When I was 24 years old, I was a leadership trainer as a young naval officer. I taught Deming management methods to thousands of naval officers and sailors when I was stationed in Norfolk, Virginia. W. Edwards Deming, one of the pioneers of contemporary management thought and a business legend in Japan, said that all managers must commit to continuous improvement. Everything can always get better, no matter how good it already is.
Want to add at least 20% to your margins without spending more time in the office in 2015? Then improve your process. Here’s a simple, three-step formula for doing it.
Step #1: Take full ownership of the results on your desk.
Step #2: Find out what’s working and do more of that.
Step #3: Find out what’s not working and do less of that.
Success in executive search is dependent upon getting the right knowledge and applying it in the right sequence with the right frequency and intention. But unless you’re taking ownership of your own training, you’re missing the abundance that awaits you. When it comes to performance improvement, training must have elevated status as a core competency.
Based on what I’ve seen among top producers in the industry, it confirms what I’ve heard Brian Tracy say over and over again. The leading performers of sales organizations all have one thing in common: they buy their own books and tapes, pay their own way for conventions and meetings, and consider investing regularly in their own personal development. In other words, they take full ownership of their results and are always actively looking to improve their performance.
Here are eight ideas that will help you to integrate this model of success into your desk and take ownership of your training:
1. Commit to continuous and never-ending improvement. There’s a risk in doing this because when you take this step, you’re telling the world that you don’t know it all. This requires a healthy self-confidence level without the fragile and over-inflated ego.
2. Identify those variables that determine success. What constitutes success in your office? Figure it out and then get it on paper. Interviews, offers, acceptances, fees, billings, number of clients, etc.
3. Begin to measure the appropriate ratios between the variables that count. Anything that is measured generally improves over time.
4. Set a budget of what you intend to invest in training. Perhaps you can make this a percentage of your monthly income or quarterly revenue. For every dollar you invest in training, you should expect to get at least ten dollars back. Start with one percent of your revenue or income, then go to two percent, and then three percent each month. Remember that the more you invest in your own personal and professional development, the more you will get back from it.
5. Attend meetings with others who are on the same path that you’re on. Join an association or meet regularly with other colleagues who are top producers. When I first got into the speaking business a few years ago, I had monthly conference calls with friends who were also committed to winning in that business. I still attend regular meetings with other professional speakers where we learn to polish our platform skills, develop products, and market our services. In search, it’s no different. In fact, because the staffing and recruiting business is so intense and depends so much on nuance and subtleties, it’s imperative that you plug in with a group of people who can support you and where you can support them.
6. Set training goals for yourself for the rest of the year, and break it down into weekly goals. How many tapes do you want to listen to? Which ones? Which books do you want to read? Anytime you see a book you want to read, buy it and keep it in a stack to go through when you have the time.
7. Find a mentor to guide you in your growth. It could be a manager, friend, co-worker, consultant, or coach.
8. Change the way you view training. I’ve never met a top performer who said they hated training. Instead, they were passionate about it. This perspective makes a good recruiter an amazing recruiter. If you don’t want your clients to think you’re amazing, then don’t train. But if you do and if you want them to think of you first when they have a need, then this needs to be a priority.
Success is deliberate and intentional and does not occur because of random chance. There is a method and a process to it. The sooner you start to create success with intentional focus and effort, the sooner you’ll reap the rewards. Start today and adopt this model of ownership to your desk. Do it today. Do it now!
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Scott Love, guest writer for the Top Echelon Recruiter Training Blog and owner of The Attorney Search Group, trains, motivates, and inspires recruiters to achieve greatness in the profession. Visit his online recruiter training center for tips, downloads, videos, and articles that can help you increase your recruiter billings.