Everything I know about leadership I learned in the Marines.

I enlisted in the Marine Corps on my 19th birthday after a half-hearted attempt at college. I spent the next twelve years  learning to lead using the 14 Leadership Traits and 11 Leadership Principles. Nearing the end of my third enlistment my wife and I discovered that she was pregnant with our first child. So, I decided to hang up my guns.

Since then, four children have come and a dozen years have passed. I've read…

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S.U.R.V.I.V.A.L. of the fittest.

Over the past decade we’ve seen boom and bust, feast and famine in the recruiting industry. The good news is that this cycle tends to cull the flock. The strong survive. The weak don’t.…

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1. Integrity: Honesty. It is the cornerstone of trust. Without it all else is lost.

2. Will: Failure is not an option mindset. When I was brand-new recruiter (under 90 days) my manager came to me and asked, "So, you ready to quit yet Keith?" I replied, "There's only one of two ways you're gettin' rid of me: a. If you just flat-out fire me OR b. You carry me out of here on a stretcher because I'll eat… Continue

"Hire and promote first on the basis of integrity; second, motivation; third, capacity; fourth, understanding; fifth, knowledge; and last and least, experience. Without integrity, motivation is dangerous; without motivation, capacity is impotent; without capacity, understanding is limited; without understanding, knowledge is meaningless; without knowledge, experience is blind.…

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Wanna know WHY people buy stuff or hire you?



Here it is:



1) Can you help make them money?



2) Can you help them save money?



3) Will you help them save time?



4) Will you help their company survive/thrive in the market?



5) Can you make them look good?



There ya go. That's it...they have to be able to answer YES to at least ONE of the aforementioned Q's or you're dead in the water. Wrap yer head around it-then… Continue

When last we left our recruiting hero, they had successfully completed their search assignment, cashed a fat check, and were on to the next search.



The question remains. Is it a good thing to be a firefighter for your clients? That's the crux.



Initially, it seems like something you want your customers to do-think of YOU first.

Since you're in the service industry it's logical and profitable to be perceived as responsive and customer focused.



Don't… Continue

The problem with being a really good fireman is that it tends to breed arsonists.



Fires happen every day: some intentional, some accidental. Regardless of the cause the call comes in, our brave firefighter responds, and puts out the blaze. Lives hanging in the balance are snatched from the jaws of doom. Awards, pictures in the paper, a personal meeting with the mayor. Hurray for our brave firefighter! Next fire please!



Apply the above scenario to recruiting. Crises… Continue

If you were accused of being a leader would there be enough evidence to convict you?



December 2, 1988

21 years ago...



A newly minted Marine Lance Corporal stood arrow straight staring at a full-length mirror pondering a question while studying the reflection that greeted him. Written on the mirror were the words: If you were accused of being a Marine would there be enough evidence to convict you? Instinctively, he inspected himself with the… Continue