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Leadership

Why The Recruitment Industry Can’t Move Forward…

Career Insight, Leadership, Recruitment /

Trust is key across all relationships. The issue that most have with recruiters is they are just untrustworthy… It starts with the initial outreach… A smooth pitch and tons of promises about how great an opportunity it is for your career… Followed by a request for your resume, then… Silence. This is precisely why the profession isn’t taken seriously… Most recruiters don’t set out to work this way. In fact, I’d like to think that the majority start out sincere with the best of intentions… They don’t want to operate transactionally, and they believe in treating people well, but pressures and quotas internally prohibit the operation of ethics and best practices… Recruiters are tossed into the deep end with no real training and are expected to deliver. When they don’t, they’re callously let go, and the process starts with another recruiter… The problem starts within our own ranks. This is why leadership at the forefront of this industry matters. KPIs and quotas are great measurements for success, but when it becomes all about benchmarks, then you prematurely weed out talent that can be groomed into high performers with time and patience – I fell into this bucket. I was not a top biller when I started in this industry, but I was resilient and learned how to remain relevant. Many top billers have fallen by the wayside either because of arrogance or complacency… Slow and consistent remains underappreciated. Many decision makers are comfortable engaging two to three recruiters for a given search despite the poor results associated with doing so. These recruiter cage matches are bad for everyone’s business. “We’ve always done it this way!”… …I think someone said that this mindset is the quickest way to go out of business. We’re willing to revamp other business practices, yet we remain archaic in how we handle recruitment, the growth engine for the enterprise… Your business deserves better representation.

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Leadership Is A Mirror

Career Insight, Inspiration, Leadership, Recruitment /

So, why do you put so much emphasis on people? I wrote a blog post 2 years ago, entitled: The Great Departure – A Recruiter’s Guide To Retaining Your Best Talent (read it here – https://talentsearchpartnersinc.com/the-great-departure-a-recruiters-guide-to-retaining-your-best-talent/) That post did very well, and the feedback supported that… In it, I discussed the 6 areas where leadership has failed, and it resonated with readers… One of the benefits of serving under a poor leader is you get to eye witness everything they are doing wrong, which allows you to not repeat those mistakes… It pained me to watch good people leave that office… Rather than accept the blame for the revolving door that existed, my then boss blamed those who left, highlighting their weaknesses, rather than taking ownership… I did what I could to save what was a sinking ship, but the damage was irreparable, and he was delusional… So, why do you care so much about people and good leadership? Because, no matter how much you’ve made financially or how large your office is, how you treat people will ultimately determine your success & longevity… He spent money on “things” to keep the office running, but he treated people like replaceable resources, and not assets… The office eventually closed. He said very little, but it was the way he treated us that scarred the most… It would’ve been an easier pill to swallow if he had yelled, heaved chairs across the office, put holes in the walls, or kicked the water cooler. But it was his silence that pierced. It made you feel like you didn’t exist. Almost like you were being done a favour… It felt like he kept a life vest in his office, and everyone else was vulnerable… I vowed to never make another human feel like that; not on my watch… He ended up alone, and that came as no surprise. Sad, but not surprising. The best amongst us know how to pull the best out of people. They leverage technology, resources, business intelligence, etc., but they never lose sight of the human factor… The way you make people feel can either build up or tear down. My role in recruitment has afforded me the privilege of working with some great people. I am directly tied to an organization’s growth by aligning them with talent, and with that comes great responsibility… As such, I will not misrepresent an opportunity to a candidate… The people who were hired to work for my former manager were deceived, quickly realizing that the man they interviewed with, was not the same man they encountered 6 months into the role. The honeymoon phase was short-lived, and the list of casualties kept growing. The tipping point for me was his inability to see his own errors. In that state, he was incapable of changing, and my days in that office were numbered after that conversation… Leadership is a responsibility. It’s not a right, and it’s nothing to boast about… If you are leading a team of 1 or 30, it’s a responsibility, and how you make people feel will monetize every time… You won’t need to convince them to go the extra mile. They will go willingly because they know that you will secure their life-vest before you tend to your own… I know they say that you must first put the oxygen mask on yourself during an aviation emergency, but real leaders put others first… This is your competitive advantage.

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What Do You Need To Earn? (Lessons From Lacrosse)

Career Preparation, Compensation, Employer Insight, Inspiration, Leadership, Recruitment /

The Premier Lacrosse League (PLL) is a privately held sports league started by Paul Rabil (former player) and his Brother, Mike Rabil. It’s a fascinating story about Paul’s rise through the sport to league founder/owner. Mike is featured in this interview and provided an interesting answer to a question about recruitment. You can play the clip below, but it got me thinking about the simplicity of the answer and why more business owners don’t come up with competitive and creative ways of compensating their best people. They’re a growing league looking to increase viewership & revenue, so recruitment & retention are everything. To summarize, Michael describes a situation where any additional revenue that is pumped into the league by way of sponsors would be then allocated to the players (who by the way also have equity in the league), thereby increasing their annual salaries across the league. As a business leader, having a strong brand in your market adds credibility to your pitch, but it doesn’t stop there. You’re competing for talent in your market, yet there’s a significant wage gap across the board, and I learned quickly that people change careers for 2 reasons: meaningful work and compensation (sometimes there’s a trade off, but in a perfect world, there shouldn’t be). I like to take a compassionate approach to compensation, and I think we should reframe how we tackle the “money conversation”. It’s transactional at best and entirely skewed towards the employer with interests in keeping salaries offered as low as possible. Asking a prospect ‘what they need to earn’ conveys a degree of empathy that will change the dynamic of these discussions. Again, the more money flowing into the league, the more available capital to pay their players. Not the board or the stakeholders, the players. Paul & Mike don’t have a league without players, and they have figured out what seasoned executives have failed to accept. If you’re a company that has just secured a new project that is approved to add $350 million to your bottom-line once completed, then compassion dictates that there is additional cashflow that can be distributed to those within the company who helped to win and execute the project. Why aren’t salaries increased at that point? Profit sharing is one way of sharing the wealth, but that is only a fraction of earnings that the average employee sees. The majority stays at the top of the funnel. New projects drive market awareness. Market awareness drives new business opportunities. New business opportunities drive earning potential. Additional earnings should drive up employee wealth, ownership, and intellectual property. Kudos to the Rabil brother’s and the PLL for redefining the employee (athlete) / employer (owner) relationship. View the clip here – https://lnkd.in/gcSNS2C6

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“I Could Never Work For That Guy!”

Career Insight, Inspiration, Leadership, Recruitment /

He was on his phone during the interview…………and it wasn’t the candidate. It was the CEO/Founder of a multinational company with roots that span over half a century… It was shocking to me and the candidate that a CEO would behave in this manner… What a first impression for a seasoned executive who had great meetings with everyone up to that point within the organization… The fit was strong, and the ROI was clear… The candidate had a strong leadership background working for a variety of manufacturers and expertise in the standardization of processes, something the company lacked and desperately needed to compete outside of their immediate marketplace… He was also excellent at developing talent. His people-centric style of leadership resonated with his potential counterparts and addressed major retention issues with the company… It’s tough, I get it. Change breeds uncertainty, which is the reason it’s avoided. The human element is also prevalent in these cases. We are innately biased & insecure, and that influences decision making… A few things come to mind… 1️⃣ If you’re running a company that produces a product for customer use, then you need standard processes and procedures that will exist beyond your tenure with the company. The opposite of standardization means that you’re constantly moving your goal posts based on present day circumstances, and you don’t understand the essence of succession planning. Standardization essentially allows you to effectively plan for the future, while holding people accountable. You don’t get to make things up as you go… 2️⃣ As a leader, you have to be able to trust the team under you. This sounds simple, but it’s the hardest thing for many leaders to do. They are hyper-active in areas that should be delegated to their leadership team… 3️⃣ Decency is required to succeed. It’s inappropriate to be on your phone while you are interviewing someone for a position within your company… 4️⃣ Empowering others to make decisions doesn’t diminish your authority… 5️⃣ If longevity is truly your goal, then you’ll do what it takes to accomplish that, even if it means checking your ego.

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He Brought A Sledgehammer To Work On His First Day

Career Insight, Inspiration, Leadership, Recruitment /

As a newly hired business leader within an organization, the first 6 to 18 months should be a learning period. You should be spending the majority of your time getting to learn the company, your team, the culture, & your customers. Avoid making any major decisions during this time until you’ve had a chance to survey the landscape of this organization – this requires patience. As a leader, you’ve become a steward of the organization’s assets, primarily its people. Unless you were hired with a specific mandate with an aggressive timeline to achieve a set of goals, the agenda should be to understand the business and forge alliances within your team. This does not happen on your first day. For any leader who is going through the interview process, one of your primary questions to the CEO or President of a company should be: What is your vision for this position within the first year? If that goal is cost-cutting centric for instance, then I’d question that. There’s a lot that you don’t know about the company and won’t know until the completion of your first year, in some cases longer. You may discover through your own exploration that there are issues that require a different approach that will ultimately lead to the same end goal. One of my most tragic placements came with a company that I had served for several years. I built a great relationship with one of their key executives and became a trusted partner for him in the development of his engineering team. Through that relationship, I was able to break into other areas of the business, culminating in a conversation with the CEO to help him find a new VP of Operations. I sifted the marketplace to find someone who had served in a similar capacity in his previous role. He was young, energetic, communicated well, had great references, and he genuinely hit it off with the team. He was hired! Shortly thereafter however, things took a weird turn… Hidden within his briefcase was a sledgehammer (not a literal one) and he wasn’t timid about using it. He made his primary agenda to find and expose problems, rather than formulating solutions. He alienated members of the leadership team, rather than leaning on their expertise and experience to understand the business and its direction. Granted, there were issues within the company, but as a new leader and someone who had been hired to drive new processes and procedures, his first course of action should’ve been to get to know the people by watching what they do and learning how they do it. Along that growth path, some people will be weeded out, but that should be handled delicately, not with a shotgun as one of the team members shared. He was ultimately fired by the CEO, and his departure came as a sigh relief to those within the organization. Lessons for newly hired leaders…

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The Real Measure Of Value

Career Insight, Inspiration, Leadership, Recruitment /

My walk last night did little to solve my value conundrum. The dog feces left along my path certainly didn’t help the situation… I’m struggling with value… Every recruiter pitches their value the same… “a huge database of resumes” “years recruiting in your industry” “a team of recruiters who will be dedicated to your roles” “flexible fees” …a great list of value cliches, but this is not real value because it doesn’t address the needs of the end user… Recruiters are in over-supply and the demand for talent is at an all time high. There is a recruiter on every street corner and the trail of scarred executives runs deep… I’ve encountered executives within companies who would rather struggle to fill positions through their own efforts than work with “another recruiter.” Hard to blame them… 3-months, 6-months, 9-months, a year goes by, and the position still hasn’t been filled… If recruiters are in over-abundance with demand for talent running at the same pace, then why haven’t these two variables been able to marry each other at this equilibrium point… If there are so many of us and an equal number of roles to be filled, then why are executives reluctant to sign on that dotted line to engage that recruiter? Why would they rather deal with the lost revenue and frustration of having positions go unfilled for quarters… I believe the issue lies in quality, not supply… Recruiters for years have over-promised and under-delivered. They talk a big game but fail to show up when it counts. This has happened so many times over the years that companies have caught on and would rather forgo the trauma of another failed attempt to work with a recruiter… The missing link in this relationship has nothing to do with statistics and experience. It has everything to do with doing what you said you would do… Executives are tired of being taken on a roller coaster ride. For most, the thrill no longer exists, and they are exiting the ride in droves… Most executives in my opinion could live with the result of a failed attempt to fill their position if recruiters demonstrated traits of resilience and integrity… We don’t need another recruitment agency. These days anyone with Wi-Fi and a cell phone plan can be a recruiter… What we need are professionals who understand the importance of what they do and how they can drive an economy forward. The key is to serve, not extract, with the end goal of facilitating lasting partnerships. This remains the greatest stumbling block within the recruitment process… I don’t mind paying for a service (even overpaying) if I believe there will be a true exchange of value & a commitment to quality. The reason why there is so much negotiation is because of a misunderstanding of how both sides benefit in this equation.

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Progress Is A Collection Of Small Steps

Employer Insight, Inspiration, Leadership, Recruitment /

✅ We want to be a market leader by 2040… ✅ We want to increase our revenue by 50% in 3 years… ✅ We want to surpass our competitor in the development of… Goals are great, but they are only achieved by focusing on the details. These are the seemingly insignificant tasks that we take for granted. We all like to put “excellent attention to detail” in our resumes, but how many of us actually pay attention to the details that matter the most? We’ve become so fixated on distant goals, that we’ve forgotten about the process. Tucked away within the process is how you treat your most valuable asset, your people. We’ve forgotten that people achieve goals, not numbers in an excel sheet, not investing in automation, or buying your competitors. If motivated and treated correctly, your people can become the engine behind attaining market leadership by 2040 or increased cash flow by 2028. It’s interesting when I hear business leaders talk about their goals. Take me inside your company and let me see how you treat your people. I’ll tell you whether you’ll attain your goals or not. Even if you do, it won’t be sustainable. You’ll spend all of your profits filling holes along the way. So, what are “the details” that are often overlooked by business leaders… 1️⃣ “Good morning, Team!” 2️⃣ “Take the afternoon off to spend with your kids” 3️⃣ “Let’s talk about equity in this company that you’ve served faithfully for years” 4️⃣ “Thank you for a job well done on this project. Without your contributions, it wouldn’t have been possible” 5️⃣ “Thank you for cleaning the restroom, Steve” (Comment to Janitor) 6️⃣ “Tell me how I can serve you better” 7️⃣ “What are your financial goals and what do you need to make to achieve that?” We’ve spent years focusing on the wrong things. Let’s start bridging the disconnect by doing the little things well & consistently.

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The Engine Of The Enterprise

Human Resources, Leadership, Recruitment /

HR is one of the most undervalued business units within a company. I’m not quite sure when the shift took place, but it’s apparent from my experience that Human Resources is operating at a diminished value within most companies. Transactional at best, and often abused. Think about it, they are looking after the greatest assets within a company, and they architect the policies, procedures, and programs that have the greatest impact on those assets. They hold everyone to a standard and call things out when they don’t align. It’s no wonder why we have witnessed an increase in dejected employees. The governing body that is supposed to be looking out for them has become an afterthought by many business leaders, leveraged only when it’s convenient. Case in point; I was recruiting an executive leadership role for a customer of mine late last year and there was a candidate who had entered into serious contention for the role and had received good reviews internally amongst key people. Being the astute leader that he is, he noticed that HR was not amongst the decision-making cabinet and that worried him. Perhaps a sign of other issues within the organization according to him… Why does Human Resources in some cases fall under the leadership of the finance department or CFO of a company when the interests & functions of these 2 business units are completely different?! Both are working towards the success of the company, but the goals are distinct. Those lines shouldn’t be crossed. Investing in Human Resources should be intentional & consistent.

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Business Lessons From The Basketball Court

Career Insight, Employer Insight, Inspiration, Leadership, Recruitment /

I love basketball banter! As I’ve aged, I have come to appreciate the pre & post game analysis more than game action. The news that still has the basketball world buzzing and the Dallas community in fury, is the trade that happened behind closed doors, finalized in the wee hours of the night to avoid public scrutiny & backlash. Coined the most shocking trade in NBA history, the move of one of basketball’s rising legends is still mind-boggling to many. How could a franchise with playoff aspirations at the beginning of the season now be facing a missed opportunity to make the postseason? I’ll leave the conspiracy theories to the experts, but there are important lessons to takeaway for the business world: Whatever you are trying to accomplish as a business leader should be clearly communicated. It’s unrealistic and counterproductive to reach a consensus on every decision, but leaving your team in the dark is certainly not the way to build a winning organization. Hidden agendas provide a smooth runway for your best people to take their talents elsewhere.

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What Do You Need To Earn?

Employer Insight, Leadership /

What are your salary expectations? What are you presently making?? I’d like to see business leaders take a different approach to the topic of compensation. Disclaimer: The following only applies to top performers in their industry – opening this question & train of thought to any and everyone does not work. I am directing this to those top-tier candidates who operate from a place of professionalism, integrity, and who can deliver on what they’ve communicated. My recommendation… Rather than asking for a prospects salary expectations which is really only used one dimensionally to rule someone in or out, I’d like to hear business leaders ask the question this way – “what do you need to earn?” This question has a degree of empathy that I think has been lacking from a lot of conversations surrounding money. For years, we’ve heard executives talk about what their budget is, what they’d prefer to pay, and what they think a person is worth. This is not considering what someone is presently making and what they need in order to maintain (& improve) their standard of life. I’m challenging business leaders to shift their focus, their language, and their mindset surrounding money and to start making real investments that will pay dividends in the long-run. Salary negotiations don’t need to be contentious if we can get back to what intrinsically motivates people to change careers. Only those who are bold enough to change will reap the benefits that come with it.

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