Why your fantastic new hire focuses on passion and spark.

When it comes to hiring, most companies focus on skills, experience, and cultural fit. But there’s an often-overlooked factor that plays a huge role in whether someone will truly thrive: the alignment between a candidate’s strengths, temperament, and the environment you provide.

Success isn’t just about energy or enthusiasm in an interview. It’s about placing people in settings where their natural talents, motivations, and preferred styles of working can take root and flourish. Without the right fit, even the most qualified hire can struggle to reach their full potential.

When you match a person’s core drive with an environment that nurtures and supports them, you amplify their impact while also boosting team morale and long-term success.

The “spark factor”: what sets exceptional hires apart

What makes a truly great hire? It’s not just their resume or their ability to check off boxes in an interview. It’s about recognizing that each person brings their own unique strengths, motivations, and ways of working, and these flourish best under certain conditions. Some people thrive in environments that offer stability and routine, along with plenty of support and resources, while others need novelty and independence, performing their best when faced with new challenges or given room to chart their own path.

Passion fuels performance

A passionate employee doesn’t just do their job—they live it. They’re the ones who stay late to perfect a project, who come up with creative solutions to problems, and who inspire their colleagues to do the same. Passion is a multiplier, amplifying skills and driving exceptional results.

The energy drain of indifference

On the flip side, a hire who lacks passion can drain energy from the team. Their indifference can lead to missed opportunities, lower morale, and a culture of mediocrity. Over time, this can have a ripple effect, impacting not just the team but the entire organization.

The true costs of a mismatched hire

Hiring someone who doesn’t care about the work or the company’s mission isn’t just a missed opportunity; it’s a costly mistake. Here’s why:

Training without retention

Training a new hire is an investment. According to the Association for Talent Development, companies spend an average of $1,280 per employee on training. But if that employee lacks passion, they’re less likely to retain the information, apply it effectively, or stay long enough for the investment to pay off.

Lost potential

A mismatched hire doesn’t just fail to meet expectations, they miss opportunities to innovate, improve processes, and contribute to the company’s growth. The cost of what could have been is often greater than the tangible expenses.

Team morale and productivity

An indifferent employee can disrupt team dynamics, leading to frustration and disengagement among other team members. Gallup research shows that disengaged employees cost companies $450-$550 billion annually in lost productivity.

Reputational damage

In client-facing roles, a lack of passion can be especially damaging. Customers and clients can sense when someone doesn’t care, and this can erode trust and loyalty.

How to identify passionate candidates

Finding candidates with the “spark factor” requires a shift in focus. Here are some strategies to help you identify passion and spark during the hiring process:

Look beyond the resume

A resume can tell you what a candidate has done, but it doesn’t reveal why they did it. Instead of relying on predictable questions, try:

• “What single project or task would you consider the most significant accomplishment in your career so far?”

Spend time digging into their answer, asking follow-up questions about what made this accomplishment meaningful to them, what challenges they faced, how they navigated obstacles, and how their strengths contributed to the outcome. This approach encourages candidates to share real stories and reveals how their strengths, motivations, and preferred environments show up in practice.

Assess alignment with company values

Passion often stems from alignment with a company’s mission and values. Share your company’s vision during the interview process and observe how candidates respond. Do they light up? Do they ask thoughtful questions? These are signs of genuine interest.

Try moving beyond typical questions by introducing thought-provoking prompts that spark real conversation. For example:

• How has a failure, or apparent failure, set you up for later success? Do you have a “favorite failure” of yours?
• In the last five years, what new belief, behavior, or habit has most improved your life?
• When you feel overwhelmed or unfocused, or have lost your focus temporarily, what do you do?

This kind of question invites candidates to reflect deeply, share a meaningful story, and reveal the kinds of environments or challenges where they are most energized.

Focus on behavioral interviews

Behavioral questions, when used thoughtfully, can help uncover whether a candidate has the potential to be one of those high-impact individuals who drive a disproportionate share of results.

For example:

• “Can you share an example of a time when you felt stifled or unproductive in a role? What do you think caused that, and how did you handle it?”
• “Tell me about a time when you had to balance stability and novelty in your work. How did you manage the tension between the two?”

Involve the team

Team members can provide valuable insights into a candidate’s energy and enthusiasm. Include them in the interview process to gauge how well the candidate might fit within the team dynamic.

The hidden ROI: Why a few passionate hires make all the difference

In many organizations, it’s the top 20% of employees who generate 80% of the impact (an idea known as Pareto’s principle). When you bring on team members who are truly passionate and deeply aligned with their environment, you’re not just filling seats. You’re unlocking potential that can propel your business forward in ways that far exceed expectations.

These high-impact individuals don’t just perform their tasks—they elevate whole teams, inspire innovation, and set new standards for excellence throughout your company. Their drive and engagement create ripple effects, multiplying results and strengthening your culture. By focusing your hiring efforts on identifying and nurturing this core group, you amplify your returns, reduce turnover, and build a team where outstanding performance becomes the norm, not the exception.

These passionate, high-impact employees:

• Stay longer: They’re more likely to be engaged and committed, reducing turnover.
• Perform better: Their enthusiasm drives them to excel and innovate.
• Inspire others: Passion is contagious, creating a ripple effect of positivity and productivity.

Hiring for passion and spark

In the end, hiring isn’t just about filling a role—it’s about finding someone who will thrive in it. By prioritizing passion, alignment with company values, and that special spark, you can build a team that not only performs but inspires.

Remember, the cost of indifference is far greater than the cost of taking the time to find the right person. So, the next time you’re hiring, don’t just look for skills, look for the spark.