Christopher McCann's Posts - RecruitingBlogs2024-03-28T21:47:37ZChristopher McCannhttps://recruitingblogs.com/profile/ChristopherMcCannhttps://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/1526896827?profile=RESIZE_48X48&width=48&height=48&crop=1%3A1https://recruitingblogs.com/profiles/blog/feed?user=3nnaafwub79dr&xn_auth=noBalancing Practicality with Passiontag:recruitingblogs.com,2009-10-11:502551:BlogPost:7782052009-10-11T21:57:18.000ZChristopher McCannhttps://recruitingblogs.com/profile/ChristopherMcCann
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I had an interesting conversation today with one of my clients. Over the last seven years I have been witness to Marks' setbacks and successes, his layoffs and his promotions. I've met his wife, his kids, and he has met my sons. Our relationship is truly of "trusted advisor" nature.<br />
This past Friday he was laid off from a software firm that had difficulty securing an additional line of credit. At best, the firm has another 6-8 weeks before they close…
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I had an interesting conversation today with one of my clients. Over the last seven years I have been witness to Marks' setbacks and successes, his layoffs and his promotions. I've met his wife, his kids, and he has met my sons. Our relationship is truly of "trusted advisor" nature.<br />
This past Friday he was laid off from a software firm that had difficulty securing an additional line of credit. At best, the firm has another 6-8 weeks before they close up shop. Mark called me this afternoon, lamenting the job loss, his children's' tuition bills, his career prospects, and the economy itself. Unfortunately I've had quite a few conversations like this recently. I'm sure those of you reading this know someone who has been affected personally by this recession (if not yourself) and realize this has become a familiar refrain.<br />
<br />
Part of my recruitment process and responsibility is to help bring clarity to an individuals short and long term goals. Those of you who know me have been asked "where do you see yourself a year from now? Three years from now? Why is that important to you? How do you plan on achieving that?" more times than you can shake a stick at! I've kept copious notes over the last 10 years of my conversations, and enjoy revisiting these very items and helping them remember who they are.<br />
<br />
I asked these very questions of Mark (again, for the umpteenth time) when he had finished dumping on me. I don't know that he was in the right frame of mind to be contemplative, but I owed it to him to look down the rabbit hole a little bit. What I wanted Mark to bring to the surface were those things that energized him, excited him and get him juiced to the point that he loses track of time. What follows is the part of our conversation that I had recorded.<br />
<br />
"Yeah, you lost your job. Okay, I get that. But you haven't lost your skills, your talent, your expertise, or anything between your ears. That is your intellectual property! We've seen this movie before; we know how it plays out. It's not the first time you've lost your job, and every time, without question, you have always told me how it was the best thing that could've happened because you've ended up in a killer role! It may have taken a few weeks, but you've always landed on your feet, Mark. Think about this, though; aren't you tired of having to go through this every 24-30 months? Can this time be different? What if you created an opportunity where the skill, the talent and the expertise are transferable?"<br />
<br />
"What I mean is that creating an opportunity and looking for a job are two very different things. This could absolutely be the right time for you to consider creating your button rather than pushing the same one you've pushed over and over again. What if it could be different this time? Rather than making a decision based on desperation, why not put some thought into it? Mark, I want you to think about the one thing you'd love to do so much that you'd roll out of bed in the morning and do it for free."<br />
<br />
"This is your time to find something where the sun can't come up soon enough because you want to go do your thing. This is your time in life to really show up."<br />
<br />
Over the years I've talked to people all over the country, and they've shared their stories of struggle and triumph. I love what I do for a living, and really enjoy helping people create better visions and better versions of themselves. Nothing makes me feel better than knowing I've impacted someones life positively.<br />
<br />
The last thing I had mentioned to him was this: "At some point we have to determine if it's a higher priority to abandon our soul, ourselves...or to actually have the life we want."Okay, so you lost your job...how could you be jumping up and down on the couch?tag:recruitingblogs.com,2009-07-22:502551:BlogPost:7149422009-07-22T13:12:39.000ZChristopher McCannhttps://recruitingblogs.com/profile/ChristopherMcCann
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I had an interesting conversation today with one of my clients. Over the last seven years I have been witness to Marks setbacks and successes, his layoffs and his promotions. I've met his wife, his kids, and he has met my sons. I consider him a friend.<br />
This past Friday he was laid off from a software firm that had difficulty securing an additional line of credit. At best, the firm has another 6-8 weeks before they close up shop. Mark called me this…
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I had an interesting conversation today with one of my clients. Over the last seven years I have been witness to Marks setbacks and successes, his layoffs and his promotions. I've met his wife, his kids, and he has met my sons. I consider him a friend.<br />
This past Friday he was laid off from a software firm that had difficulty securing an additional line of credit. At best, the firm has another 6-8 weeks before they close up shop. Mark called me this afternoon, lamenting the job loss, the tuition bills, his prospects, and the economy itself. Unfortunately I've had quite a few conversations like this recently. I'm sure those of you reading this know someone who has been affected personally by this recession (if not yourself) and realize this has become a familiar refrain.<br />
<br />
Part of my recruitment process and responsibility is to help bring clarity to an individual’s short and long term goals. Those of you who know me have been asked "where do you see yourself a year from now? Three years from now? Why is that important to you? How do you plan on achieving that?" more times than you can shake a stick at! I've kept copious notes over the last 10 years of my conversations, and enjoy revisiting these very items and helping them remember who they are.<br />
<br />
I asked these very questions of Mark (again, for the umpteenth time) when he had finished dumping on me. I don't know that he was in the right frame of mind to be contmeplative, but I owed it to him to look down the rabbit hole a little bit. What I wanted Mark to bring to the surface were those things that energized him, excited him and get him juiced to the point that he loses track of time. What follows is the part of our conversation that I had recorded.<br />
<br />
"Yeah, you lost your job. Okay, I get that. But you haven't lost your skills, your talent, your expertise, or anything between your ears. That is your intellectual property! We've seen this movie before; we know how it plays out. It's not the first time you've lost your job, and every time, without question, you have always told me how it was the best thing that could've happened because you've ended up in a killer role! It may have taken a few weeks, but you've always landed on your feet, Mark. Think about this, though; aren't you tired of having to go through this every 24-30 months? Can this time be different? What if you created an opportunity where the skill, the talent and the expertise are transferable?"<br />
<br />
"What I mean is that creating an opportunity and looking for a job are two very different things. This could absolutely be the right time for you to consider creating your button rather than pushing the same one you've pushed over and over again. What if it could be different this time? Rather than making a decision based on desperation, why not put some thought into it? Mark, I want you to think about the one thing you'd love to do so much that you'd roll out of bed in the morning and do it for free."<br />
<br />
"This is your time to find something where the sun can't come up soon enough because you want to go do your thing. This is your time in life to really show up."<br />
<br />
Over the years I've talked to people all over the country, and they've shared their stories of struggle and triumph. I love what I do for a living, and really enjoy helping people create better visions and better versions of themselves. Nothing makes me feel better than knowing I've impacted someone’s life positively.<br />
<br />
The last thing I had mentioned to him was this: "At some point we have to determine if it's a higher priority to abandon our soul, ourselves...or to actually have the life we want."Stop Falling Down in 3 Easy Steps: Turn Job Loss into Opportunity!tag:recruitingblogs.com,2009-05-05:502551:BlogPost:6375472009-05-05T15:38:16.000ZChristopher McCannhttps://recruitingblogs.com/profile/ChristopherMcCann
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Are you playing it safe, but feeling trapped in the life you have created for yourself? How do you know when it's time to move on from a job, a relationship, or even the town you live in? Often times the best strategy to achieve victory in life's battles is to "burn the boats behind us." Times may be a bit lean right now but the truth is, this is a great opportunity to grow. Before you write me off as crazy, listen to what I have to say about job…
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Are you playing it safe, but feeling trapped in the life you have created for yourself? How do you know when it's time to move on from a job, a relationship, or even the town you live in? Often times the best strategy to achieve victory in life's battles is to "burn the boats behind us." Times may be a bit lean right now but the truth is, this is a great opportunity to grow. Before you write me off as crazy, listen to what I have to say about job loss, income issues, and any of life's major challenges.<br />
Step 1: If you are not dead, this challenge will make you stronger.<br />
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Step 2: This is your opportunity to think about what you really want in life.<br />
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Step 3: Ask yourself what kind of goals inspire you right now. If you move towards you inspiration fully, learn from your passion, and share it with the world, you can't fail!<br />
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Is the reason you don't reach your goals because you don't care anymore? You may not have a clear vision of where you want to go, but you may know that you need to leave where you are right now. When I first got into the habit of setting goals, people told me they should set S.M.A.R.T goals (specific, measurable, attainable, realistic and timely). It was very methodical, but it didn't work well for me. I wanted to achieve my S.M.A.R.T goals, but they never consistently got my butt in motion to do anything about them. What did work for me was scrapping that whole process by looking at the goals I had already achieved and the goals that I hadn't. What I found was that the goals I achieved weren't usually the S.M.A.R.T ones. They were the goals that inspired me and they drove me to action the minute I thought about them. Now when I set a goal, if it doesn't change the way I feel or my state immediately, then I know it's a bad goal, I won't bother with it.<br />
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How do I know when I'm inspired? Not too long ago I made a decision to "burn the boats" with my career and begin, again. You know how people suggest to you that the things you did as a child are what you should do for a living? What I really enjoyed was coaching youth sports teams (even though I was a kid myself) and creating art. I would immerse myself so deeply in those projects, and would lose track of time. I love how it felt to help people grow, seeing that "A-ha" moment in people's eyes. That has always been something I got off on. How could I get back in touch with wanting to inspire people, have fun helping and connecting with people? The more work I've done towards that as a recruiter, the more the goals themselves totally inspired me. The funny thing is that somewhere along the line I've begun to achieve it; it inspired me, drove me to action and created a result. I am no longer was adopting socially conditioned goals, where you set them, start working on them then realize deep down you just don't care. My goals were always about what other people wanted, not what inspired me.<br />
<br />
So I thought I would try to set inspiring goals. The question is; how do you tease out that motivation by connecting what you want in your life? One of the first steps is disconnecting what you don't want. You may find yourself in a trap where your life is filled with things you don't want, or don't feel connected to. They leave you feeling uninspired. Maybe you're in a city you don't want to live in, or a job you don't like, maybe a relationship where you feel stuck. It's counter-intuitive to shed what you don't want in order to create space for what you do want. Now at this point you may be asking yourself "Who is this guy and is he serious? It’s a crappy job market and I'm going to leave what do have, behind? It’s better than nothing!" As Steven Covey says, go for win-win or no deal. Too many of us think that compromise is the best solution. Personally, I'd rather be homeless than be in a situation I don't enjoy. Did I burn the boats? Absolutely. You have to burn the ships that got you there when you land on the new shore. However, you don't want to burn the food and supplies! I'm guilty of this and had to learn the hard way a few times... Make a careful distinction between what you need (food and supplies) vs. the escape route that's keeping you tied to that ship. It's no different that going through a divorce, you've got leave, but DAMN you wish you had grabbed that end table...<br />
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After burning the ships, you've taken it far enough to where you are committed. If you have to quit your job to move forward (and a lot of people do) the job isn't only the food and supplies, it’s the ship as well! That's what may very well be keeping you in the wrong harbor. In my parents and grandparents generation, the idea was that you picked a job and did that for life. We've inherited the ability to not question our circumstances or choices we made years ago. It's not that I woke up one morning and turned the corner; it was a gradual malaise, a long slow curve, that developed over time. I t took me years to realize what was happening to me, no matter how many times I had heard it from others. I couldn't mute my feelings any longer, and made the choice to recreate myself. Rather than mute my feelings, I made the choice to follow inspiration. There's a part of me that wants to shake the hell out of the people I interact with, rip the heart out of my chest and stick it in theirs! By heart I mean courage. The definition of courage is “the state or quality of mind or spirit that enables one to face danger, fear, or vicissitudes with self-possession, confidence, and resolution; bravery.” It is derived from the Middle English corage, from Old French, from Vulgar Latin *corāticum, from Latin cor, heart. The root of the word courage is heart. Ask yourself, does this path I’m on have a heart?<br />
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How do you know if the path has heart? You feel it in your chest, it excites you, and you have an emotional reaction to it. At the same time it scares you, you have this feeling of "wow, that would be awesome but I don't know if I can pull it off..." These are the goals that should really inspire you. Excitement is part inspiration and part terror. I have to be somewhat scared about the path I'm on because that's the path that is building courage. It’s scary out there and so many of us are playing it safe. Find that edge, that thing you feel in your chest that both scares and excites you. Safe is an adjective and a noun, it means both free from harm and an enclosed locked container. If you’re living the noun you’re living the adjective as well. The need for security is restricting your freedom. If the basis of your of your self esteem is your need for security, a safe relationship or a steady paycheck, you're living in a cage.<br />
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What does it look like to take a step outside of that? Initially it’s terrifying. At the same time it’s thrilling. From a pretty early age, I made a conscious decision to create difficulty in my life as a means of creating growth. It’s been long, progressive training, no different than using dumbbells to strength train. For someone who has been stuck, changing jobs is a huge weight to lift. It’s like a "newbie" looking at a 100 pound dumbbell, thinking that's too much weight to curl. Yet everyone is at a different level of courage, only able to tolerate a level of uncertainty. You need to have a vision of where you are going when it comes to the application of courage. Ask yourself "where do I want to be? What shore am I sailing to" THEN burn the ship! How important is that vision of where you want to be? It depends on if you’re in more of a training or destination mindset. There are times when I have goals that are just about training. Maybe there something I'm afraid of where I need to build my courage. a fear I need to get over, then I’ll go do it. Maybe after that the vision is more about competition so it’s more of performance mode than practice. Performance mode is applying the strength I’ve already built. As any athlete knows, there’s a big difference between practice and games. If all they did was play games, they wouldn't be a great athlete because practice puts you in as many potential scenarios as possible.<br />
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Now to the meaty part. Are you worried about your job and the possibility of losing it? Wondering what to do if you've already lost your job? How can you turn that job loss into a positive opportunity? How can focusing on your passion, rather than paying your bills actually help build a more satisfying life? We all have been at the "oh shit, what am I gonna do" part. Some of us will look at the glass being half empty and some half full. This path I'm sharing with you of courage and inspiration seems like the high, unrealistic and impractical road. There is a hidden benefit to losing your job. It is GOING to make you stronger. It's very true that whatever doesn't kill you will make you stronger. You may be running deeper and deeper into debt, even on the verge of bankruptcy. You know what? You will still be here. Your life won't end, it'll only make you stronger and wiser. You' have plenty of time to relax when you're six feet under. You should be building skills that may have never developed if you hadn't gone through that experience. To reiterate, the first step is;<br />
<br />
1: If you lost your job, that's a wonderful thing because it's going to make you stronger. People will come to me and tell me they quit their job, lost it, or got laid off. Invariably my response is congratulations! That's awesome! I can say that because I know they are about to go through a monstrous growth experience. There are lots of people who lose their jobs and feel a sense of relief, as if some enormous burden has been lifted. It's all in your mind and depends entirely on your perspective, how you react is under your control. You can see it as a huge opportunity, or not. Your goal shouldn't be to live a cozy, secure and safe life-you'll have plenty of opportunity to do that when you're 6 feet under, in a nice little box. No one will bug you then.<br />
<br />
<br />
2: Start thinking about what you really want to do. Maybe you're not strong enough to lift that weight yet, but you can start developing your courage and skills in that direction. What kind of goals inspire you right now? Don't look at the easy ones, but the ones that will lift you up. Re-frame it from "Oh my God, holy sh*t" into "here we go, this is a gift, it'll make me stronger". Now we need to get clear about what we really want and what starts moving us towards that, what gets us fired up.<br />
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3: Ask yourself what kind of goals inspire you right now. If you move towards your inspiration fully, learn from your passion, and share it with the world, you can't fail! There's a balance between being freaked out. What's a simple way of finding the balance between challenge and being freaked out? Grow a pair! Helen Keller said life is a daring adventure or nothing. There is no in between. The challenge is what makes you you stronger. It's the equivalent of going to the gym and lifting the same weight day after day. Whats the point? You're not gonna get any stronger? How long are you going to stick with the 10 pound dumbbells? Progress! Get stronger! Of course its harder to lift the heavy weights, you'd be bored and frustrated by a lack of growth. There's no need to fear it or resist it, even though it's called resistance training. Let the resistance come from life itself, not from whats within you.<br />
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When people lose their jobs, they really start thinking hard about their lives, maybe for the first time in quite awhile. You may be feeling a mixture of panic and relief. Almost always they're losing a job they didn't really want (which is often the reason why they lost it). They were expendable. They were fired or laid off because they weren't really needed. They weren't doing work that they were passionate about. It's not very common that people who are passionate are fired or laid off. They are usually awesome to be around and management is going to let that person go last and only if they absolutely have to. That person is probably doing more work than anyone else and they're creating a ton of value. Knowing those things to be true, turn inward, determine what you're really passionate about, what you'd really like to do and how can you create that.<br />
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Don't focus too much on the "how" right away..its the why. Ask yourself, what would that kind of life be like, and start feeling that passion once again. That passion and excitement is what's going to get you into action! Job security is finding that passion, adding energy, and contributing. That's what people want to be around. You are adding energy-you're a contributor. A manager of 10 employees that has to lay off two is NOT going to lay off those that have the energy, passion and contribute. They're going to lay off those that are miserable, unproductive, that don't really fit, those that aren't easy get along with and that don't want to be there. The manager is actually doing them a favor by laying them off! Those are the individuals that really DO need that wake up call! If I've been laid off, and I'm sitting here reading this trying to shift my perspective, there is incentive for me to dig deep and find out what I'm inspired by because that's going to make me more attractive. Take the time and find out what fires you up because THAT is going to make you more marketable and relevant. Inspiration is absolutely critical. I've worked for a time without it and a great deal of time with it. After experiencing both sides of that fence I could never go back to working without it. When you're passionate, filled with energy, happy and contributing, you find yourself inspiring people in ways that you can't even imagine!<br />
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When I truly became successful in this business, it wasn't when I started billing x amount of dollars, it was when I made the decision to start helping and inspiring people. People say do what you love and the money will follow. I find that it's somewhat accurate, but you have to understand why that is the case. See, when you do what you love, you do it often and you get good at it. Eventually. Hopefully. If you keep working at it, for 10,000 hours (according to Outliers) you're going to become great! I imagine this is only true if you work at it intelligently and passionately, rather than making the same mistakes over and over. Eventually you'll create some value for other people. Now you have some talent that you can share, use and teach other people how to do what you're doing. Then you can create income by exchanging value with others. It started for me with awareness of finding my passion, really focusing on it, developing it and sharing it with others.<br />
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Just because you made your bed doesn't mean you have to lie in it. I no longer believe that I have to live with my past decisions, choices, and actions. Thank God. The past is past and has nothing to do with me. It has nothing to do with Now. Do not let anything from your past inhibit you as you go about re-creating yourself. Start over. Start Fresh. Each day. Each hour. Each minute. Just get going. Just do it. Just say it. With passion. All else will take care of itself.From "Good to Great": How a roadside epiphany is transforming this Executive Recruitertag:recruitingblogs.com,2009-04-28:502551:BlogPost:6325032009-04-28T14:30:00.000ZChristopher McCannhttps://recruitingblogs.com/profile/ChristopherMcCann
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The word “should” implies responsibility. It connotes demand, and that's just not the case. Life has a rhythm, it ebbs and flows. My failures haven't been failures so to speak, I just haven't been as good as I needed to be. I may not have specific control over my situation, but I have a choice about how I view it.<br />
<br />
If I continue to do things the way I've always done them, I am not going to generate as much revenue this year as I did in 2007 and 2008.…
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The word “should” implies responsibility. It connotes demand, and that's just not the case. Life has a rhythm, it ebbs and flows. My failures haven't been failures so to speak, I just haven't been as good as I needed to be. I may not have specific control over my situation, but I have a choice about how I view it.<br />
<br />
If I continue to do things the way I've always done them, I am not going to generate as much revenue this year as I did in 2007 and 2008. My kids, my family, my boss, my bills...they're not going away. I'm still responsible to and for them, yet...I've carried this enormous sense of guilt that I wasn't doing enough. Shouldn't I be inspired by those most important to me? I was beating myself up thinking that I was less of a person because they weren't ample inspiration for me to get off my butt and deliver. I'd feed my head with all of these positive mental vitamins on the way into the office, yet drive home feeling like I'd let everyone of them down. I got caught up in the blame game, though I wasn't pointing the finger at anyone but myself.<br />
<br />
I was driving into work a few days later and listened to a podcast of The New Man, hosted by Tripp Lanier. His guest was Shawn Phillips, author of Strength for Life. The following question was brought up by Shawn when discussing motivation: "How do you feel the ground when the world is turned upside down?" Tripp and Shawn went on for a moment discussing Jim Collins' book From Good to Great, and how it fit into personal transformation. I'm a big believer in how God communicates to me, so when I heard Shawn say that I can't hate myself forward, I knew I better pull over and start taking notes.<br />
<br />
Now, negative reinforcement, discipline and will-power will get you ten to fourteen days of motivation at best. This number applies to both external and internal motivating forces. It's possible to "hate" yourself into action, but impossible to sustain that momentum for any period of time longer than that. A great example is someone who may take pictures of themselves before beginning a strength training regimen. Those brutally honest moments of being naked with yourself often stir up negative emotions, dwelling on everything that is wrong with you. I knew that I'd have to take the foot off my own throat a little bit if I were to capitalize on my frustration.<br />
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Rather than hating myself forward, embrace what gets me moving. What is it that I do daily that allows me to feel strong? When it comes to real transformation I need to get rid of the "have-to's", the "shoulda's" and focus on the "want-to's". What activities in my career are in service of that thought?<br />
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I was trying to obligate myself into being properly motivated, when I needed to find the joy and pleasure in my career again. It wasn't going to matter what got me started, but the idea that I could guilt myself into “great” couldn’t carry me for long. What's joyful or pleasurable in my life (career) and what am I merely tolerating? I wrote the following words down: Mastery, control, confidence, clarity and began focusing on what activities are in service of that thought.<br />
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I revisited the book "Good to Great", and while Collin's focus is on what drives corporations to transform, stagnate, or regress, I wanted to individualize it. What points did he make that I can draw on in my transformation from a good recruiter to a great one? I found the following seven points to be extremely valuable in my ongoing transformation from good-to-great:<br />
<br />
1-Ten out of eleven good-to-great company leaders or CEOs came from the inside. They were not outsiders hired in to ‘save' the company. They were either people who worked many years at the company or were members of the family that owned the company.<br />
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Outstanding! This means no one is going to save my ass but myself. The good news is that I have almost 10 years with the same organization, which happens to be a family-owned company. I've determined I am in the right place.<br />
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2-Good-to-great companies focus on what not to do and what they should stop doing.<br />
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Isn't this exactly what Shawn and Tripp were referring to? I know what my personal metrics are supposed to be. I know what has worked for me in the past. But how much time have I spent reflecting on things that take away from my strengths? In Marcus Buckingham's "The Truth About You ", he makes the point that trying to fix my weaknesses will only take me from mediocre to serviceable. I know what I'm good at, stop spending time doing things that are taking away from my strengths! Now we're getting somewhere.<br />
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3-Good-to-great companies paid little attention to managing change or motivating people. Under the right conditions, these problems naturally go away. Greatness is not a function of circumstance; it is clearly a matter of conscious choice.<br />
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You mean I get to decide to be great? That market timing, serendipity or DFL (all things that a strong economy seemingly provides) didn't make me great? Hmm....rather than acting like a cheerleader at work, maybe the right game plan, one that I can execute, will get me there. A plan that removes things that are not in service of my core values.<br />
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4-Every good-to-great company had “Level 5” leadership during pivotal transition years (and I believe this is one for ours). Level 5 is the Executive who builds enduring greatness through a paradoxical blend of personal humility and professional will. Level 5 leaders display a compelling modesty, are self-effacing and understated. In contrast, two thirds of the comparison companies had leaders (Levels 1-4) with gargantuan personal egos that contributed to the demise or continued mediocrity of the company.<br />
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This point really hit home. Do I see myself in a situation where I have level 5 leadership available to me, or that capability within myself? If I'm frustrated by my current leadership, can I be the change that I seek? Do I have the professional will to drive myself into the greatest vision I can create, or will I let my ego contribute to my own mediocrity? Sounded like I better infuse a little humility into my good to great transformation. I needed to get clear about what actions are in service of mastery, control, confidence and clarity.<br />
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5- Good-to-great management teams consist of people who debate vigorously in search of the best answers, yet who unify behind decisions, regardless of parochial interests.<br />
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Am I thoroughly thinking through what the best solutions are, or am I merely settling for what has worked for me in the past? Desperate times require desperate measures, where everything on the table is to be scrutinized.<br />
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6-Whether someone is the right person has more to do with character and innate capabilities than specific knowledge, skills or experience. This, Collins' refers to the Hedgehog Concept. It is a concept that flows from the deep understanding about the intersection of the following three circles:<br />
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What you can be best in the world at, realistically, and what you cannot be best in the world at? For me the answer is that I can be the best at helping my clients hire "top employees" rather than vetting top candidates. I can be the best at partnering with my client base, determining what their real job needs are. I cannot be the best at spending the most time in the office as that takes away from me as an integral person.<br />
What drives your economic engine? What drives my economic engine is performing activities that are in service of business development. I need more time out in the field rather than administrative duties.<br />
What you are deeply passionate about? I am deeply passionate about helping people grow further, not only in their career, but as individuals. I like coaching people, even since I was a kid coaching recreation league teams; I get off on that "A-ha" moment in peoples faces.<br />
The author then states to discover your core values and purpose beyond simply making money (where's my next deal coming from) and combine this with the dynamic of preserving the core values to stimulate progress. Collins uses Disney as an example. They have evolved from making short animated films, to feature length films, to theme parks, to cruises, but their core values of providing happiness to young and old remains strong.<br />
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7-Enduring, great companies don't exist merely to deliver returns to shareholders. In a truly great company, profits and cash flow are absolutely essential for life, but they are not the very point of life.<br />
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I discussed this in a blog two weeks ago, using money to help people, rather than using people to make money. Enduring, great recruiters don't exist merely to deliver top employees to organizations. In a truly great recruiter, commissions are absolutely essential for life, but they are not the very point of life-your core values and purpose are.<br />
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"If you're doing something you care deeply about and if you believe in it, it's impossible to imagine not trying to make it great."-Jim CollinsStay Up! Or how Kanye's ego has saved this Executive Recruitertag:recruitingblogs.com,2009-04-22:502551:BlogPost:6288822009-04-22T20:30:00.000ZChristopher McCannhttps://recruitingblogs.com/profile/ChristopherMcCann
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According to the Urban Dictionary, "stay up" originates in the graffiti subculture. The phrase refers to the hope that one's tag, throw up, piece, or burner will "stay up" and not be buffed. Of course, in the song of the same title, Kanye may have been alluding to something else.<br />
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How cool would it be if life cruised along with no problems, no upsets, no drama? The reality is that these things happen. I haven't run across anyone immune to personal…
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According to the Urban Dictionary, "stay up" originates in the graffiti subculture. The phrase refers to the hope that one's tag, throw up, piece, or burner will "stay up" and not be buffed. Of course, in the song of the same title, Kanye may have been alluding to something else.<br />
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How cool would it be if life cruised along with no problems, no upsets, no drama? The reality is that these things happen. I haven't run across anyone immune to personal problems ranging from relationships to kids to the new person in the office or even your health. Every seasoned, emotionally-stable recruiter is susceptible to slumping in times like these.<br />
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Given that a bad attitude will affect production, and that poor production solves no problems, what steps should be taken to maintain production even during traumatic circumstances? As we in sales know, attitude is everything. Below are a few steps which have worked for me.<br />
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1) Focus on the future by living in the now<br />
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In a goal driven profession, it's easy to become idealistic rather than living in the now. Believe me, no one is more guilty of having their head in the clouds than I am. Living in the "now" is certainly an area of my life that demands more attention and I'm very conscious of it. I've had to realize that if part or all of my funk is due to a slow market, it's okay! Historically, our industry has always followed a pattern of strong growth followed by short severe busts. We have had no less than ten post-War II Recessions and another will occur. Yet after every recession, our industry has come back stronger and it will again. Regardless of the market, personal slumps will happen as well. There are clear solutions to this that I'll cover below. As Eckhart Tolle said in The Power of Now, "If you get the inside right, the outside will fall into place."<br />
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2) Plan as if your life and everyone important to you depends on it<br />
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A depressed attitude leads to fewer business calls. Fewer calls will lead to less production and a more despondent attitude. It is a circle that has sunk many recruiters I've worked with over the years. The only answer is to keep “hitting the numbers” and that begins with a thoroughly filled-out daily plan.<br />
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Under the stress of depression, the tendency is to drift through the day. Maybe grab an extra cup of coffee, a “short” conversation with a friendly face, checking out Facebook or a pointless call to take up time. Before you know it, half the day is gone. A daily plan completed the night before is a significant part of the answer.<br />
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3) When good things happen to bad thoughts<br />
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It is frequently said that a good attitude is a must to making a good call. In fact, it may have been rammed down your throats by sales managers or trainers. In new people, this may be true because of their lack of skill. After all, lacking basic sales skills, what else do they have? I don't believe this is usually the case with an experienced recruiter. A well-trained recruiter has developed reflexes and patterns over many years. Moreover, your pride will force you to do a good job when you're on the phone. The problem usually is not doing well on the phone; it is getting on the phone to begin with!<br />
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This is where good things can happen to bad thoughts. Essentially this involves agreeing with your expectations of crappy results. Go ahead and tell yourself that it will be a bad, boring and non-productive day. But…just so you don’t feel guilty... have all the negative attitude you wish…and then push the stupid buttons on the phone! It's this very statement I have taped to my forehead from time to time.<br />
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Only a well thought-out daily plan will allow me to do this, to mindlessly get through my day. But the reality is that by call ten or twelve, I'm not only getting results, but sound damn good on the phone! And that will improve your day enormously too. Good things can happen to you too…from negative or bad thoughts!<br />
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4) Eating the elephant one bite at a time<br />
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The concept of breaking things down to individual bite-sized portions is a well-established methodology. Maybe you can’t run a mile…but you can run around the block. How about doing it again? Can you do that? Sure you can. Pretty soon you’ve knocked off a mile. For a former smoker, hiring a personal trainer and working out at 5AM six days a week wasn't necessarily the easiest thing for me to do. Sometimes I settled for driving to the gym and sitting in the parking lot. That was easy…and it almost always led to a good training session, even when he didn’t feel I could get myself moving. Once there, it is another easy step to just walk in the door.<br />
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Same with you. Are you depressed? OK. But just get up, take a shower, have breakfast. Is business bad? Fine. Just drive to work. Do you expect poor results? No problem. That’s the way it goes. But when you get there, just push the stupid buttons on the phone. Will it be a bad day tomorrow? Probably. But put together a daily plan tonight before you go home. By breaking things down to small steps and accomplishing those one by one, you’ll find discipline almost by accident.<br />
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5) Rules of success<br />
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Many people think that success is simply a matter of hard work and, perhaps, education. Nope. There are plenty who utilize both and do not succeed. I love Malcom Gladwells' Outliers on this very subject. I quote: "The biggest misconception about success is that we do it solely on our smarts, ambition, hustle and hard work. There's an awful lot more that goes into it than we admit." Gladwell explains later his theory on the 10,000 hour rule, which implies that "greatness requires enormous time. This explains why The Beatles were the best rock group and Bill Gates is a billionaire. From 1960 to 1964, The Beatles played live 1,200 times and racked up more than 10,0000 hours of playing time! Bill Gates had written 10,000 hours worth of code by the time he was dropped out of Harvard to start Microsoft!<br />
The reality is that there really are specific rules and a specific roadmap to success, and the formula can work for you. There is no better time to study and learn that formula than when you are in an emotional funk. For these not familiar with these logical concepts, we are not speaking of what Zig Ziglar has referred to as “Positive Thinking Snake-Oil Salesmen”. I don't need anymore Positive Mental Attitude vitamins if I'm stuck, they don't settle well on an empty stomach or false enthusiasm. Rather, those who have studied the hard principles of success could enhance your life on a permanent basis.<br />
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6) Signs, signs, everywhere there's signs<br />
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The reality is that emotional downturns can become habits. The market is slow; worried, you take on a new search and it is the wrong search. Because it is the wrong search, nothing results from it. Now you're even more frustrated, leading to even more mistakes and lost time. This is a vicious circle that has to be broken, and one way to do it is the use of signs and posters in your office. It is one thing to improve your attitude and motivation, but if a habit of depression exists, on-going reminders will be needed to correct the problem. Hard-hitting signs, not warm and fuzzy cliches. These less than gentle reminders must be accomplishment-oriented. If you have a favorite quote you get your support staff laminate it. For example, over my computer, a laminated sheet bearing the words “Keep Moving Forward" from one of my son's favorite movies, "Meet the Robinsons" is posted. The movie and phrase have a strong emotional component for me, leading to my next point.<br />
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7) Emotional motivators<br />
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Posters and quotes apply mainly to the intellect. However, emotions, if brought into your day intelligently, can alos be a huge benefit. Your best bet is not pictures of a spouse, kids, or even your dog, but rather someone who is no longer with you. The purpose of these emotional jolts is just that—to give you an unaccustomed kick in the pants, and remind you to pick up the phone in the face of emotional turmoil.<br />
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My son's pitching coach passed away recently from a heart attack at the age of 45 years old. He left behind a 5 year old son. What makes matters worse is that he was found slumped over in his chair through the window. You can bet I have a picture of Fletch displayed prominently in my office. I also remember a recruiter who kept a picture of his ex-wife in a drawer. When he felt himself taking his foot off the gas pedal, he pulls it out, sneers, and starts hitting the buttons on his phone—with passion!<br />
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8) Metrics<br />
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What is the #1 enemy of production when under emotional stress? Less activity. What is the trap leading to less activity? The fact that it sneaks up on you. Fewer and fewer calls with more and more “recovery time” between calls leads to poor results…leading to more emotional stress. Now there’s a downward spiral for you! So what’s the answer? Measurement! As former President Bush said regarding annual testing of children in school, “If you can’t measure it, you can’t improve it!” Feel free to insert your snicker here...<br />
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The same applies to working a desk in an emotional or economic downturn. Keeping track of and analyzing your metrics/numbers is critical to success in our industry. However, with your results declining, the tendency is simply to make fewer and fewer calls. This cannot be allowed to happen. Without a daily quantitative summary of the number of calls made, and more importantly, calls returned, there in simply no measurable way of maintaining call volume.<br />
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So what sort of scorecard is needed? First of all, keeping track of the calls out, i.e. the number of times you push the buttons on the phone, is pointless. What counts is not button-pushing, but solid business conversations. How many business conversations? Minimally, 20 per day. Short 1-minute calls or messages left do not count. And there should be at least 10 presentations of either your services or a specific candidate to new prospective clients. Anything less than 50% call backs demands immediate attention.<br />
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It may be necessary to plan and make 60 calls per day to get in your 20 substantive conversations. Accumulatively, when combined with improving skills, this number will yield the results needed to break through your slump. Just keep track of your substantive business conversations, by means of “hash marks” on your daily plan. But don’t quit doing this. Otherwise, your activity will spiral down while you remain in a slump. After all, “If you can’t measure it…you can’t improve it!”<br />
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9) Strength<br />
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Down times, regardless of the reason, mean frustration and irritation. Perhaps the market has you down. Or perhaps it is a relationship, family illness, loss of a pet. Anything that generates anger is counter-productive to doing well in business. The best way is get rid of that anger is to find a socially-acceptable outlet for it. That means exercise, or what I now refer to as strength training. It is well-known that better-conditioned people handle stress more effectively. Shawn Phillips has written a book called Strength for Life. He has captured an integral approach to strength training, where "energy is the real currency of life...an abundance of energy. When' you're living with strength you have a resource of mental, physical, emotional and spiritual energy...the capacity to make an impacty". Check it out!<br />
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10) Keep Moving Forward<br />
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If your slow work pace comes from non-business circumstances, you’ll find the above points to be highly beneficial. But if your problems are due to market conditions, there is one additional critical element to improve your attitude. Get better! Improve your selling skills! The same thing over and over, the same ideas, the same techniques, will lead to no improvement. It’s boring. It generates no hope. And sitting around just waiting for the market to turn isn’t exactly conducive to better results.<br />
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How long since you’ve read a book on industry-specific selling? On classical selling? On time management? Do you listen to forward-moving CD's or MP3's on the way to work? Does your firm have any videos or DVDs? Have you watched them recently? A few of my new favorites are the aforementioned Outliers, Strength for Life, The Power of Now, Marcus Buckinghams' First, Break All the Rules and The Truth About You. Improvement, learning, forward movement gives you a great sense of destiny, of zeal, drive, confidence. You are taking control by using your mind. If you are in a funk, get better. Get renewed!<br />
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Staying Up<br />
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So where are we, in terms of keeping your attitude “up” in down times? First of all, realize that a sense of depression is normal under some circumstances. A temporary slump, a poor market or personal problems makes it unreasonable to be cheerful at all times. This does not have to result in a slow work pace. While you may not sparkle with joy throughout the day, you can still remain productive.<br />
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You don’t, however, have to just sit around and wait. Even in an emotionally disturbed state ( for whatever reason), you can still get decent production. You will just have to be a little “mechanical” about it. But that’s OK. Plan. Plan. Plan at the end of the day. Even if you don’t want to, take one step at a time. Just do your planning before you go home. Don’t worry about production. Just plan.<br />
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The next morning, hit the phones early and don’t worry about your attitude. Just push the stupid buttons on the phone. Don’t even worry about results. Push the stupid buttons on the phone!<br />
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Along the way, gain some knowledge. Learn. This is an ideal time to do it. When the market comes back, you won’t have time to improve. You’ll be too busy with business. So use this time to read some good selling and personal development books. Don’t just read. Underline. Re-read. Implement. Watch videos. Role-play. Distract yourself by learning, and you will improve attitude, skills, and income. Nothing lasts forever. That includes both business and personal problems. This too shall pass—faster than you think. And when it does, you’ll be well-positioned to take full advantage of the romping, stomping, roaring bull market that most certainly lies ahead!<br />
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It's like Kanye said: "Stay Up...this a contact sport".Einstein as an Executive Recruitertag:recruitingblogs.com,2009-04-14:502551:BlogPost:6217452009-04-14T18:00:14.000ZChristopher McCannhttps://recruitingblogs.com/profile/ChristopherMcCann
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A classic definition of insanity is attributed to Albert Einstein. It was also attributed to Ben Franklin, and the author Rita Mae Brown. I'm paraphrasing, but odds are you've heard it before. The classic definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over, expecting a different result.<br />
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In a market like this, it's easy to attribute a lack of results to the economy. No matter how many "Positive Mental Attitude" pills (metaphorically speaking,…
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A classic definition of insanity is attributed to Albert Einstein. It was also attributed to Ben Franklin, and the author Rita Mae Brown. I'm paraphrasing, but odds are you've heard it before. The classic definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over, expecting a different result.<br />
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In a market like this, it's easy to attribute a lack of results to the economy. No matter how many "Positive Mental Attitude" pills (metaphorically speaking, of course) you pop, its easy to feel nauseous because we take them on empty stomachs.<br />
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I have been in the recruiting industry for the better part of ten years. Some years have been enormously successful, others have caused me to tend bar(self medicate) on weekends. Yet I always come back to the one thing the President of my firm has preached: we should use money to help people, rather than using people to make money. What an incredible responsibility we have, not just helping our clients find the best talent, but helping candidates grow further personally and in their own careers.<br />
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Sometimes people have difficulty getting their heads around what I do for a living, and how it truly benefits people. Their arguments may be that we are merely making the rich "richer". How could anyone possibly know the rush, the excitement, the incredible level of fulfillment I feel everytime I help someone to do things a little bit differently than they had in the past, to give them that little nudge. Not a push over the cliff, but grabbing someone by the hand and jumping with them. Letting them know, "hey, it's scary, but I've done this thousands of times and haven't lost one yet...".<br />
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On a good day, I meet one person that is top 10%. They may not know it, but with a little help, a little coaching, I can get them there.<br />
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Now its time to help ourselves. We have spent the last four to six months in a state of flux. Not overtly blaming the economy for a lack of results, but somewhere deep, it's turned into a crutch. "They're laying off" or "not paying fees" or "we're not adding to the vendor list"... Same question, always a variation of the same answer. It's time to self-author. You don't like the results you're getting? Do a little regression testing. Is it because we're doing the same things over and over again?<br />
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We are Executive Recruiters by trade. We are coaches by nature. We love helping people. We love the thrill of the hunt. We love doing things that people think are impossible. We love it when people tell us no. We may even be a little narcissistic...<br />
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Alright, Einstein. Get to it. As Steve Finkel said, "...just push the stupid buttons on the phone..."