“Culture fit” is one of the most overused and least understood phrases in hiring. Almost every family business says it matters most. Yet when asked to describe what their culture actually is, few can answer with confidence.
The truth is that culture isn’t something you can define on paper. It’s an outcome, the collective result of how people behave, make decisions, and treat each other every day. In other words, culture is behaviour at scale.
And in a family business, that behaviour almost always reflects the actions of the leader. What they accept, what they challenge, and how they act under pressure sets the tone for everyone else. Over time, those signals become the culture itself.
Values drive behaviour. Behaviour creates culture. So when families talk about hiring for culture fit, what they are really talking about, often without realising it, is behavioural alignment.
The problem with “fit”
Families rely on intuition: does this person seem like one of us? But gut instinct is unreliable. It favours familiarity and comfort over evidence. It can lead to hiring people who look right on paper but act wrong in practice.
In most recruitment processes, culture fit remains a feeling rather than a fact.
If culture is the sum of behaviours, then the logical step is to define and measure those behaviours before making a hire. The difficulty is that few family businesses have articulated the behaviours that actually underpin their success.
A practical way to begin is to look internally. Who already embodies what good looks like? Who would you happily have ten more of?
Then ask why. What do they do, or not do, that makes them such a good fit? Similarly, which behaviours consistently create frustration or friction? Persistent lateness, poor communication, reluctance to take responsibility. These are all data points about the culture you want to protect.
From instinct to evidence
At TWYD, we developed the 3F – Family Fit Framework to bring structure and data to this challenge. It helps families move beyond the vague notion of “fit” and evaluate potential leaders through three clear lenses:
Fit for Role – Do they demonstrate the leadership behaviours required to deliver results?
Fit for Family – Will they earn trust, work collaboratively, and respect the boundaries between family and business?
Fit for Future – Can they adapt and grow with the business as it evolves across generations?
3F combines behavioural assessment with family context to create an evidence-based view of each candidate’s likely impact. It identifies alignment, highlights risk areas, and turns a subjective decision into an informed one.
Why this matters
In a family enterprise, the cost of a poor hire goes far beyond performance. It affects trust, stability, and continuity. The wrong behaviours, even from a technically capable leader, can quietly erode what has taken generations to build.
That is why culture fit should not be treated as a feeling to validate, but as a hypothesis to test.
By defining desired behaviours, assessing them objectively, and linking them to values, families can protect what makes them distinctive while still inviting in the fresh thinking they need to grow.
You cannot measure culture, but you can measure behaviour. And in family businesses, that is what determines whether a new leader truly fits.
About the Author
David Twiddle is the Founder and Managing Partner of TWYD & Co, an executive search and leadership advisory firm working exclusively with family businesses. Drawing on his own family-business background, he helps families appoint senior leaders, strengthen boards, and plan for succession with clarity and confidence.