Author name: Troy Saddler

Good leaders hold themselves accountable. Sweeping things under the rug does not magically make issues go away, and moving dirt to another location is not real cleaning… Thankfully, I have a Wife who will call me out if I’m wrong, and I appreciate her for that… The problem can’t always be your followers… If they’re leaving, it could be that you failed to provide the direction and safety they needed… Rather than directly addressing their concerns, they were villainized for raising their concerns to begin with… This is hardly the foundation for sustainable growth that can foster future leadership… People should be taken care of at all times and your message should align to your behaviour… Any misalignment will jeopardize the integrity of your stance as a leader and create more confusion in the environment… This is precisely why recruitment cannot afford to operate transactionally… Its purpose is too important to the health of the corporation… Too many in the profession see turnover as an opportunity to backfill and cash a cheque, reducing themselves to scavengers who prey on dead corporations with terrible cultures… Recruiting for a good leader is far better than recruiting for a bad leader… I owe it to the people’s lives that I’m temporarily disrupting, and leading to what I’m selling as a “land flowing with milk & honey”, to make sure that the environment is one where they can see a progression of their career… This all starts with good leaders who create the policies, systems, and culture that facilitates career development… Anything less than this means that we’ve missed the mark and have done those in our care a disservice.

My understanding of the recruitment industry has evolved… There is a lot circulating in the marketplace about the state of recruitment… A common misconception being that recruiters help people – WRONG! Recruiters serve the corporate entity by finding talent for them. Recruiters have confused these two things, have sold this message to the marketplace, and are getting exposed when their actions don’t align with “helping people”… People are hurting and rightfully so… As noble as helping people is, and this is certainly a people driven business, there is more to this… It’s in every recruiter’s best interest to treat people well, but stop lying to yourself and misleading people in the process… Physicians help people. Recruiters help the corporation and drive economic growth… The disconnect started when recruiters thought they had a runway to success that absolved them of their humanity. We forgot that people respond favourably when they are treated with respect… Historical thought dictates that once you get the business, the candidates will come! No. Secure the business, treat people well, and you’ll enjoy success and longevity in this industry… Recruiters for years have built with one hand and torn down with the other… There is a trail of scarred job seekers and passive candidates along the way, yet we have the nerve to boast about advancements in technology and how that will improve our service… We’ve made the service offering more sophisticated without addressing the character flaws within our ranks… The key question that every recruiter must answer is, how do you want to be remembered? If your aim is to be successful in this industry, then you cannot build sustainability on the backs of the most vulnerable in the market… Recruitments value is far greater and has global impact… Matching talent to great companies is how you get paid; treating people well is how your legacy is created.

I learned over the weekend that my Cousin who is a Barber by trade, has mobilized his business. He invested in a mini truck that he converted into a barbershop and drives around to various locations, parks, and cuts hair (see pictures below). Traditionally, you had to visit a salon and Barbershop to get a fresh cut. Now, the cut comes to you… The Pain Point Barbershop’s historically have always had retention issues. The path towards being a shop owner typically starts with finding a physical location (usually in a densely populated strip mall). From there, you’d recruit other barbers to work in your shop and rent out your chairs to them (typically 3-4 chairs in a standard barbershop). Each barber is essentially operating as a solopreneur under the banner. The Idea He was inspired by a tattoo company that is entirely mobile. His vision was to mimic the tattoo model by mobilizing the haircutting experience. With the proof of concept already in place, it was full steam ahead from there… Talk about addressing the needs within your market segment in a simple and elegant manner. Naturally, I thought about recruitment… Recruitment On Wheels? “Recruitment on wheels” sounds catchy, but doesn’t have the same degree of credibility… Firstly, we’re already a ubiquitous service…perhaps to a fault (maybe some scarcity would improve our public perception)… Secondly, the issue is not our mobility or availability. The elephant in the room when I talk to decision makers is entirely tied to trust… Can I trust you to do what you’re saying you can do? What makes you different from everyone else? Recruitment is not suffering from poor technology integration or lack thereof… Dressing a pig in a tuxedo does not change its nature. It’s still a pig… Similarly, technology won’t magically transform a poor recruiter into a good one… Decision makers don’t care about your tech stack. They care about their time not being wasted and you delivering the right people who can move the needle for the organization… How you get that talent over the finish line is a cherry on top. Some of the best recruiters I’ve witnessed were not tech savvy. In fact, their submissions to clients were anything but aesthetically pleasing… The resumes were not properly formatted, and emails were poorly written or lacked depth… Yet, what they did very well and what made them successful was their ability to address the needs of their clients… Their relationships were built on them keeping their word and delivery within hours (not days or months)… They did not waste time… That’s what recruitment must return back to, and automation should only facilitate what’s already working well. Summary My Cousin found a gap in the industry, met the need, and carved out a place for himself in a crowded marketplace… …he addressed some of the primary struggles that are prevalent in the barbering industry (owning a shop/renting out chairs/retention), and his future goal is to have a fleet of trucks that can be deployed to different locations. He’s definitely on his way.

Too many leaders advertise themselves. One lengthy bio after another… We’re more informed about the qualifications of these people then we know about what they & the organizations they represent stand for… (…truly stand for.) Everyone is a servant, thought, or compassionate leader these days, yet employee disengagement is at a record high… People are depressed & facing severe career malnutrition, yet leadership advice has littered every social media platform, and it’s only becoming more prevalent… If leadership quotes could help us, then we wouldn’t be experiencing widespread layoffs at all levels within an organization… We’re drowning under leadership best practices and Sunday night is still a source of anxiety for many professionals… The issue with advertising a leader is a matter of unpredictability. That individual could leave the company, be demoted, pass away, or change… Then what? If you’re attraction to an organization is solely based on the person leading it, then it’s possible that you could be disappointed in the near future… I love Texas! Every time I’m there, I feel like I’m at home. There’s something in the atmosphere that puts me in a safe zone. I love the food, the people, and the hospitality that I feel from the locals. I love the Lone Star State, yet I’ve never met nor had a conversation with Governor Greg Abbott. In fact, I know very little about the man… Despite my ignorance of who their leader is, I’m strongly attracted to the State of Texas; so much so that we’ve discussed owning a home out that way… My interest in Texas has nothing to do with its leadership. It has everything to do with the culture that has been created by those in charge… I fell in love with Texas before I ever knew who their leader was… We’re promoting the wrong message to people, and the connection to the environment and its values have become an afterthought… People want to grow… They want financial freedom. They want control of their time. They want flexibility to prioritize things outside of work when it’s necessary. They don’t want carrots dangled in front of them, and they definitely don’t want to feel like slaves to someone else’s ambitions. Stop advertising yourself and start promoting the values, ethics, and attributes of the environment you represent to people… People are attracted to culture & perks; they leave leaders who are defective and lack character… Create the right environment with an unshakeable set of core values, and you’ll never have to advertise your leadership… I wrestled with the idea of posting a Christmas picture of my family around the tree last night… It’s of course seasonally appropriate to do so, and I’ve been inspired by the many lovely photos I’ve seen posted… While tempting, I opted not to post a picture… Trying to ingratiate myself to you is a high that many leaders feel that fades away quickly. People and circumstances are changing every day, and I’d rather you fall in love with the thing that will remain long after I’ve passed on.