A while ago I was talking to one of our clients about a few ‘teething’ problems she was experiencing as her recruitment company was growing. I even recorded a video about it that you can watch here. 

I mentioned to her the wisdom that was once shared with me that goes along the lines that; we don’t grow our organisations they grow us; how true that is! 

As a recruitment owner, there will be many challenging situations and people to deal with.  Here are a few that might ring a bell. 

  • Handling unhappy clients and candidates 
  • Cash flow challenges 
  • Dealing with poor performance; team and individual 
  • Managing team conflict…….. and the list goes on. 

The good news is that there are multiple ways to handle these various challenges that I want to share with you today. 

 

 

1. Seek First to Understand – Start With The Facts

All too often as human beings, we can make assumptions and judgements based on our own map of the world or worse still what someone has told us: Don’t.  

In the words of Stephen Covey; ‘seek first to understand’. Ask questions and establish the facts before you do anything. 

 

2. Take The Helicopter View

Stand back and look at the facts at hand.  As you will know I am a student of cause and effect. For each effect, there is a cause that preceded it. 

Using an underperforming consultant as an example: 

  • Where are they on the Skill Will matrix? (Skill or Will issue) 
  • Have they been signed off their induction plan too early?  
  • Do we or their billing manager know their motivations and drivers? 

 

3. Be A Pro

It’s easy to get emotional, angry, swear, scream and shout; don’t…….. at least not till you get home.  It never works.  I have a saying it’s not the person it’s the process… where in the process do you need to tweak to make sure this situation never happens again… sometimes it may be your hiring process that let you down.. more often than not it’s a communication issue… 

Remain professional always, take the emotion out and deal with the facts; it’s a skill any of us can learn and is vital for a leader. He or she who shouts loudest rarely wins.   

 

4. Chant the Mantra…..We Are All Different

 

As many of you will know I have and continue to study daily the human psyche in all, it’s many manifestations. This has taught me a lot over the last twenty plus years, and it’s made me appreciate a couple of things around two beliefs that I hold related to the topic we are discussing. 

1. Everyone has a positive intention for their actions.  

2. That people are doing the best that they can with the resources they currently have available. 

People really don’t set out to be difficult. They have a different map of the world than you have. It’s your role as a leader to adapt your style to get the best out of them. 

Go into your conversations with this mindset, seek first to understand and establish the facts before you make any decisions. 

 

5. Think Win Win Rather Than………. I Am Right 

In challenging situations, you will often find that miscommunication is the root cause, often coupled with poor coaching or leadership. 

On more than one occasion in the past, I have been ‘brought’ into an organisation to ‘sort it out’. Every single time it has boiled down to a lack of communication, especially around goals and performance. 

You won’t know that until you uncover the facts and then plan how to resolve the situation going forward.  

It may be that James or Joanna are poor performers and their behaviour and results need to change. If that is the case, it will be a win win for all concerned. 

 

6. Skill Up On Coaching 

 

Every day is a school day, or so a friend of mine says, and I totally agree. The only way we can improve is by learning and growing. One of our most successful programmes that have been running for over 6 years is our market leading BGM programme (Be A Great Billing Manager). 

One of the reasons it’s still so popular is it helps the participants by teaching them how to coach and handle different scenarios. 

Learning is essential, so in the meantime, the Centredexcellence blog has over 200 posts recordings downloads and checklists to help so start there. 

 

Ready to Get going? 

If poor performance is your main challenge download our latest guide here. 

 

Warm regards 

 

Nicky and Katy