Especially if you're a non-technical founder. You’ve probably heard terms thrown around that you barely understand, like “full stack,” “Kubernetes,” or “REST APIs,” and you might think, “I just need someone who knows how to do all this stuff.” It’s natural. You want the smartest person in the room when it comes to tech, right?
But here’s the reality: while technical skills are important, they aren’t what makes a team successful. In fact, if I’ve learned anything from building and leading tech teams for years, it’s that cultural fit, not just technical brilliance, will determine whether your company thrives or crashes.
You want someone who aligns with your vision, your company’s culture, and the way your team works. You can teach someone a new programming language or a new framework, but you can’t teach them to have a collaborative attitude, a growth mindset, or the ability to communicate clearly. These soft skills are often undervalued, especially in the tech world. But they make all the difference.
Let’s start with the typical approach most non-technical founders take: hiring based purely on technical chops. They want a “10x developer”—you know, the one who writes perfect code, stays up all night cranking out features, and solves complex problems faster than anyone else. Founders drool over resumes that list 20 different programming languages and a portfolio full of shiny projects.
But here’s the problem with that approach: developers are not machines. They’re people. And no matter how good someone is at writing code, if they can’t work well with your team, they’ll do more harm than good. A brilliant developer who can’t communicate, won’t accept feedback, or refuses to collaborate with others is a liability, not an asset.
I’ve worked with all types of developers: the technical geniuses, the team players, the ones who work well under pressure, and the ones who crumble the moment something goes wrong. And I can tell you that the ones who thrive aren’t always the ones with the flashiest resumes. They’re the ones who fit with the team, share the same goals, and know how to adapt when things don’t go according to plan.
Culture is everything. It’s how your team communicates, how they solve problems, how they handle setbacks. If someone doesn’t fit into that culture, they’ll disrupt the entire team’s flow. They might not mean to, but they will.
Let’s say you’ve got a fast-paced, deadline-driven environment. Everyone is working hard, but they’re also supportive of each other. They share information, they help each other out when someone’s stuck, and there’s a sense of camaraderie. Now, imagine bringing in someone who’s technically brilliant but refuses to help out a colleague because “it’s not their problem.” That one person can poison the well. Suddenly, the team dynamic shifts, and productivity drops because there’s less collaboration and more finger-pointing.
On the flip side, if you hire someone who’s a little weaker on the technical side but fits your culture perfectly, they’ll integrate more smoothly. They’ll be eager to learn, quick to help, and willing to adapt. And guess what? They’ll grow into the role. I’ve seen developers with only basic skills blossom into top-tier engineers because they were in the right environment, surrounded by the right people.
So, how do you hire for cultural fit? It starts with defining what your company’s culture actually is. This doesn’t mean writing out some generic “mission statement” about being innovative and disruptive. It means getting real about how your team works on a day-to-day basis. Do you value autonomy? Do you expect constant communication and updates? Are you the type of team that likes to plan everything out in detail, or do you prefer to wing it and adapt as you go?
Once you understand your company’s culture, you can start looking for candidates who fit that mold. Here are a few things I look for when I’m hiring developers:
1. Communication skills: Can they explain complex technical problems in simple terms? More importantly, do they listen when others are speaking? Good communication is a two-way street.
2. Collaboration: Do they seem like the type of person who will work well with others? You can get a sense of this by asking them how they’ve worked with teams in the past. Look for candidates who enjoy helping others and aren’t afraid to ask for help when they need it.
3. Adaptability: The tech world changes fast. You need people who can roll with the punches and adapt when new technologies or challenges come up. If they’re stuck in their ways or refuse to learn new things, that’s a red flag.
4. Attitude toward feedback: How do they handle criticism? Are they open to suggestions, or do they get defensive? You want someone who sees feedback as an opportunity to grow, not as a personal attack.
5. Passion for learning: Technology is always evolving, and the best developers are the ones who are constantly learning. I’d rather hire someone who’s eager to learn and grow than someone who thinks they already know everything.
Okay, I hear you. “But I still need someone who can actually code, right?” Of course. I’m not saying you should hire someone who knows nothing about technology. You need a baseline of technical competence. But once you’ve established that baseline, cultural fit should be the deciding factor.
Let’s say you’ve got two candidates. One is a technical wizard, but they’re a lone wolf. They don’t communicate well, they have a huge ego, and they’re not interested in working as part of a team. The other candidate is technically competent, maybe not as brilliant, but they’re eager to collaborate, they communicate clearly, and they share your company’s values. Which one do you hire?
The answer should be obvious: hire the second one. The lone wolf might crank out some great code in the short term, but long term, they’ll cause more problems than they solve. The team player, on the other hand, will grow with your company. They’ll become a key part of your culture and help your entire team succeed.
Once you’ve hired someone who fits your culture, invest in them. This is where many non-technical founders make a mistake. They expect developers to come in and just hit the ground running, without realizing that even the best developers need time to learn your system, your product, and your way of working.
Be patient. Give them time to ramp up. Provide mentorship and training. Encourage a culture of continuous learning. You’ll find that even a moderately skilled developer can become a rockstar if they’re given the right support and the right environment to grow.
It’s also crucial to create an environment where people aren’t afraid to make mistakes. No one gets everything right the first time, especially when they’re learning. If your company culture punishes mistakes, you’ll stifle innovation and creativity. But if you encourage learning from failure, your team will be more willing to experiment, take risks, and ultimately create better products.
There’s one more thing to watch out for when hiring developers: ego. The tech industry is full of big egos, and it’s easy to fall into the trap of thinking that the loudest voice in the room is the smartest. But that’s rarely the case.
The best developers I’ve worked with are humble. They know they don’t have all the answers, and they’re okay with that. They’re curious, always learning, and always looking for ways to improve. They don’t need to prove they’re the smartest person in the room because they’re focused on doing great work, not on winning arguments.
If you hire someone with a huge ego, they’ll spend more time defending their ideas than actually building great products. They’ll resist feedback, push back on collaboration, and ultimately hold your team back. So, look for humility in your candidates. It’s a quality that’s far more valuable than technical brilliance.
Hiring developers is tough, especially when you don’t speak their language. But if you focus on cultural fit over technical expertise, you’ll build a team that works well together, grows with your company, and produces great results.
The bottom line is this: technical skills can be taught, but cultural fit can’t. So, when you’re hiring your next developer, don’t just look for the one who knows the most about coding. Look for the one who will thrive in your company’s culture, communicate well, collaborate with others, and be willing to grow with your team. That’s the person who will help you succeed in the long run.
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