We are in the midst of a crisis of commitment in the workplace--organizations are searching for engaged employees ("talent") and employees are looking for a place to thrive. Both are struggling. If we fit, we hum, we connect, we create momentum and produce high-value work with grace and ease. But the wrong fit has serious consequences, including frustration, disengagement, and disruption, which undermines every aspect of daily work and the production of value. Finding the right fit is hard. Painfully hard. The good news is, there is a way forward. Through his decades of experience and exhaustive research, including intensive interviews with knowledge workers and leaders, Dr. Martin guides talent and organizations to find the right fit. Through easy exercises, clear insights, and personal stories, this book helps readers discover their perfect fit in the workplace. And for employers, Dr. Martin utilizes policies, communications, training, onboarding, role descriptions, and feedback to help them build a new path to worker engagement. Wrong Fit, Right Fit is for both talent and employers who are looking for strong compatibility for mutual success. Now is the time to boost engagement, inspiration, well-being, and meaning in the work we do. Now is the time to find a greater return in value for ourselves and our organizations. Now is the time to find the right fit.
Andre Martin is an organizational psychologist and talent management executive with 20+ years of experience in talent development, executive team development, employee engagement, culture change, c-suite assessment & succession planning, innovation/design thinking, strategy development, and employee experience design. He is also a father, a husband, and a wildly curious learner who is dedicated to ensuring iconic brands become iconic companies.
"Wrong Fit, Right Fit is the ultimate guide for finding a fulfilling and satisfying career that aligns with your values, passions, company culture, and skills. André Martins practical approach will help you identify the ‘right fit’ so you can wake up every day motivated and excited to go to work. This book is a must-read for anyone looking to unlock their full potential and find genuine satisfaction in their career."
Dr. Marshall Goldsmith Thinkers50 #1 Executive Coach and New York Times bestselling author of The Earned Life, Triggers, and What Got You Here Won’t Get You There
"Wrong Fit, Right Fit couldn’t come at a better time. In a relentlessly competitive battlefield for talent where employees are expected to drive more and more impact, it’s never been more important for employers to reflect on how they establish the ‘right fit’ with their new recruits and current team alike. Dr. Martin has unlocked a new paradigm with this approach that finally provides a road map to greater employee happiness, team productivity, and organizational harmony."
Phil Dur Founder, PeakSpan Capital
"André Martin is a force. Having benefited immensely from his insights and personal coaching on how to drive growth and create a purpose-led company, we were excited to read his book. And it didnt disappoint. Wrong Fit, Right Fit is full of thought-provoking research, practical advice, and nearly everything a founder or CEO needs to create a fulfilling workplace where their team is inspired to do their best work every day. This is one of those books that you will return to again and again."
Alejandro Velez and Nikhil Arora Cofounders/CoCEOs of Back to the Roots
"If you’re a leader who’s dedicated to cultivating a thriving workplace with the right fit talent, then this book is a must-read. Dr. Martin shares straightforward and novel advice on how to tackle the commitment crisis and transform your organization into a place where individuals find genuine fulfillment and continuously contribute to its success."
Sheryl OLoughlin former CEO of Clif Bar, REBBL, and co-founder of Plum Organics; Author of Killing It: An Entrepreneur’s Guide to Keeping Your Head Without Losing Your Heart
"Dr. Martin has written a book everybody should read. I love the idea of ‘right fit’ because it puts so much control in the hands of every teammate and every leader! Team members can make personal adjustments so that they can ‘fit’ better into the team we were so attracted to. Team leaders can make adjustments to the position requirements so that they better resonate with the special talents of the individual teammate. Through these mutual adjustments, teams achieve a harmony that elevates them to the highest levels of commitment, inspiration, and performance."
Admiral John Richardson USN (Ret), 31st Chief of Naval Operations
"Andre has given us insights, backed by research, that are both timely and timeless. Whether you want to improve personally or improve your team, Wrong Fit, Right Fit provides a road map for success. For individuals, it will help you unlock your potential. For those leading others, it will help you through the most important decision: who joins your team. Wrong Fit, Right Fit is an essential tool as we think about how to make our careers more fulfilling and meaningful."
Jay Berhalter Executive Vice President, Major League Soccer
"In a crowded field of books aimed at the future of work, Wrong Fit, Right Fit provides simple, practical, and sage advice to help companies build better workplaces and people to find a place where they can be at their highest, best use. This book is a must-read for anyone who wants to make work, less work."
Prasad Setty lecturer at Stanford; Advisor, BetterUp and Grab; Former Google VP, People Operations
"If there is a book that can help companies build passionate and thriving teams filled with energized and happy people, or to help employees find these types of companies, Wrong Fit, Right Fit is that book. Filled with non-stop thought-provoking and actionable ‘ah-has,’ this book is a page-turner and a must-read for leaders, managers, and employees in any organization."
Wyatt Taubman CEO and Cofounder of Vive Organics
"Wrong Fit, Right Fit is a great fit for every C-suite leader to read and share with her or his team, and for every job candidate to read before accepting employment. Wrong Fit, Right Fit cuts through the miasma around workplace culture and ‘fitting in’ and focuses on whether the ways of working in the organization align with the values and natural work preferences of talent. André’s analogy to effortlessly writing with one’s dominant hand (instead of constantly trying to write with the less dominant hand to ‘fit in’) was an aha moment for me!"
Mark D. Arian CEO Consulting, Korn Ferry
"Reading this book turned on a light bulb in my head, illuminating much more clearly and consciously why my own career experiences evolved as they have. It helped me to understand, in a practical and purposeful way, the elusive concept of ‘fit’ so often discussed in management today yet so little understood. It helped explain why I jumped between five different organizations (many with big names and super reputations) early in my career, then settled in for three decades at my current employer. André Martin takes the concept of fit and moves it from generic to meaningful. He goes deep to offer an array of insights and tools that should be considered indispensable to any individual or organization who wants to find or create an authentic home that brings out the best in those lucky enough to inhabit that special space."
Jeanne Leidtka Professor, University of Virginia Darden School of Business, Author, Designing for Growth
"‘All careers are built on one of these legs: craft, company, or cause,’ writes André, who urges all of us to get to truly know ourselves so that we can find the work and the workplaces that fit us and allow us to do our highest and best work. Wrong Fit, Right Fit is a powerful exploration of new ideas and practical insights that the global workforce and organizations need right now. The chaos and disruption that have marked the pandemic years, the renewed focus on well-being and culture, and the massive disengagement of employees are all signs that the way we’ve always worked isn’t working anymore. André’s fresh and insightful perspectives are needed today. This is a must-read."
Tony Bingham President and CEO, Association of Talent Development (ATD)
"As an organization of 15,000 people, we understand the importance of effective engagement. If talent is disengaged, how can the world be productive and thriving? The concept of finding the right fit for each human being in their respective organization is arguably more important than the topic of culture itself. Dr. Martin does a phenomenal job of not only explaining the ‘why’ but also ‘how’ when it comes to maximizing success and finding peak productivity through the focus on finding right fit. This book will be the light-bulb moment for so many leaders who are trying to figure out how to get their organization to next-level performance. Most importantly, Dr. Martin shows clearly how people and business thrive at a whole new level when right fit is there, which ultimately helps make the world a better place for us all."
Jason Lippert President and CEO of LCI Industries
"Whether you are an individual looking for the right company fit, a leader of people striving for more engagement and productivity from your team, or a C-suite executive attempting to renovate your organizational culture, André Martin’s Wrong Fit, Right Fit is for you. In it, André explores the often mysterious and elusive art of pairing the perfect position with the ideal individual. Stop worrying about how to improve productivity, unearth quiet quitters, or find a meaningful role filled with purpose, this book will illuminate new ways to think about and solve these (and other) talent issues."
Kevin Oakes CEO of i4cp and author of Culture Renovation
