Making Perfect. Teri Ann Lindeberg
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was given the opportunity to work in an additional sector and I acted as the client’s Consultant and Director”…”I work well with clients and would also be interested in BD for my sector”…”I now try to do research to help the Consultants, I just started and I like it”…”I now have a lot of work and a lot of planned work, but think I can develop clients by going to PR/marketing/advertising conferences as I am a good negotiator, and to be involved with the website and new things”…
I was very happy to hear that many within our recruitment team also wanted to try their hand at sales – in order to help the company and to develop themselves. I have always provided this opportunity to everyone and was pleased that some felt they were ready.
Nonetheless, the reality is that some of the people above who mentioned this to me never summoned the nerve to actually dive in and do it, as they were encouraged to do. Instead, they just kept to their standard work that they had always been doing and chose to remain in their comfort zone. Having said that, I do believe that there is nothing wrong with employees staying within the confines of their assigned work (i.e., to the status quo). This is because the way in which our Directors and Consultants presently work is equally important to the success of our business.
I am pleased to note that one of our Consultants, who did indeed follow-through on her ambitions to take on a combined role, has really done a fantastic job in helping to develop and maintain a very strong industry practice group for us. We encouraged and supported her efforts along the way and we have all benefited from the success that has come from it.
Employees want:
• To take on more.
“I could do more if the Directors brought more retained, exclusive searches”…”My sector is very slow right now so I will go after in-house positions and focus on another sector and get the Directors to call into their clients for in-house positions I can close, and get our PR person to search for new vacancies and get the Consultant I work with to help me input candidates I have interviewed”…”Maybe close different vacancies in more lucrative areas”…”Contact ex-candidates and find out where they are right now and try to get them as clients as it might be easier for me to do this than BD”…”I can find leads from candidates I interview”…
This was great to hear: employees with concrete ideas and plans on how to get more business in difficult market times. Many of these strategies were successfully employed.
One of our success stories within this topic has been our legal sector team. Most of our recruitment work prior to the 2008 crisis was on behalf of law firms operating in the market. As many of our legal firm clients decreased, or even curtailed, hiring in 2009-2010, we instead re-directed, with great success, our energy on locating and placing openings for lawyers at corporations within industry sectors.
Within law firms, we focused on placing Partners capable of creating a valid business plan and bringing a book of business and team members with them. This also proved successful for us.
Our incumbent legal sector business, along with a focus on the two new angles within our legal recruitment sector, enabled us to more than double our results in this sector.
Employees want:
• More clients on a retained and exclusive basis; and
• To try a variety of strategies to enhance their success, as well as that of the company.
“I am quite satisfied with my role right now”…
This person left us within a month.
Employees want:
• Nothing sometimes, which could also be a red flag.
“I really like executive search projects, preparing reports, etc. and I had two major ones that I closed successfully”… “I am an accountant in my soul so I would like to stay in that and keep improving and moving higher”
There was nothing to act upon here. It was just nice to know that some people really liked what they were doing.
Employees want:
• To focus in areas they enjoy and are good at.
“I like my job but would also like to try being a Consultant or Director, but know my English is not great”…”Our former HR [Human Resources person] offered me, as an idea, a Consultant’s role as a career growth area, so maybe I could do research for a sector team and eventually become a Consultant”…
Indeed, both of the people commented above are good in the roles they have and would, potentially, be good as Consultants as well. I noted their desires and committed to speak to our management team about them for future consideration.
Employees want:
• To change roles on occasion (TL: and if they are a good employee it can potentially be beneficial for everyone).
Chapter 5
What Extra Responsibility Would You Welcome, That You Were/Are Not Given?
I was expecting some overlap here from some of the previous responses, which would confirm some things already mentioned, but I also believed that some further probing might bring some new insights as well.
“In the future I would love to be completely involved in growing our branches – and organize everything”…
This was pleasing to hear from this person, as we are going to expand in the future and she has been an asset to our current branch expansion. Thus, I feel that her contribution to our future branch office growth will be essential.
Employees want:
• To be directly involved in their company’s geographical growth.
“Too many now”…”Have enough on my plate with BD and running the office and opening new services”…”Prefer not to expand now”…”None, very busy”…”Currently have enough and supposed to have, but also with Elena trying to help them with lead generation by internet searches”…”Now I have BD responsibilities added on, so I feel I have enough”…”All is OK as it is”…”I have enough”…”I now have new additional responsibilities during the crisis, I have enough”…”We have a small department, so all is done”…”Now all is fine, in the future maybe can take on more – after crisis, or manage and event, conference or breakfast”…
Being busy is good, so I was glad to hear that so many people were content. However, I made a mental note about those that appear too busy from prior comments. In addition, I discerned that two people had begun to show a pattern of just not caring much at all about anything, and had consistently given neutral answers to the questions posed thus far.
Employees want:
• No additional responsibilities, sometimes.
“Responsibilities just come”…
I felt this was somewhat of a boring, safe answer. However, this is fine, as it takes many types of people to form an overall very good team.
Employees want:
• Sometimes, whatever they are given.
“Trainings for new or existing team members, or to participate in this; can also do insurance industry info session”…”I am very strong in conducting sales and I am ready to train all in sales, to share my skills”…”Never trained before but open to trying it, although not sure I would be good”…”To train or teach”…
Training is always needed and, in addition to helping further develop people, it adds