It has certainly been one of "Those" years.  One can't help but imagine where the time has inevitably gone.  Rounding out the year, there were moments where change was in full throttle with moments that created within it as a trajectory those little pressure cooked moments where you had to "buckle up, hold on tight, and go through several rounds of ups and downs, twists and turns and a roller coaster going about the speed of light." 

Enter December.  It has been such a phenomenal year.  There were the moments where I moved from one office to another, where the entire span of the business burst into new directions, where all my heart and soul was invested in each and every hire, where colleagues came and left, and then I was reminded, again and again and again why I invest time in this business.

So much to ponder, so much to be grateful for, and yet so much to just take in and say whew I made it through "that". Whether it was a new applicant tracking system, a new series of processes, getting used to transitioning out of one space I had grown accustomed to, and then like a sling-shot bouncing back in to another.  

It has been the year quite literally of the rubber band - stretched one way and spread thin at times, only to keep striving, digging, propelling and shellacking until you find somehow you have overcome the challenges.  Scheduling interviews, coaching candidates, and hiring managers, facilitating the marriage of a few new and key hires.  Gaining new staffing outcomes, and learning to source even more strongly.

It has been that kind of a year.  To mark it boldly and hit the 300 hire mark in one's company in a 2 year time span.  Seeing some move on, and others rise to new heights.  I suppose it's almost like the yo yo syndrome.  Try as you might, you can't do your hiring alone.  There are moments where your passion, grit, determination and heart are served best by just trying to become a bright beacon in a world of noise.  And then to cut through that noise like a laser in the dark, and achieve staffing outcomes the likes of which leave your staffing legacy to open wide.

There was that month where I hit an astonishing 28 hires in to one month, or the month where I just couldn't seem to   figure out that one hiring manager whose utter focus and selectivity were quite frankly mired in the "purple squirrel" mode.  It was in this realm I found success when I finally unraveled the puzzles that just couldn't be done with out that inward determination to see it through.

Or there were those moments in 2014 where the entire world seemed to be saying - change will come to you no matter how well you plan.  True that.  Staffing memories in 2014 include the opportunity to visit grateful new hires in several CA locations of my company for the first time.  And yet - the real value add was more in the long term fit.  A year to reflect upon - one in all my dearest memories has gone faster than I can ever comprehend.  As you look onward and forward into 2015 there is the reminder that staffing goals for oneself is as vital to your success as anything.

How will you achieve them?  I think it came to me when I thought of the marathon runner, whom gets to a point where they have given all they have yet, to win the race they might have to sprint those last few meters or that last leg of the race.  Staffing very much is like a marathon.  And so I made the decision - full sprint to the end.  No matter what happens, no matter the challenges, no matter what life, or people for that matter throw my way.  Simply put.  I will put in double the energy.  Double the commitment, and double the effort.  While I have performed well this year achieving a 3.7 out of 5 on my Performance Appraisal, to go from Good to Great to Legendary requires an almost Obsessive Compulsive focus in one's efforts for staffing greatness.  There are so may moments when one can do the following:

• Add that personal touch to your candidates, a phone call to deliver the status.
• Being better at record-keeping
• Hone that search string or that sourcing focus a little bit more.
• Focus strongly on bringing out the best in others.
• Cut through the noise such that you provide clarity to the staffing process.
• Fight for the best fill, and best match that you can.
• Think more like your hiring manager client.
• Become more consultative, even if it means digging deeper into data mines to find and quantify your results.
• Cut down on time to fill.
• Focus on Family and Work/Life Balance.
• Focus on one's own health and well being.
• Exercise more.
• Eat better
• Show a "Good Turn" daily

And SO MUCH MORE.

And so we enter a critical time of year.  A time of year where you may be truly busy, but yet, perhaps even we recruiters can slow down, take a moment, and really just allow for some quiet time to reflect, renew and re-purpose.  THE WHY of your efforts, the FOCUS of your efforts.  WHAT IS VALUE ADDED?  AND HOW DO I DELIVER?

In these moments - there are so many reasons to open your mind to a greater picture of success than just what is right in front of you.  Along the way you find renewal of sorts in the Holiday Season, even when the world mixed with chaos causes you to dig down deep inside and say - THIS CAN BE DONE.  

And so with 31 days left in the year, it is a time of reflection, new hope, gratefulness, and purpose.  A FULL SPRINT TO THE END.  It is a time to recommit to purpose, to re-establish your recruiting legacy on the professional side, AND renew the relationships with your family/friends and others on the personal side.  As 2015 draws near, and as the holidays with all the opportunity to find joy come closer, it gives me humility to say that 2014 will be remembered always as that breakout year, a time of personal growth like any other.  Also a reminder of why I do this recruiting job EVERY DAY.  It is in this knowledge that I know that no matter what change comes that the memories of 2014 have taught me more about how to manage change than any other year, and with that has come the knowledge that working through the changes and overcoming them has been made possible by staying close to the team that I work with and for.  As I sprint to the end, there will be a foundation and momentum entering 2015, that I am sure will bring new success in a New Year.  

HAPPY HOLIDAYS and may you also SPRINT TO THE END.