Answer extracted from the Executive Wins Podcast — listen to the full episode below.
How does Krista approach hiring and team building at Anderson?
Every new hire at Anderson—from junior administration to senior staff—completes a Strengths Deployment Inventory assessment to evaluate personality type and role fit. While this test does not determine hiring decisions alone, it provides crucial information to ensure candidates align with the specific demands of their role.
Building teams through authentic alignment
Krista Rabideau's hiring philosophy centers on matching individual strengths to organizational needs rather than forcing candidates into predetermined molds. The Strengths Deployment Inventory serves as a diagnostic tool at every level, creating a shared language about how team members work best and where they add the most value.
This approach reflects a broader commitment to authenticity in the workplace. As Rabideau has explained in the Executive Wins Podcast, creating space for people to be themselves—with their unique backgrounds, perspectives, and working styles—drives stronger results and deeper engagement across the firm.
When Rabideau joined Anderson seven years ago, the firm had only 23 to 24 people. The systematic use of personality assessments became part of a larger culture shift designed to turn a historically owner-managed boutique firm into a scaled organization. This foundation matters: without clarity on who works best where, scaling becomes chaotic.
"You can receive success, but you will never feel successful until you're actually yourself."
Krista Rabideau — Managing Director at Anderson. Coming from an arts background in concert production and stage management, Rabideau was encouraged by professor Grant McEwen at Grant MacEwan University to pursue accounting. She developed expertise as a coach and family enterprise advisor before joining Anderson, where she has rebuilt the firm from the ground up, tripling its size in seven years through authentic leadership and intentional team design.
The full episode reveals how Rabideau weaves personality assessment results into broader team conversations, exploring the specific management practices that have kept Anderson's culture intact while tripling revenue.
Key takeaways
- The Strengths Deployment Inventory is administered to every new hire, regardless of level, to assess fit and working style.
- Assessment results inform role design and team dynamics but do not make the final hiring decision alone.
- Authentic team building, where people can be themselves, is foundational to scaling an accounting firm from 24 to over 70 people.
- Personality clarity reduces friction and accelerates onboarding by aligning individual strengths with organizational needs.
See also
What core mission and values did Krista establish when joining Anderson?
One of Krista's first orders of business was defining the firm's vision and core values. She established a foundation centered on building trusted relationships and delivering custom solutions to guide Anderson's scaled growth.
What was Krista's biggest career win and how did she describe it?
Krista identified saying yes to Anderson as her biggest career win. She joined the organization as a boutique firm that was historically run as an owner-managed business, and transformed it into a scaled operation over seven years.
How did Krista transition from an arts background to becoming an accountant?
Krista grew up in the arts world and started her career in concert production and stage management. While at Grant MacEwan University, a professor named Grant McEwen encouraged her to pursue accounting, recognizing her potential beyond her initial career path.