The roar of the crowd was almost deafening. The floor of the freshly-waxed gymnasium shone brightly as six young volleyballers jumped up and down, joyous in their victory. They were eighth graders new to the sport, thirteen and fourteen years old. The last several weeks have been difficult. Soreness plagues a young body unfamiliar with lunges and squats. But practice and pursuit of excellence pay off when heart meets effort.

There had been much discussion between coach and the regarding building a core desire to do well. You can have all the amenities of an athlete. The right shoes. The right sport bag. The right shorts. The right location and coach. The right back-up support, parental units, family and friends. But unless your heart is there, unless your desire to excel and be all that you can be, the opportunity for greatness knocks on a locked door. Desire to do well drives and motivates even the weakest player, the most inexperienced player, to levels previously not approached.


These six girls knew the basics, they knew how to pass, set, and some were able to spike. There was one that rarely made a serve over the net. But they got a little taste of victory in an earlier game and they were hooked. The seed had been planted in their "heart." A seed that grew and blossomed to become an incentive to play their absolute best, to dig into a sport they knew very little about just a few short weeks ago.

You've gotta have heart
All you really need is heart
When the odds are sayin' you'll never win
That's when the grin should start -Damn Yankees

I guess the thing is..., you can win with skill and experience, but will it really matter without "heart?" Without skill and experience, you do not have a shot at winning if you don't have "heart." How many recruiters are left in the game right now that don't have heart? That don't love this sport? That aren't driven by love of making placements or connecting good people? That impetus, the desire to succeed in this industry can be driven by many factors, money being one. Those driven by money have probably struggled quite a bit over the last two years. Those driven by their hearts have probably fared better.

Skill and experience in recruiting go a long way. Having the wisdom to use both, properly, can be a difficult, but not impossible. But if you don't like to recruit, if you don't like talking to people, if you have difficulty with rejection, if you don't like checks and balances, how can your heart fall in love with the talent management industry? It cannot. It's called engagement. It's called heart.


by rayannethorn