Make 2011 your best year yet!

I’ve had a great year in 2010 after 2 extremely challenging years. The recovery started slowly but by July had gained momentum and my billings were back to pre GFC days by the end of the quarter.
Perhaps 2010 wasn’t quite the year you had planned. If that was the case, it doesn’t really matter because every year is about learning and developing so that you can reach your potential in life.

The end of a year is always a good time to reflect on what has happened and look forward to a brighter, better future. Why not take some time to go through the following process and set up a plan for 2011 to be your best year yet.
What did I accomplish in this year?

This is a great starting point for setting goals. Even if you had a “shocker” of a year , there will have been some good points. Really spend some time reflecting on the year and write down your accomplishments. Perhaps you were a top performer in your organization, perhaps you got married or bought a house, perhaps your learnt something new this year.

It is really important for a balanced life to pat yourself on the back for what you have achieved, regardless of how significant or insignificant it may seem to others. Rarely do we reflect on what we have achieved in a week, let alone a year. By shifting your awareness to what you have achieved this year you will be setting yourself up for success when planning next year. Often we spend so much time listening to that little (or for some very big) negative voice inside that we don’t spend time acknowledging our achievements.

What were my biggest disappointments this year?What dreams didn’t come true for you this year? What did you do that you wish now you hadn’t? What ended for you?
Spend some time and make a list of all the stuff you wish hadn’t happened or that you were disappointed about this year. Perhaps you didn’t lose that weight you said you would, or your relationship ended or a business failed. Perhaps you didn’t bill what you thought you would.
Why is this of value? Simply that it is important that you understand exactly where you are right now before you start setting goals for the future. By looking at what went well and what didn’t go so well you have both the positive and negative with which to move forward. To have your best year yet in 2011, you need to understand where you are right now, rebalance your sense of yourself and make room for new possibilities.

What did I learn?Take a minute to look over your accomplishments list and consider – what was the secret to my success? Why was I able to achieve that? What did I learn about myself this year? Then do the same with your disappointments list. What would have worked better? Why didn’t it work? What was the lesson? If I were an observer, what advice would I give myself? Avoid judgment here, just be objective and write it down.
Really consider what changes you need to make to be the best you can be and have the life that you really want.
In your experience of this past year is your recipe for success; increasing income; building better relationships; taking better care of yourself. What does this information tell you about who you want to be?
Now here is the painful bit. To have your best year yet you must understand how you limit yourself and how to make it stop.

How do I limit myself and how can I make it stop?Think through your accomplishments, your disappointments and your learning around the last year. Do you see some patterns emerging? Could it be that every year pretty much the same thing happens? You start a diet in January each year and by February you are back to your old eating habits? Could it be that you have created limiting beliefs around money or success or lifestyle (I couldn’t possibly have that?)
Make a list of your limiting beliefs. For example I’m not worth that much money or I could never have a relationship with XXX sort of person. Ask yourself the question and wait for your inner voice to respond.
Remember we attract what we think about whether we want it or don’t want it. Have you heard the saying “what you resist persists?” (The Secret by Rhonda Byrne will help with this philosophy).

In what areas of my life am I not achieving what I want?This is the first step in the paradigm shift that will occur to allow you to experience your best year yet. Make a list of what areas in your life are not the way you want them to be.

What are my personal values?
Coaching taught me that all behavior emanates from an individual’s values and beliefs. If I have a belief about myself, then I will act it out for the world. Take some time to think about what is most important to you in your life – relationships? Status? Money? Making a contribution? What gets you out of bed in the morning? What really drives to behave in a certain way?
Understanding and articulating your values helps you understand yourself and perhaps with that understanding you will realize how you are holding yourself back.

What roles do I play in my life?Thinking about the roles you play in your life helps provide direction and places your values at the centre of your life where they should be. Your roles provide the framework in which to set and achieve goals. Make a list of all the roles you currently play in your life. Do you have a dream role for next year?

Which role is my major focus for next year?Reflect on your personal values and how you want them to impact each role you currently play. To help you do this ask yourself:
• If I could put one problem behind me what would it be?
• In which role do I want significant change?
• What’s stopping me from being happy right now?
• What would I love to accomplish in the next year?
What are my goals for each role?
Set goals for each role, ensuing they are SMART goals:
• Specific
• Measurable
• Attributable to me
• Realistic
• Time frame attached

A specific sentence in present tense works best. I feel sexy weighing 55kg by December 2011
What are my top 10 goals for next year?
Before you select your ten most important goals for next year, review everything you have written down. Remind yourself of what really matters to you and why. Select the goals that mean the most to you and if achieved would really make a difference to your life. Once you have done this, prioritize your list, putting the most important one first.

Staying on trackThe best way I have found to stay on track is to make them visible. I have my goals stuck on my bathroom mirror so that I can’t miss them when I go in there!
Set actions to ensure that you reach your goals. I find 90, 60, 30 and 7 day actions work best for me. Review and revise regularly and you will be well on your way to 2011 being your best year yet.
If you are still having trouble staying on track or if you really want to “stretch” yourself then get yourself a coach who is trained to help you achieve your goals! If you would like to talk with me about a coaching program, then please do so.

This article is based on “your Best Year Yet” by Jinny Ditzler; published by Harper Element, a division of Harper Collins.
Need help with setting goals? Then contact me and arrange a coaching session to help you clarify what is important to you.

Who is in Control?

Recently, I have been working with a medium sized recruitment company in Sydney who has some pretty reasonable billers. I tell you this because they could be really big billers if they just had more control over the recruitment process. Every single one of them understands the importance in theory of being in control but not one person appears to be able to stay in control. This is because they have so many vacancies on, that they rush through the process and try and beat their competitors to the close.


You have lost control when:
· Candidates don’t show up for interview with you
· Candidates aren’t honest with you or don’t return your calls
· Clients won’t give you feedback or return your calls
· Candidates get counter offered and accept
· Candidates receive conflicting offers and accept
· Candidates don’t start with your client or don’t last through the guarantee period.


Control is an interesting concept for recruiters and my belief is and always has been that the recruiter should be in control of the process. That is, all things being equal, the recruiter should know what is going to happen next.


Client control
Many recruiters have a weak link as far as client control as far as client control is concerned. Let’s discuss the parts of the process where recruiters tend to lose control (or give the client control).


1. Taking in the job


To be in control of this part of the process, you must know the following:
· How many recruitment agencies have been briefed
· Where is the client up to in the process (ie. How many candidates has he seen and whom did he like/not like and why?)


· How committed is he to the process – I always ask “on a scale of 1 to 10, how urgent is filling this role for you?”


· If I can present a shortlist today, how soon can you interview?


· If you have decided based on what has been said that you will work the job, gain commitment from the client on either exclusivity, tentative interview times for your candidates or commitment to providing feedback within 2 hours of presenting the candidate CV’s.

2. Presenting Candidates


Too many recruiters that I train send through CV’s on e-mail and then wait for feedback. Who is in control now? The client, because you have sent the CV’s and he can come back to you (or not) at his leisure. To stay in control over this part of the process, you must phone your client first to let him know that the CV’s are on the way, then agree a time to phone back the same day for feedback on the candidates. I normally have a 2 hour rule. I call my client at say 10am to advise that the CV’s are coming over via e-mail now and tell him that I will call at 12.00 noon for feedback.
If, when you call back for feedback, the client has not read through the CV’s, ask the client to do it now whilst you are on the phone so you can answer any questions.
If you leave the follow up 24 hours or more, you have lost control.


3. Organizing candidate/client interviews
Ensure that the client agrees that he will provide detailed and timely feedback on each and every candidate interviewed. When organizing interview times, agree a time to follow up for feedback and ask the client to put the time in his diary. If you don’t agree this part of the process, you have lost control again.


4. After client/candidate interview
This is the time to slow the process down and ensure that you stay in the drivers seat. Gain quality feedback on each candidate and close the client on the front runner. “so all things being equal, if my competitors can’t come up with the same quality as X, when will you be in a position to offer X?”
Agree a follow up time and ensure that you follow up. Ask the client to compare the candidates he has seen and resell the benefits of your candidate based on the original (and detailed) job brief you took.


Each time you follow up with the client, create a sense of urgency around the candidate and restate the positive things the candidate said about the client/client company.


A note about salary


If a client gives you a salary range to work within, ie $100-$150K, always close the client up and the candidate down when contacting after the client/candidate interview. This is because you lose control when you start assuming, ensure that all steps in the process are followed correctly.


5. At offer stage
This is another part of the process that consultants seem happy to relinquish control. Never allow a client to speak with a candidate directly. As soon as you allow that, you have lost control over all salary negotiations. If you seek written confirmation of offers, get it immediately. Tell your client that you are unable to give the candidate the offer until you have written confirmation.
At this stage of the process, I always seek client feedback on how well I have performed. I do this so I can then remind them why they work with me and move them up the relationship ladder.


6. During guarantee (after sale service)


I actually believe that as a professional, we don’t take this part of the process seriously enough. This is an opportunity to cement your relationship and stay in control of any bumps during the settling in period. You must ensure that you make time to do your quality control checks, in person if at all practicable. You are responsible for the candidate settling into the client organization and if the candidate leaves during guarantee then you either have placed the wrong person in the wrong job (which should happen only very rarely if you are a quality recruiter) OR your have stayed in control after the candidate commenced with the client company.
Take this opportunity to build your relationship with your client and demonstrate that you are committed to after sales service.


Remember that you are the professional and therefore you should be driving the recruitment process. If you stay in control, you are less likely to be surprised when the outcome doesn’t go your way.

How to communicate effectively

It always amazes me when I come across someone who has difficulty communicating in our industry. What I mean is those people who find it difficult communicating their ideas, have very boring voices or who insist on turning every piece of communication into a long drawn out story. The Recruitment industry is ABOUT communicating. We communicate with clients, candidates and colleagues in order to put the right person into the right opportunity and make a living yet so few of us have had any kind of training in the art of communication.

Let’s look at the essentials of successful communication:

1. Establishing rapport

The basis of rapport is that when people are like eachother, they like eachother. You will communicate best with people when you communicate to them in a way in which they feel comfortable. In fact, when true rapport is established, you will be communicating with them at an unconscious level. Have you ever had the experience of meeting someone new and feeling that you have known them a long time? If you have, then you have established rapport with the other person.
Communication is 7% words; 38% tonality and 55% physiology. Rapport is established by matching and mirroring and is essential to building trust in any relationship. To build rapport successfully, you must be consciously aware of what the other person is doing and saying and also what they arent saying.
Here are the steps to successfully build rapport:
a. Mirror an individual’s physiology. That is copy their gestures, eye contact and posture
b. Match their voice, tone tempo, quality and volume. Match key words.
c. Match their breathing
d. Match the size of the pieces of information (chunking). For example big picture vs. detail
e. Match their common experiences

2. Succinct, specific and generous communication

I learned this technique when I trained to be a coach with Results coaching systems. We all know people who are very direct communicators and also those whom take forever to deliver their message. Because in our line of business, our product is people, we need to ensure that all of our communication is understood, whether written or verbal.

• Being Succinct When we pad our sentences with extra words, we dilute the effectiveness of the message. The person we are communicating with can lose the message and our communication can break down. It be succinct, you need to think carefully before you deliver your message and make every word count. If someone starts to tell you an entire story, stop them and ask them to tell you the key points.
• Being Specific As well as being succinct, you also need to be specific so that the person you are communicating with understands the message. It is very important to give all the relevant information to back up the point you are making.
• Being Generous Being generous in communication is about finding common ground with the person you are communicating with. Being generous is a way of showing you care.

3. Useful and interesting conversations

Often, when I am coaching “at the desk” I ask the consultant whether the conversation they just had with that client or candidate was useful or interesting. Useful conversations gain outcomes, whereas interesting conversations don’t. Practice asking yourself “what was the outcome of that conversation”. If no outcome was gained then I would argue that the conversation wasn’t useful. Save interesting conversations until more appropriate times, like the pub or coffee shop. Practice having useful conversations at your desk.

4. Be a great listener

Being a great listener is a skill that requires constant practice and a great deal of focus and attention. If you don’t actively listen you will not be able to build rapport or have useful conversations.
Main keys to being a great listener include:
a. Listening generously
i. Intent
ii. Empathy
iii. Interference
b. Listen for meaning
c. Listen at all levels
i. Words
ii. Tonality
iii. Non-verbal signals
d. Listen without judgment
i. Know your “hot spots”.

Building your communication skills is an ongoing process and I have recently developed an audio program on “how to communicate effectively” to assist you in becoming more aware of your communication. For more information e-mail info@trtrc.com.au.

Gaynor Lowndes is the founder of The Recruitment Training Company and is a regular contributor to industry boards and publications. Visit www.trtc.com.au for more information.

Headhunt is NOT a dirty word

Gone are the days of headhunting being a “secret men’s or women’s business” only executed at the top echelons of the executive search world. As we move into world wide recovery, identifying talent within the marketplace will become a highly sought after skill. Recruiters can no longer rely on passive candidate sourcing strategies, a more active approach to sourcing talent is required.

Advantages of Headhunting

1. The client finds the best candidates for the role, not necessarily the most visible in the marketplace.
2. Saves the time of both the client and consultant in only interviewing the most appropriate candidates.
3. Your candidates are exclusive. As you have approached them, they are not necessarily looking at other options.
4. As a recruiter, you are positioned in a more professional space in the marketplace. That’s great for your personal brand.

Rules for headhunting

There are some rules for headhunting that you should be aware of before you start.
Never headhunt from an existing client. When you break this rule you give headhunting and the recruitment industry in general a bad name. Some unethical recruiters have been known to poach previously placed candidates from existing clients.
A client is defined as someone who has paid you money in the last twelve months. Don’t get this definition confused with someone who has listed a job. Basically there are three types of companies that a headhunter works with:
1. Client companies – those that you (or your company) has placed candidates with in the last 12 months.
2. Prospective companies – those companies that are currently in your sales funnel and you are actively working on.
3. Source companies – those companies that you are actively sourcing candidates from.
How do you decide on source companies? Take a look at your current database. Sort out the companies that fall into the first two categories above and then those that are left fall into the potential source companies category. Having said that, be ruthless with prospects. Will you make higher levels of profit placing into or sourcing from that company? Many of us believe that organizations that list lots of jobs with us are potential gold clients. However, if you are one of ten recruiters briefed and there appears no opportunity for exclusivity, then the opportunity cost in working the jobs may be too high. Perhaps this company would be a more profitable source of candidates.

Do some research before picking up the phone
One of the best places to target for possible candidates are your client’s direct competitors. Incidentally, I also make a habit of always asking my client if there is someone in particular he or she is interested in talking to about this opportunity. Quite often, your client already has an idea who he or she is interested in or at least which competitors are worth approaching. It is much easier to get past the gatekeeper if you have a name, so invest some time in the research first.

Tips for Success
1. Be in the zone before you pick up the phone.
You must believe that approaching this candidate is a win/win for all concerned. Make the approach believing that the candidate will be interested and will want to send you a CV.
2. Create a script.
Whilst serving your headhunting apprenticeship it is important to use scripts. Have a call objective and a fall back position. Consider the personality and generation of your target and use appropriate language.
3. Mind what you say!
Have you given enough information to get your candidate interested or so much that an objection is coming your way? How about your delivery? Do you sound confident, ethical and professional? If you have ever listened to a master headhunter, you will hear that they know exactly what to say and how to say it.
4. Don’t necessarily meet every target you approach
Assess the target for desire to change jobs otherwise you could be wasting your time. Ask “On a scale of 1 to 5 (5 being the highest) how likely are you to move if the right opportunity is presented to you?”
5. Candidate care is essential.
Remember that you have approached your target. That makes the relationship different to an “active” candidate. Your target must have a positive value-added experience from dealing with you, even if he or she does not end up being placed by you.
6. When the target says “no thanks”
Build your brand! Ask permission to contact the person again should another suitable opportunity present itself. Don’t burn your bridges, make every contact with every person you talk to positive.
7. Manage the process.
Headhunted candidates are more likely to stay with their current employer if counter offered. You need to manage the resignation process regardless of the level of the candidate and remind the candidate the reasons that he or she has selected to go with your client.

Serving an apprenticeship takes time, patience and skill development. Learn and practice the skills of headhunting and you will never complain about talent shortage again! I have developed a new one day headhunting techniques workshop which will run in February 2010. Visit www.trtc.com.au for further information or e-mail info@trtc.com.au

Lessons in leadership

What makes a great leader?

Expectations create reality. The way you lead teaches your people the way they must follow. Work should be fun. All great leaders demonstrate entrepreneurship and have the ability to work in a style that mixes the visionary with the practical. They excite their people and never loose sight of the vision. The leaders of tomorrow will spend less time on the traditional management functions of planning, controlling, directing and evaluating and more time facilitating - change, learning and self management. An important characteristic of a great leader is the ability gain team commitment. The way to do this is to talk about commitment then develop a total work environment where there is harmony between people and procedures. Make work a happy place to be by promoting the social aspect. Many of you still expect your employees to work 7.00am until 7.00pm – reward them with social activities outside of work and include partners.

Getting the best from high achievers in your organisation is sometimes difficult because some will plateau. The key to getting the best from them is first to identify and acknowledge their skills and then encourage change. Make sure your high achievers are not left marking time. They need to be challenged constantly. Provide special assignments and additional training – this will show your commitment to them. Always concentrate on the future to guard against them dwelling on yesterdays victories. Remember that high achievers demand continued attention. These individuals seek recognition for their achievements – so give it to them.


Leaders of tomorrow know the value in sharpening the saw. They understand the importance of constantly learning and self-development for themselves and their people. Encourage development whether job related or not. Set aside a training budget and utilise it for training of your people. They will appreciate and strive to improve as a result.

Finally, leadership greatness means that you create something that does not end with you. Ensure that you have a succession plan in place and encourage your people to step up to the challenge.