Last time we talked about the  first step to scalingand you can read it here. 

Now we want to talk about the power of goals and goal setting; pity so many people get it all wrong. 

Fact: If you have a big vision the only way to bring it into reality is to set goals. 

They provide us with specific outcomes and milestones that can be measured to show us whether we are in the right jungle or if we are entirely off track! 

 

The 3 Key Reasons To Have Goals 

1. The first reason is to give you a sense of direction of where SPECIFICALLY you want to be; something that excites you where you are truly living the life that you want.  

Also when you know exactly where you’re going and how you’re going to get there, you will know whether or not you’re on track and whether or not you’re off-track, and whether you need to tweak or reset anything to make sure that you achieve your goal.  

 

 

2. The second main reason for setting goals is so that you have a clear focus on where to put your energy and your attention.  

When you get clear on what you want, this awareness triggers something in our mind called the reticular activating system.   

The RAS works like an antennae and is a network of nerves in the brain which controls our states of awareness and attention; it’s a filter that accepts or rejects information into our consciousness, and you can set this filter by consciously choosing to think about certain things. 

One of the most familiar examples of the RAS is when you buy a new car – you start seeing the same make, model and colours all over the place.   

The fact is, they were there all the time, but your RAS only allowed the information to enter your consciousness when you told it that piece of information was important. 

Cool isn’t it? 

By having clear goals, focusing on what you want and writing your goal down, this triggers the RAS system and your mind will start to notice and unconsciously seek out resources, people, books, articles and opportunities which will bring you further towards your goal. 

Have you ever noticed your eye is drawn to an article, which coincidentally happens to contain the information you wanted for a project or perhaps overheard a conversation that helped you to achieve something you wanted?   

These are not coincidences.   

They are your RAS working for you to enable you to achieve your goals.  One of the things I see quite often is when you get clear about what you want; candidates suddenly pop up that you hadn’t noticed before when you were doing your searches or suddenly that ideal client, out of the blue, calls you with an instruction and is delighted to sign your terms. 

 

3. The third main reason for setting goals is that you avoid wasting time and effort in the wrong directions. A recruiter has a sense of motivation if they have a goal which is truly applicable to them, by having goals that are not right, it could take you a lot of time, energy or resources chasing something that you do not want. 

By setting clear goals, it means you avoid wasting time and effort on the wrong goal. 

 

Goals for Recruitment Directors and Managers? 

 

 

Over the last ten years plus the team here at Centredexcellence has seen the following goals work in action with our clients who are achieving outstanding results. 

When you are setting your 12-month goals we split these into 6 areas:  

1. Results  

What Turnover, Profit, number of placements needed, number of buying clients per consultant, % profit, % credits, average fee level. 

 

2. Growth  

What new divisions will you have? What will be the average consultant billings? The number of buying clients needed to hit your turnover? For example the percentage % existing business development, and the percentage of new business development? 

 

3. Clients  

Niches and micro niches, geography? Number of buying clients, the growth of your existing business, new service offerings? Key account development, how many will you have and what will their average spend be? What about being a supplier of choice? Senior appointments?  

 

4. Candidates  

Niche, geography? Candidate attraction, retention and growth – what measures? new service offerings? % candidates from non advertising? Candidate control and matching measurements? Number of quality candidates? 

 

5. Teams  

Headcount, retention %, consultant skill levels, new hires, succession planning, niches, location, incentives, hierarchy.

 

6. Profile  

Awards, reputation, branding, network, marketing and your position as a dominant player in the market? 

 

Finally: The “Icing” On the Cake Questions 

 

 

We have shared an awful lot with you in this post, and it doesn’t stop there. Katy and I want to share some final questions that literally can take everything to the next level. 

We suggest you take yourself away to a quiet space and really think about the answers to these five questions, they will enable you to scale in the way you want to over the next year. 

1. Imagine that it is one year from today and it has been your best year yet; what would you be celebrating this time next year; specifically? 

2. Where do you want your business to be in one year’s time?  In two years’ time?  

3. At the end of the year, how will you define ‘success’ in relation to your business? 

4. If everything goes well, what will your organisation and business look like in 12 months’ time? 

5. What are some of the longer-term outcomes for your business?  

 

Warm regards 

Nicky and Katy 

P.S. Would you like our personal help to achieve results like these clients of ours? Then drop us a quick email here with the words how to set goals and scale.