If I Had a Hammer

A couple years ago, I went through a separation and divorce. While it was a painful and lengthy process, it was a necessary portal through which I had to pass. Painful because I took my children with me on this journey and I have always considered it my responsibility to try and prevent their pain and suffering. It isn’t always possible and sometimes, it is compulsory for them, as well. Consequences of choices can ultimately help us understand those choices and learn from them.

The weekend my ex moved out, I decided it would be best to take my children and go stay at a friend’s place until the whole process was complete. Mostly to protect them, but I was also at a point where I didn’t feel like I needed to be there and watch over him and count the silverware or monitor the DVDs that were being boxed up; it was just time to move on. Apparently, I was more ready than he.

When I returned to my home with my kids, the walls were stripped, bare nails stared back at me everywhere. There was not a stitch of furniture left in my room except a small lingerie dresser and a dusty bookshelf. While I somewhat expected this, the starkness was a bit more harsh than I was prepared for. As I made my way to the living room, passing yet another bare wall, I’m not sure what I anticipated but it was not what I found, to be sure. One corner was completely bare and propped up stood a wireless guitar for a guitar hero game – left for my 10-year old son. Game cartridges were nowhere to be find, a bare spot marked where a PlayStation 3 once stood. A lone, useless guitar served as an insistent reminder of why I made my choice.

If every tool you currently utilize to do your job disappeared and you were left with only one, one that you could choose, what would be your choice? Recognize that some tools work in conjunction with others and very few can stand on their own, even if propped in a corner. A computer, the internet, social/new media, your mobile device, your database/rolodex, your outlook, your phone, your ATS, skype or similar product, your CRM, your co-workers, colleagues, mentors, your vehicle, your laptop, countless software or SaaS programs, conferences, networking events, webinars, etc…

The phone? Requisite, yes. But can you stay at the top of your game, become the preferred recruiter or HR professional without some of the others? No. Granted, the tool box is jam-packed with devices unnecessary to you but required for others and vice versa. Today, you cannot fulfill the obligations of your business or a requisition, in a timely manner (comparable to a competitor) without the use of some of the above tools.

What is requisite is changing; will you be able to put the hammer in your other hand?

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Permalink Reply by Maureen Sharib on March 2, 2010 at 6:52am

If you were to list the tools you'd allow to be stripped away, one by one, what would go first? What would go last?

It's interesting Rayanne, that you said you were more ready than he was to lose stuff. I'm sorry your children had to experience those losses (as it turns out, choosing the person you have children with is one of the most, if not the most, inportant decision of one's life - IMO) but, in the end, what did losing all that stuff do for you? I suspect it opend up a whole new vista - can you tell us about that?

To answer your question, what tool would that be that could stand on its own? My voice, I suppose.

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Permalink Reply by Bill Boorman on March 2, 2010 at 9:32pm

Rayanne,
Thanks for sharing a very honest post about starting again and rebuilding everything. No doubt this made you stronger and enabled you to progress to where you are now with Broadbean and well respected in the recruiting community. That was clearly evident at #truLondon, thanks for coming and joining the conversation.
In 2009 in the UK over 32,000 businesses closed due to the global economic environment. I ran a training and consultancy business that was amongst them. Up to last year we had been a very successful business, working with growing recruitment companies.
As revenues within recruitment companies dropped training and consultancy became a luxury they could not afford as staff numbers dropped and recruiting of new staff halted. They loved what we did but simply didn't have the budget for it. This was compounded by 3 clients going bust with outstanding invoices that had already been funded against. At this point my home was at risk and with a young family and a wife in ill health this became an all consuming concern. We closed the business at the end of 2009 as we were unable to fund the business. This left us with a few creditors, all but one who chose to work with me in the future to make up for losses.
From March last year it became clear that traditional marketing was failing and we needed to do something different. It was at this time that I set out to develop a network of recruiters globally and see where we might end up. The upshot of what has been a hard and long journey in a short space of journey is a new business where we co-deliver the #tru events and a number of other initiatives.
What I have learnt from this is that you accumulate lots of "stuff" that actually you don't need. All you need is to retain your belief, to work hard and to take support from those in your community and support those around you. I have been fortunate to find some very clever and passionate people that I have learnt from, and I hope in turn I have been able to contribute to. I have a great passion for what we are doing now in that I have always wanted to be in a position where I could share my knowledge, experience and enthusiasm regardless of whether people were paying or not. The social media communities we build make this possible. Long may it continue! (Not wishing to sound too Woodstock!)
I'm aware that there are those that will begrudge the success that has come and will be vocal about this. That's the price you pay for being visible in social media,anyone can give their view in a public forum. The benefit the channels bring me, along with a VoIP phone that enables me to have conversations anywhere in the world at any time of day or night for little or no cost outweighs any public scrutiny this might bring. The opportunity to build communities by “word of mouse” and by communicating with smart people beats the downsides every time.
In answer to your original question, much as it surprises me, I think the one tool I could not do without is the internet, everything else is just stuff!
Great blog every day, keep being an ambassador.
Bill