Are Staffing Firms Reputations and Leadership Teams A Strategic Capability For Increasing Revenues?
Two key strategic capabilities for any staffing firm is its reputation and leadership team. When these two critical elements are viewed internally and externally as its weakest links the staffing firms ability to grow and prosper is threatened. These two critical success indicators that are 100% controlled by the CEO, if they are not top priorities now, must become their top two strategic revenue increasing priorities.
The firms reputation and leadership team go hand-in-glove because both are interdependent on the other for being viewed positively by its internal and external constituents. These are the two most important strategic cornerstones that cannot be over-looked or taken lightly. They are the linchpins to the firms success and its ability to keep its employee retention rate high.
The next central ingredient is the leadership team and its commitment to doing the right thing even when no one is looking. Sounds easy right?
Doing right by their customers, candidates, consultants and internal employees at all times requires an organizational philosophy central to treating everyone the way they would like to be treated. We have all heard the term, natural born leader, but the reality is that in the staffing industry just like in the military all great leaders were first and foremost great followers! Granted there is a certain DNA that produces a true leaders character traits, however, all great leaders prove themselves through their own demonstrable actions. The staffing industry is no different, but often veers off course when new leaders are anointed to their leadership team.
Great staffing management leaders have their own personal and professional battlefield scars. They have:
- Proven track records where they can point to their accomplishments.
- Do not take credit for the accomplishments of those that worked for them.
- Are capable of creating their own original strategies.
- Execute strategies with provable results.
- Are hands-on player coaches.
- First-hand knowledge and experience and are able to perform the work of their teams.
- Can show their team members how to be successful.
When a staffing firm’s leadership team is comprised of one, two, or many who are, do as I say, not as I do, leaders; their ability to execute even the simplest strategies will be poorly or even never executed by their teams.
Staffing management must be able to gel and create a positive working environment for their team. The leaders ability to foster a true team spirit and camaraderie, while also managing performance and productivity expectations from each member is a balancing act. Real leaders are both, compassionate and highly disciplined in their leadership styles.
So, what does all this have to do with strategies for increasing staffing firms revenues?
When the wrong people are placed into positions of leadership within a staffing firm it should not be because they are or were great sales people of recruiters, or for that matter may have had a great run in another industry. Staffing management in successful firms must be able to positively influence and impact the outcomes of strategies designed to fuel the firms reputation as a great place to work that are well respected by the staffing firms present and past employees.
