“Ultreya!” Dan McCarthy, a close friend and no relation, introduced that word into my vocabulary. Here’s how. This past April, Dan set out on a walking pilgrimage from St. Jean Pied de Port, a small town at the foot of the Pyrenees in Southern France and the gateway to northwestern Spain. On the first day he walked fifteen miles up to the pass of Roncesvalles at about 4,500 feet above sea level. The next day he began six weeks of walking on el Camino de Santiago, the Way of Santiago, the 1,200 year old, 500 mile pilgrimage road to the shrine of the Apostle Saint James at Compostela, in Galatia, in the northwest corner of Spain. “A frequent conversation opener on the Camino is, ‘Why are you making the pilgrimage?’ or, “Why ultreya?’ Ultreya is a pilgrim cheer meaning to the end, or, go for it.

Ultreya is a great starting point for this last article, Command Training, in our series of Back to Basics. Go for it. Go for the gold. Be all that you can be. Great motivators for people in our industry, who want to make a difference and are driven to succeed. Leadership is the cornerstone of success in the military. Many readers will remember or have heard discussions about the NCO Academy, Officers Candidate School, Command and General Staff School, Army War College all dedicated to training military leaders.

Effective, informed leadership is critical to success in the placement industry. In this article we will present: an overview with comments on a few of Colin Powell’s 18 Lessons on Leadership (The Leadership Secrets of Colin Powell by Oren Harari); then cite a few business axioms; and conclude with some tips for success.

Vince Lombardi believed that “Leaders are made, they are not born. They are made by hard effort, which is the price which all of us must pay to achieve any goal that is worthwhile.” Colin Powell in his Lesson One: Being responsible sometimes means pissing people off, states, “Good leadership involves responsibility to the welfare of the group, which means that some people will get angry at your actions and decisions.” Do leaders/owners in our industry:

–Waffle on the tough decisions

–Avoid going toe-toe with people who need to be confronted

–Try to please everyone with their decisions

–Look at what is either right or wrong with tinted lenses?

Don’t be buffaloed by experts and elites. Experts often possess more data than judgment (Lesson Three). Do leaders/owners in our industry:

–Get so far away from the trenches that they forget what it takes to run a desk

–Stray from their work ethic and forget that the same work ethic made them successful

–Set weird company policies based on whim rather than the good of the company

– Waste staff member time by insisting that they do it the old way?

Never neglect details. When everyone’s mind is dulled or distracted the leader must be doubly vigilant (Lesson Five). Do leaders/owners in our industry:

–Keep their eye on the ball; know where the business is; dare to try new things

–Instruct, delegate, supervise, and measure

–Let top producers stray from operational details or policy

–Safeguard the routine and activity level; do they lead by example?

Organization doesn’t really accomplish anything. Plans don’t accomplish anything, either. Endeavors succeed or fail because of the people involved. Only by attracting the best people will you accomplish great deeds (Lesson Eight). Do leaders/owners in our industry:

–Attract the best and the brightest and give them the tools to succeed

–Respect and value team members

–Create a welcoming, inclusive environment

–Share the wealth; reward people?

“Powell’s Rules for Picking People” Look for intelligence and judgment and, most critically, a capacity to anticipate, to see around corners. Also look for loyalty, integrity, a high-energy drive, a balanced ego and the drive to get things done. Do leaders/owners in our industry:

–Evaluate prospective staff members as honestly as they assess candidates for clients

–Recognize that staff development must be a core competency

–Commit more than 30% of their time to selecting and training top people

–Ask themselves about each staff person, “How good is this person at getting things done?”

–Overlook that the quality of their people is the best competitive differentiator?

(Borrowed by Powell from Michael Korda): Great leaders are almost always great simplifiers who can cut through argument, debate, and doubt, to offer a solution everybody can understand! Do leaders/owners in our industry:

–Practice the KISS principle: Keep It Simple, Stupid

–Let their egos get in the way of good instruction and clear direction

–Energize or sap the energy from their staff

–Have PhDs in ambiguity and encourage CYA defenses from their staff

A few business axioms learned over the years from my role models in the industry:

–Never lose sight of what it takes to make a placement return to the trenches

–“Being in play” join associations, get active in the community, be involved, stay out of the “fast check out lane,” give back

–Do favors for people favors first this will make you different

–You can make a great living, if you don’t get greedy

–Remember that the job no leader should delegate is making sure you have the right people in the right place

–Know your competition

–Celebrate successes with your whole team. There are lots of opportunities for good recruiters to become attracted to new and exciting recruiting firms

–As Vince Lombardi said: “Mental toughness is essential to success.”

–Follow-through is the key to execution; every leader who is good at executing follows through and always does what she says she is going to do.

–Get things done through others but be sure to reward them and give them credit

–Believe and practice the continuous improvement and training of your staff and, most importantly, yourself

–Make sure that people don’t stay at your firm just for the money

–Stay in touch with everyone! Don’t stop being in play and networking until you are lowered into your six by six condo!

There are thousands of “tips for success” offered by many self-proclaimed gurus in every industry and in every career. I will pass on just a couple learned from some top recruiters.

–“Mind your time. Once it’s gone, you’ll never get it back.” The telephone and the Internet are extraordinary tools but misuse is a killer. Know what information you need and get it in a timely, respectful manner. Who cares that she played the tuba in junior high?

–E-mail is so effective in identifying, sourcing, and recruiting candidates. Become an expert.

–Don’t forget about reference checking. Do it wisely and with consideration. Don’t waste people’s time. It is still an effective source of gaining new clients, branding your services, and building networks.

–Develop an expertise and in teleconferencing and video-conferencing

–Traditional interviews aren’t useful for spotting the qualities of leaders who execute.

–Lastly, the old chestnut: work hard. Abraham Lincoln said that, “things may come to those who wait, but only the things left by those who hustle.”

Ultreya: hang in there and go for it!

I hope you didn’t think you would escape without a mention of the demise of the curse and a salute to the World Champions of Baseball: The Boston Red Sox. It is bad form to gloat. Besides, I have already done that to excess with lifelong friends and family in New York and New Jersey. How sweet it is!

There is so much to say but Paul Hawkinson would get out his red pen and that would be the ball game.

But I can’t let this glorious event slip away without a memorable line or two. After all, I have been a Red Sox fan since 1935 and fifteen of those years were lived in the environs of the Evil Empire. To show you the depths of our love for the Red Sox, let me quote from a sermon, given by the groom at his wedding ceremony, in church, which took place just before the recent World Series.

“I love baseball. However, my passion for baseball and the Red Sox are mostly internal. Sure, people know my team but I am not an in-your-face fan and I don’t feel that my love or passion for my team means any more or less than someone else’s love or passion for their team. I also don’t believe that they are stupid or ridiculous for believing in their team. (The fact that they are stupid or ridiculous is a separate issue.) Be that as it may, while I root for my team with an optimistic but guarded hope and suffer minor depressive episodes if they lose, I know that I walk with more humor, live with more confidence, and I’m happy, elevated and experience a healing when there is a win. But I resist the urge to call this a ‘religious experience’ because I firmly believe there should be a separation of church and stadium.

My friends and future friends, for some strange and mysterious reasons known only to God, I was drawn to my lovely bride, even when she was seduced by the Devil of success and became dare I say a Yankee fan. But time passed and her senses awakened to the arrogance of reality and this beautiful, passionate, incredibly humorous woman to my left for some strange and mysterious reasons known only to God has latched herself onto my blind passion for the Red Sox, cheering when I cheer and weeping internally, if I weep internally …”

That’s all folks but now you know! Amen.

A very happy and healthy holiday season to all!

Given equal amounts of effort, the more skilled your staff, the higher your production. But what is the most cost-effective means of increasing skills and production?

There are now a number of video and audio products available, some of which are excellent. Many owners and managers possess great knowledge to impart. Yet without a solid foundation, that critical information will be absorbed imperfectly, if at all. That foundational knowledge can be most easily and inexpensively learned from the right industry-specific book. Yet, this major benefit only scratches the surface of what your firm can gain from this indispensible tool.

Do you suspect you or your staff members are not “readers?” Oh, yes, they are! You have just been trying the wrong books. Adult education is different from the school reading you remember. Adults learn best when they can directly relate the material to its intended purpose. A book originally designed for the insurance industry, as an example, will probably not be read or utilized by a non-reader. A book written in our language however interviews, search assignments, candidates, closing, etcetera most certainly will be. Let’s look at what such a book has to offer.

SELECTION

While the benefits of a good training manual and reference guide are overwhelming, perhaps the best initial use is before a new consultant comes on board. The benefits of a solid foundation on which to build for a new person are clear. Not so obvious, but even more effective, is the use of a book as a selection device.

A list of qualities that are desirable in a search consultant are numerous. Of them all, however, perhaps the most important is a strong desire to succeed and the commitment to work hard to do so. “The world is full of willing people,” said Robert Frost. “Some willing to work hard — and others willing to let them!” What manager has not invested massive amounts of time and effort in a new consultant only to find the desire to learn was lacking? The earlier this can be determined, the better.

A top-quality modern industry-specific book is the answer. Give the book to the new consultant before he or she comes to work. Tell him to read, highlight, or underline the book, and to show up on the first day of work ready to discuss it. Date, sign, and inscribe the book (“To Bob…a future superstar”) to encourage the new consultant to do so.

A motivated ambitious hard-working potential consultant will do exactly that. A probable failure will barely glance at the book, and will certainly not underline or highlight it. How much wasted time, effort and money could your firm have saved if this methodology had been followed?

The best book for this purpose is the comprehensive hardbound book Search and Placement! A Handbook for Success by Larry Nobles. Visit www.larrynobles.com for details.

FOUNDATION

Any training given by the manager lecture, demonstration, explanation is far better received if there is a foundation of knowledge. Without such a basis, much of the explanation of the manager simply goes “over the head” of the new consultant.

What is a search assignment? Why is taking a thorough one important? How does one select the right candidate to present? Why is daily planning critical? What does “follow-up after interview” mean? Such basic questions as these may not be clearly understood by the new person, regardless of management explanation. Yet the new person may not ask for fear of appearing ignorant. Or the new consultant may believe an understanding exists, yet in reality be unclear.

As a result, regardless of the quality of instruction given by the manager, the message may not get through. Imprecise understanding yields inadequate implementation. This leads to wasted time and effort by the manager, who will have to repeat, repeat, repeat over time until the light dawns on the new consultant…if it ever does.

A good manager has a wealth of knowledge to impart to new people. But without some foundation, that knowledge will not be absorbed. A top-quality hardbound book written for our industry which is read and highlighted before the new consultant reports to work is the best and least expensive way of enhancing understanding.

SALES MEETINGS

Perhaps the best way of consistently improving the skill level and production of an office is a program of regular, productive, effective sales meetings. Most managers recognize this.

The time involved in organizing, planning and outlining a good sales meeting in advance from scratch, however, is substantial. A professional sales trainer will invest a great deal of time in preparation for even a short presentation. Yet most managers will try to conduct a meeting without any advance thought. Results of such a meeting will be meager.

Even arriving at the topics for a productive sales meeting is not easy. Repetition of topics leads to redundant subject matter, boredom, and little learned.

It is critical to separate information-swapping sessions from skill-improvement. A sales meeting is not a listing and discussion of best candidates or search assignments, or a recitation of current assignments. Such topics may well be indicated, but are not, strictly speaking, sales meetings and should not be blended with skill-improvement sessions. The purpose of a sales meeting is to improve production by improving the skill level of the individual consultants.

The easiest least-expensive way to accomplish this is with the aid of a comprehensive, industry-specific book for each consultant. Here’s how it works.

Sales Meeting Format

What should be the format for the least expensive in money and management preparation time and most productive sales meeting?

First of all, every consultant must have their own book. It is cheapness and foolishness for the manager or a consultant to attempt to explain what is in a chapter. Maximum results can only be obtained by advance preparation by the participants. Reading and highlighting the material to be discussed is mandatory.

Secondly, the chapters to be discussed must be stated in advance. The entire group needs a “track to run on,” not just floundering about on a subject.

Thirdly, in addition to highlighting, each person should put stars in the margins of the book, next to either a new idea or an important idea which is not being fully implemented.

Fourthly, in addition to discussion of what has been highlighted (or not) by individual consultants, someone must take notes as to these new ideas for a later follow-up meeting. This could be a secretary. This can be easily done by simply marking a book in a different color, and the marked passages typed out and distributed for review. Don’t do too much. Three new ideas per meeting are plenty!

Finally, the meeting should end on a note of “what was left out?” A brief discussion of ideas not mentioned will give consultants a sense of creativity, will disseminate knowledge throughout the group, and will add surprisingly to the positive energy and confidence of the firm.

EXPERIENCED CONSULTANTS

The problem with experienced people may be two-fold.

First, many who think they know this business actually learn just enough to get by and be productive. Expecially in a strong market, this lends to an inadequate knowledge of the industry and limited skills. These may be sufficient for a strong market. However, the result is reduced production and an inability to adjust to the changing market that will eventually be encountered.

Secondly, of course, people do drift away from good habit patterns. It is obvious that many consultants forget to implement the physical steps of success such as daily planning, desk organization, keeping track of appropriate numbers. What is not so obvious is that sales skills can also deteriorate. From the foundational methodology taught to new people to far more advanced techniques, rebuttals and closes, experienced people need ongoing reminders to maintain.

Finally and most importantly, new material and a sense of forward progress are essential to stave off boredom leading to deterioration.

Solutions

The most-cost effective tool to prevent or correct these situations is an appropriate book. Again, those who believe their people “don’t read” have simply not tried the right book. An in-depth well-written industry-specific book will be read, as it directly applies to day-to-day business.

The first step is a comprehensive training manual and thorough reference guide. This will be well received if accompanied by the phrase an old manager once told this author. “Nobody is smart enough to remember all he knows!”

The strong likelihood is that such a book will identify areas that can be strengthened to increase production. But even a well-trained highly competent consultant will find things they used to do…but from which they have drifted away. The book must be underlined or highlighted to enhance retention, and repeatedly reviewed. There is much much more to this business than a “foundation.” But even for experienced people, that is the place to start. The only such book available to our industry that I recommend may be found at www.larrynobles.com.

Once this step has been followed, more in-depth sophisticated material is indicated. There are definitely excellent sales-oriented video products available. A person who must commute some distance to work may find a number of good audio-cassette products to be quite effective. However, the first and least expensive place to look is the right book.

This is an area where generic non-industry-specific books will be helpful: A visit to a large used-book store (or the internet equivalent) will yield many books that will benefit anyone. The truly timeless works of Charles B. Roth, Frank Bettgar, J. Douglas Edwards/Tom Hopkins will be beneficial in improving sales skills.

However, a substantive high-content industry-specific hardbound book is certainly more immediately beneficial. The subtitle of the author’s own book Breakthrough! is “How to Explode the Production of Experienced Consultants.” Only an industry book designed for this task can be expected to do so.

GIFTS

Anyone who has been in a relationship knows that appropriate gifts at an appropriate time can significantly strengthen loyalty and commitment. This is as true in a business relationship as in a personal one.

There is no better business gift than a business book. Apart from the content, a warm and confident inscription (“with all personal best wishes for even more success”) will be a reminder of the owner’s belief in the consultant every time the book is referred to (which will be frequently with the right book). It also gives the consultant permission to underline or highlight the book, as no one will do so in someone else’s book. Mentioning that the gift comes with “strings” that it must be highlighted while reading will ensure maximum results.

If your firm does “splits” with other recruiters either through networks, franchises or on your own, you will find that an inscribed and autographed business book is an ideal tool to strengthen the relationship, and to ensure cooperation and good will in the future.

With the Holidays upon us, this is a timely idea. Industry-specific books are best and several have already been mentioned. However, the author’s book Breakthrough! has an entire chapter of book reviews on the best generic books on sales and management.

COST-EFFECTIVE

It is worth repeating that these massive and truly long-term results are available quite inexpensively. Even for larger firms, the total cost of appropriate books for each consultant is minimal.

The cost of selecting the wrong consultant, of an inadequate foundation of training, of less-than-adequate sales meetings, or of not fully developing or challenging an experienced consultant is shockingly high.

When one compares the negligible cost of a book with the superb long-term reward, it will be clear that the right books for each consultant represents the best possible investment for any recruiting firm.

Paratroopers take great pride in their jump boots. They spend many hours each year spit shining them to the traditional airborne gloss. On the day before JFK was elected President, I made my first parachute jump at Fort Benning, Georgia. Exiting the plane and jumping into thin air at twelve hundred feet was certainly exciting. But what I remember most about that day was seeing my own reflection in my highly polished boots and thinking: “What the hell am I doing here?”

What does this have to do with the placement business? Airborne training is rigorous and comprehensive; everything is covered; nothing is left to chance. It is so demanding and repetitious that the young trooper instinctively and almost naturally performs every necessary action and reaction time and time again because his life depends on it. Training, training, and more training.

You can see where I’m going: people in our industry, even veterans, – no, make that especially veterans – need training throughout their careers. So, the articles for the rest of the year will be: BCT: Basic Training; AIT: Advanced Individual Training; ABN: Airborne, or, Special Training; and Command Training.

Before we begin, let me tell you about one airborne training technique. When the Training Sergeant in jump school yells: “Hit it!” The paratrooper trainee must quickly assume the position of exiting the plane and at the same time yell at the top of his lungs: “One thousand, two thousand, three thousand, four thousand.” Then he must look up to visualize and make sure that his parachute is opened and deployed. Some days the “Hit it” command is given forty to a hundred times, mostly when you least expect it. The trooper either obeys immediately or does many pushups and/or laps around the field. One Saturday night I was in scenic downtown Columbus, Georgia and recognized two young GIs from my jump school who were out with two local young ladies. I walked up behind them and screamed, “Hit it!” They reacted true to their training and terrified their dates. Mea culpa.

This article will focus on the telephone, recruiting, and candidates. Believe me, this will not be an in-depth training session – just the musings of an interested player.

There it sits on your desk in the office, your work station at home, in your pocket, purse, on your belt when you are out and about: the telephone. Alexander Graham Bell’s gift to us is our lifeline to clients and candidates, the conditio sine qua non (the without which not) of our business. It is feared by some, nemesis to a few, avoided by others, abused by many, and moneymaker for those who have mastered it. Its proper use spells success and growth, its misuse ends or shortens placement careers, lessens income, and leads to abysmal failure. Here are a few bullets to jumpstart your thinking about the telephone. I’m sure you have others; if so, send them along and I will include them in a future article.

? Smile when picking up the phone; the caller will hear it in your voice.

? You are center stage in every phone call; people judge you on your manners.

? Prepare for phone calls as you would prepare for critical conversations. Nothing makes an important phone call more rewarding and more confidence building than the hard work of good preparation.

? Keep the fact that you are very busy, having a bad day, whatever, out of your phone voice.

? If you take the call, have time for the person calling.

? Promise to do 100 pushups every time you keep a person on hold for more than 10 seconds.

? Talking to someone in the office while conducting a phone call is a double play of rudeness.

? When you forget whom you are calling make a joke out of it rather than trying to be suave.

? Your every phone call is an interview, a sales call, an opportunity to judge you, a chance to make a lasting first impression.

? The phone is a coward’s pulpit when it is used to get angry, tell someone off, to be insulting or obstinate. People who do this usually do not have the courage to be a jerk in person.

? Make sure that people who work for you have PhD’s in telephone courtesy; if they don’t, you look bad.

? There is a special place in hell for people who consistently use cell phones at restaurant tables, plays, movies, churches, during conference and workshops sessions, etc. Next to genuine emergencies, the only excusable time is when you hit the lottery for $100 million!

? Last, and far from least, return phone calls. Forge a reputation for returning phone calls. A fitting epitaph for the gravestone of a recruiter: “She always returned phone calls.” The best, the brightest, and the most successful always do.

Dr. John Sullivan, former Chief Talent Officer for Agilent Technologies, is a Professor and Head of the Human Resources program at San Francisco State University. He contributes to Electronic Recruiting and Exchange as well as The Fordyce Letter. In one ERE article, “Eight Simple Rules for Becoming a Great Recruiter,” he gives pragmatic guidance for learning the recruiting craft:

? Read everything that relates to recruiting, your industry, business in general

? Build a learning network: work with others who want to become the best

? Use metrics; track what works and know why it works

? Get a mentor

? When you are actually recruiting:

? Rely on referrals

? Recognize that you are in sales

? Do your market research

? Focus and prioritize

Here are a few additions to Sullivan’s advice. I am sure that subscribers to TFL can add many more.

? Know all facets of recruiting; be open and receptive to new ideas; embrace change and the daily evolution of novel recruiting tools and creative ways of attracting the best candidate pool.

? Be comfortable with emerging technologies; brainstorm with others and spearhead new approaches for 21^st century recruiting.

? Have the courage to step away from the trite business-as-usual mentality; stay current by constantly learning new skills and upgrading old skills

? Continually upgrade the skills of your recruiters – provide training

? How do your recruiters, procedures, techniques, approaches compare to your competitors?

? Do your recruiters deliver? Do they waste too much time on the Internet? Do they network?

A young man, fresh out of business school, answered a want ad for an accountant. He was interviewed by a very nervous CEO who ran a three-man business: “I need someone with an accounting degree,” the man said. “But mainly, I’m looking for someone to do my worrying for me.” “Excuse me?” the young candidate said.

“I worry about a lot of things,” the prospective employer responded. “But I don’t want to have to worry about money. Your job will be to take all the money worries off my back.” “I see,” the young accountant replied. “And how much does the job pay, Sir?”

“I will start you at one hundred twenty thousand a year.” “Wow,” the young accountant exclaimed. “How can such a small business afford to pay me such a big salary?” “That,” the owner said, “is your first worry.”

Ed Mangahas, runs a very successful recruiting firm in Boston, and when it comes to candidates he advises: “Know your candidates well. Understanding both career ambitions, as well as specific job qualifications, are important. Most companies today are trying to get the most talent for their dollar. This means getting someone with more potential to grow with the company or expand his/her job responsibilities and scope. There is a current trend of cautious hiring for fear of committing payroll dollars too soon. I believe that trend will continue, even as business continues to rise. So being able to present a candidate that can fulfill the job requirements, but also fits into the client’s business plan for the next few years will become increasingly critical with each hire.”

How about some advice from other practitioners and corporate staffing people?

? “Provide more thorough reference checks. Be flexible: let the client add some of their own questions. Provide updated CORI (criminal background) checks. Don’t sell the candidate on the company, let the company do that. If the candidate still isn’t sold, it’s probably not the right fit. This will avoid unneeded turnover.” Thanks to Ericka Lowry, Staffing Manager at Cambridge Health Alliance.

? Ron Segal and Norm Lieberman, two TFL readers advise us to “get ready for rapid response to clients with pressing needs; keep your candidate records current; review and improve your candidate prepping procedures for candidates and hiring authorities do this for telephone screenings as well as face-to-face interviews; review and hone your debriefing procedures.”

? Frank Miklavic, a senior consultant in the Boston area, and a former VPHR, directs us: “Don’t oversell the candidate! Give a balanced and honest assessment of your impression of the company.”

I’ll conclude with a few considerations about candidates and working with candidates. I’m sure that I am going to miss a lot, so, I invite the readers to send their bullets along and I will note them in subsequent articles.

? Do your best to meet candidates in person this is critical in avoiding surprises we all have war stories to tell when we haven’t met candidates.

? Check references thoroughly sharpen your reference checking techniques. Many times excellent reference checking is a powerful marketing tool that results in new business.

? If you have a concern about a resume or something in the resume, get it squared away ASAP.

? Give guidance and critiques of resumes; never re-write a candidate’s resume.

? Follow the golden rule that never changes: “Prep and debrief candidates before and after interviews.”

? See your candidates, if possible, after the offer is made and accepted. If the candidate is good enough to get a great offer, he/she is also good enough to get a lucrative counter-offer. As Barbara Cinque, a retired recruiter often stated: “He’s walking around with my money and you can bet I will keep in touch.”

? Probably shouldn’t put this one in but I will. Be honest with candidates, never use them for fodder, and give them honest feedback.

? Work hard for your candidates. Whether you place them or not, candidates are either PR firms for your company, or negative critics of your services.

I started this article by mentioning airborne training. It’s a nice day for a baseball story, so let me finish by describing a true incident in the playing career of Lou Pinella, the former Yankee great, and a manager who believes in disciplined training. I attended a luncheon where the umpire involved told this story.

The umpire and Pinella had a number of misunderstandings throughout their careers. One day when Lou was at bat the first pitch was questionable but the ump called it a strike. After the second bad pitch was also called a strike, Lou, in anger, turned to the umpire and bellowed: “Where was that one at?”

The umpire in a calm voice replied: “Lou, you never end a sentence with a preposition.” Lou instantaneously retorted: “OK. Where was that one at, a——?” Lou was ejected!

Next month we will focus on interviewing, the impact of the Internet, clients, marketing, sales calls, and managing information.