Have you ever heard of sweat equity? I have a friend who talked about it constantly while he was building his business.
If a co-worker was in the office (or in this case, the car dealership) until 9 p.m. five nights a week, my friend had to be there until 11 p.m. seven nights a week. I have to admit, he made a decent living.
In fact, he went on to run his own dealerships and to demand this same time commitment from his top employees. But when I look at his life, his divorce, the kids’ activities he missed, the friends he ignored because he didn’t have time for them, I wonder if he still believes it was all worth it.
Once upon a time, I interviewed Sam Carpenter, author of Work the System (www.workthesystem.com) on “Talent Wins,” my human capital-focused radio show. Work the System details how Sam found himself working 100 hours a week at his service business. But the hours weren’t turning into dollars. He was on the verge of bankruptcy. He could barely make payroll. He was sleeping on a cot in his office. His business owned him.
Fast-forward two years. Sam’s business is profitable, and his workweek is down from 100 hours to—are you ready for this—two hours per week! Sam turned his business and his life around by solving one problem at a time. He put into place systems that worked. And he wrote a book about it.
It’s a compelling story, and it made me think. Wouldn’t it be nice to spend more time with your kids, your spouse, and your friends without feeling guilty? Is it possible to do more of the things we enjoy instead of feeling obligated to live at the office because we never accomplish enough?
The good news is that in executive recruiting, we can. You can get done what needs to be done in your professional life and still have time for a rewarding private life. I’m not going to tell you that, like Sam, you’ll be working two hours a week. But by doing things much the same way Sam did, by solving a few problems and enacting effective systems, recruiters can attain more success in less time. Here’s how:
Identify your time-wasters!
Time-wasters are productivity killers. If you’re struggling with a task, it can invade your workday and steal precious time. Maybe you’re having trouble with your recruiting software. That could mean you’re spending a lot more time than you should be on this process. Or maybe you avoid this essential part of your job completely. Both can lead to failure.
Successful recruiters must be courageous enough to name their weaknesses. Whether it’s learning the technology tools, marketing, closing, qualifying . . . identify your problem area. Then determine whether you can improve your performance through increased training or focus. If so, do what it takes to get better.
If you can’t figure out a way to substantially improve your skills, it may be time to consider outsourcing the task. Is there someone in the office who is strong in your weakest area? Can you pay or trade, partner, or barter with a colleague to handle the time-waster for you so you can focus on that which you do well—and thereby increase your own productivity?
Identify high-value activities and spend more time on them!
What are the high-value activities you perform every day? In recruiting, these usually involve client or candidate communication. Period. All the rest are low-value activities.
During selling time, which is typically 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. with a noon lunch break, successful recruiters are completely focused on high-value activities. They are not emailing friends, checking their voice mail every five minutes, talking about sports with their cubicle partner, or going to the break room 15 times a day. They are only concerned with high-value recruiting activities.
To avoid the non-productivity trap, identify necessary low-value activities and schedule them for any time prior to 8:30 a.m., after 5 p.m., or during your lunch break. Don’t let them eat away at your recruiting day.
And THAT is how you enjoy more success in less time.
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Jon Bartos, a guest writer for the Top Echelon Recruiter Training Blog, is a premier writer, speaker, and consultant on all aspects of personal performance, human capital, and the analytics behind them. In 2010, Bartos founded Revenue Performance Management, LLC. The RPM Dashboard System is a business intelligence tool used worldwide for metrics management for individual and team performance improvement. In 2012, Bartos achieved national certification in Hypnotherapy, furthering his interest in learning the dynamics behind what motivates others to achieve higher levels of success. Click here to visit Bartos’s website.