidate.
Why Integrity is the Real Culture Builder
Company culture isn’t built on ping pong tables, remote Fridays, or Slack emojis. It’s built on trust. And trust is forged in the everyday actions of people with integrity.
When business leaders make integrity the trait to look for when hiring, something remarkable happens. Meetings get shorter. Accountability goes up. Gossip goes down. People collaborate better because they’re not watching their backs; they’re focused on the mission.
Integrity isn’t just about good vibes and good manners; it’s about good business. It shields your team from the corrosion of politics, ego wars, and shady behavior. Integrity creates a workplace where people feel safe enough to be honest, brave enough to take risks, and humble enough to grow.
Integrity can be best described as the invisible glue that holds all your shiny systems, strategies, and spreadsheets together. Without it, everything falls apart, slowly, quietly, and sometimes irreversibly.
The Loudest Personality Isn’t Always the Best Hire
We’ve all seen it: a candidate with a jaw-dropping résumé, smooth-talking pitch, and a talent for name-dropping every high-profile project they’ve touched. But being impressive on paper isn’t the same as being impactful in practice.
Then what’s the real trait to look for when hiring? It’s often found in the quieter ones. The ones who ask thoughtful questions, who don’t oversell themselves to stand out, and who admit when they don’t know something and offer to learn.
Loudness doesn’t always equal loyalty. Flashy doesn’t have to mean foundational. And in the long game of building something meaningful, you want people who lead with character, not just charisma.
Because the truth is, someone who lacks integrity can cost you more than a bad quarter. These people can poison the well from the inside out.
Clients Notice, Even If You Don’t
Want to know how your team’s integrity shows up? Watch how your clients respond to them.
Integrity protects your clients, and there’s no second thought about it. When your team owns up to mistakes, communicates clearly, and honors commitments, clients feel it. They trust you, they stay, they recommend.
But the opposite is also true. If someone on your team cuts corners, shifts blame, or disappears when things get hairy, that behavior echoes in your customers’ experience.
No marketing funnel can fix a team that lacks character. So next time you’re scanning through CVs and LinkedIn profiles, don’t just ask, “What have they done?” Ask, “How did they do it?”
The Trait to Look for When Hiring: Can I Trust Them When I’m Not Around?
Let’s get real for a moment.
Leadership means you can’t be everywhere at once. As your team grows, so does your blind spot. You’re going to need people who won’t just do the job, but those who will do the right job even when no one’s watching.
That’s why every hiring decision should come down to one gut-check question: Can I trust this person when I’m not around?
If the answer’s yes, you’ve struck gold. Hire them right away.
If you’re unsure, dig deeper. Ask better questions. Talk to references. Get curious about their story. Look beyond the answers they’ve rehearsed and into the habits they reveal. People tell you who they are in the small stuff they do. For instance, observe how they speak about past employers, how they handle a delay, or how they treat the barista.
That’s where the real résumé comes to light.
Don’t Let Urgency Rush the Process
Hiring can feel like a race against time. There’s a role to fill, tasks piling up, and pressure mounting. But here’s the kicker: a slow hire is far better than a bad hire, every time.
The wrong hire, especially one who lacks integrity, won’t just cost time and money. They’ll cost morale, trust, and reputation. And in some cases, they’ll cost you clients and future talent who don’t want to work in that kind of environment.
As the old saying goes, “Marry in haste, repent at leisure.” Hiring’s no different.
Take your time to evaluate the personality of the candidates and look beyond their flashy résumés. Get it right. Because building a business isn’t just about what you’re creating, it’s about who you’re creating it with.
Because time cannot be refunded. The right support makes every moment count.
Integrity Isn’t Just a Value on the Wall
Plenty of companies list “integrity” in their core values. But if it’s just a buzzword on a mission statement, it’s meaningless.
Real integrity shows up in actions, not adjectives. Integrity is…
- demonstrated when a developer stays late to fix a bug, even if it means missing their promised delivery date.
- when the account manager admits an error instead of blaming the intern.
- also demonstrated by the CEO who takes ownership of a failed product launch, rather than shifting blame to the team.
And it starts with hiring.
You want to build a team that takes ownership, treats others with respect, and stays true even when no one’s watching? Then integrity needs to be the non-negotiable trait to look for when hiring.
Make It Part of Your Interview Playbook
So, how do you actually hire for integrity? It’s not like candidates come with a halo or a warning label.
Start by asking better questions. For example:
Tell me about a time you made a mistake at work. How did you handle it?
Have you ever disagreed with a manager’s decision? What did you do?
When was the last time you admitted you didn’t know something?
Listen closely. Are they deflecting blame? Bragging about dodging accountability? Or are they being honest, humble, and reflective?
Reference checks matter, too. Ask past supervisors, “Would you trust this person to lead a project without oversight?”
Hiring for integrity isn’t about gut feel alone; it’s about evidence. And the more intentional you are about spotting this trait, the stronger and more sustainable your culture becomes.
The Long Game: Sustainable, Trust-Fueled Growth
Let’s wrap this up with a little wisdom: “What’s built on sand will fall with the tide.”
Skills matter. Experience matters. But the trait to look for when hiring should be the one that future-proofs your business. It is integrity.
It’s the steady hand during chaos. The calm voice during conflict. The backbone behind bold decisions.
To sum up:
- Integrity builds culture.
- Integrity protects your clients.
- Integrity makes your business sustainable.
And if you find someone who embodies it? You’ve got something truly worth building on.
So the next time you’re hiring, don’t just chase credentials or charisma. Ask the real question.
“Can I trust this person when I’m not around?”
If the answer is yes, you’ve just found your secret weapon. A trustworthy hire.
And that, dear business leaders, is how the strongest companies are built.
Larry Vivola is a successful business coach who coaches entrepreneurs anywhere in the world via Zoom. If he’s not coaching he’s making meatballs and entertaining friends and family!
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