Comment by Mark McMahan on April 2, 2008 at 9:12am

Claudia,

I've dealt with many Managers at a previous company who have this mind set. The best approach that I have taken is to do the consulting thing as mentioned above but that needs to be prefaced by the Jerry MacGuire "help me, help you" speech. If this person does not perceive you or the function as adding value to his or her equation, then you will never get off the ground with them. The only way to do this is to establish some credibility by producing and also by educating the hiring manager. I've found that this is usually a painful "I told you so" type process. Once you successfully predict the future on a couple of candidates they will come around and start to listen. Good luck and if it's any consolation, the challenging hiring managers that I dealt with at the previous organization just got right-sized to the tune of 500 total for the company in question. It's funny how they come back and ask you to help them find the next job where they can try to beat up the recruiters.

Comment by Chuck Harrison on April 2, 2008 at 10:34am

Perhaps an attempt to redefine the definition of your business relationship might also be helpful. He likes to throw "Im the customer" in your face alot; if this is a retained/contingent search he is partially right. If this is an RPO or internal corporate role, I prefer to use the word "partner." In other words, does the business unit act this way when reporting to accounting? Legal? Do they scream to them, "Im the customer, dammit!" when they dont like what they hear? I doubt it!!
In either scenario, a partnership vs a customer/provider relationship should help ease tensions. Unfortunately for you this is easier to establish on day 1, not several weeks into the search. If you are close to losing the business, why not give a heart to heart re-definition a try? Calmly explain the nature of our business; we sell people not pencils and they are pretty darn unpredictable. We (you and him) are only going to solve this riddle by working together, sharing information, brainstorming, etc. Then, turn his micromanagment into forced ideas making him become part of the solution, not the problem. A partnership where he can see what recruiting is all about, not what he perceived it to be and the results he expected from that perception. If he wants to micromanage, let him! Overburden him with information (I used this search string on these job boards, what do you think??) and (I cold called these companies, any better ideas?) Put him on the spot for "better" ideas and when he comes up with little or suprises you with something valuable, you both win!

All the best to you~

Comment by Yardley on April 2, 2008 at 10:41am

This is a great posting and made me laugh- only because it reminded me of my daily life as a recruiter - babysitting and sometimes hand holding hiring managers. I can think of several right now that I wouldn't mind giving a nice smack down to! But overall, I look at these situations as great learning opportunities for myself- to better effectively communicate with different people, set realistic expectations for folks, and establish boundaries as a Recruiting Professional. We are certainly a value added role in the hiring process and sometimes folks need to be reminded of that and respect our role in the process. When I'm dealing with a high maintenance hiring manager, I try to take a step back, breath, and practice patience because ultimately I'm taking the higher road in communication and respect for my role and I'll push back when needed, (nicely of course) because to me, it's not worth fueling (I like to envision poking at the fire logs in the fire:) the fire or the two year old with the tantrum. I completely agree with the "help me help you approach" and hope that my managers ultimately "get it." Unfortunately, throughout our daily lives and professional lives, we'll encounter these folks and we can truly learn from them! Cheers and good luck!

Comment by Amitai Givertz on April 2, 2008 at 11:23am

Claudia -- I loved this bit:

Here's the truth about this situation: Managers love results. Some managers, it would seem, get stuck in the terrible twos, complete with temper tantrums and rapid mood changes. Life is hard on everyone when you're two, no doubt. And while there are parents who do it, I question the productivity of arguing with a two year old in the heat of a tantrum; it always ends up looking like there's more than one two year old in the exchange.

One of the things that is critical to master in these types of situations is the nature of the child/parent transaction. Are you familiar with the concepts of Transactional Analysis? It would make for good reading to bear your point out.

Great post!

Comment by Claudia Faust on April 3, 2008 at 11:39am

Thanks for the dialog! Everyone has added a nugget of brilliance so far...Mark, you said it well: "The only way to do this is to establish some credibility by producing and also by educating the hiring manager." I would submit that you could end the sentence at "producing" though - because unless you produce results, you haven't earned the credibility with the HM to be an educator. I believe that people learn when they're ready, and not a moment sooner; deliver results for the HM, and the opportunity to educate will arise.

From a Plan of Attack perspective, Chuck's suggestion of combatting micromanagement with a boatload of details and a request for a better ideas is brilliant. This of course requires that I am well-organized with the details (which can be a challenge for me), but discipline only hurts in the learning curve, right?

Yardley gets bonus points for the big picture: PATIENCE. Do a good job, and this too shall pass. Even HMs can grow out of the terrible twos.

And Ami, TA is a perfect framework for understanding the roles we all play in the hiring dance. Thanks for the insight.

Cheers to all!

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