Brian Kessman’s Post

JUST BECAUSE SOMETHING IS FREE, IT DOESN'T MEAN IT HAS NO VALUE! All you recruitment leaders out there...I know you like a bargain...You know who you are 😉 and I've got some great news. We’ve teamed up with the global sales, management and leadership expert Andrew Sillitoe, to deliver a webinar on Thursday 25th April @ 9:30am.   It isn’t management – IT'S LEADERSHIP & STRUCTURE - developing your business for growth and an organisation with a clear strategy.   More than ever, we’re seeing the desire to make change from the Leaders and Directors of Recruitment Businesses. And we certainly count ourselves among of them.   We recently participated in Andrew Sillitoe's Recruitment Agency Diagnostic. The quick questionnaire prompted us to reflect on our strengths and areas for growth, delivering eye-opening insights we could immediately act on.   Best of all, it takes 3 minutes and is completely free.   Exciting news: Ruella James is now partnering with Andrew Sillitoe, offering this invaluable diagnostic tool access.   Join us for an exclusive webinar. Andrew will share his "Get Your House in Order" framework, dive deeper into your results, and provide actionable strategies for success.   Here's the plan: Take the diagnostic. Review your results. Join us for the live webinar with Andrew Sillitoe Execute your game plan!   Take the first step today with Andrew Sillitoe's Recruitment Agency Diagnostic. Just DM me or Katie Wakeling with your email address to confirm your interest, and we'll send a link to the diagnostic, and a diary invite with the Zoom link attached for the webinar, and then join us on Thursday 25th of April at 9.30am UK time. Happy Friday all! #AndrewSillitoe #RuellaJames #Opportunity

Do you ever feel like you must see the forest through the trees while also inspecting the birdhouses, clearing the brush and chasing away a rogue squirrel that's digging up the seeds you've planted? That's what balancing high-low work can feel like sometimes. Here's the tl;dr: Some people lean toward working low. They are the doers you can rely on to get work done. The downside is they might not spend enough time thinking about the future and placing bets on new ideas. Some people lean toward working high. They often have big ideas and vision, but they might not get to execution. Someone who can combine the styles to be a high-low leader is most valuable — but it makes their job tough due to bandwidth and context switching. How do you find the right balance for high-low work? For me, I find it best to reserve time for high work and to consider how I can better delegate some of my low work. Other times, I have to coach others to think about the high work perspective to help ensure we're making the best decisions for long-term impact. It's a constant balancing act because sometimes you need to jump into the trees and other times you need to step back to understand how the entire ecosystem is working together. How do you manage this challenge as a leader? #leadership #management

A kind reminder: Effective leadership is about focusing on the right things. Please check the post below for more insights

How good is your organisation at selecting managers? I think this is a deeply important topic. Clip taken from our livestream this week. Which is all about the selection process and answering the question… Whats the job of the manager right now in this organisation? And this is the question we like to ask CEOs…: Say someone just gives you a billion dollars and they give you 20,000 staff, and you could restart this organisation today from scratch, would the job of the manager right now be what it's currently evolved to become? Most CEOs, if I ask that question, will say no, it would be different because we would have designed the role of the manager much differently, especially now having known what we face, what we go through, what the competition are up to, what the market's up to, spiraliing costs etc. This is a powerful question to debate. And the larger/more complex the organisation is, the more costly this all becomes. It requires, in many cases, a rethink, a rebrief of who finds our talent, of what we are looking for, of what our customers need etc. Are you having these debates and if so, how are you taking action?

Unlock your Executive Presence with these Guidelines! Executive presence is the hallmark of impactful leadership. In today's evolving corporate landscape, the definition of executive presence is undergoing a transformation. EP now encompasses a broader set of qualities: 📌 GRAVITAS (high seriousness) 1. Inclusiveness ↳ Deliver informed empathy ↳ Volunteer a “value add” 2. Respect for Others ↳ Hire and utilize diverse talent ↳ Look beyond the pedigree 📌 COMMUNICATION 1. Command of Zoom ↳ Ace the visuals ↳ Proactively manage virtual meetings 2. “Listen to Learn” Orientation ↳ Engage eye-to-eye ↳ Go beyond your comfort zone 📌 APPEARANCE 1. Authenticity ↳ Showcase your roots and values ↳ Dress for the new normal 2. Online and In-Person Presence ↳ Use social media to shape your brand ↳ Build relationships in person You don’t have to nail every prized leadership trait. Success can come from simply developing your authentic strengths and excelling at two or three competencies in each EP category. Excited to elevate your Executive Presence? Share this with your network and let's empower each other! Source: HBR The New Rules of Executive Presence by Sylvia Ann Hewlett

Great guidelines for executive presence. A piece of advice I typically give is to try and emmulate leaders you admire 2 levels above you.

Money can be recovered; time cannot. A wise leader chooses to hire experts, saving time and speeding up progress.

Krystyna, the difference between good leaders and great leaders is not their inherent abilities, but their strategic self-awareness. Great leaders understand that true power lies not in doing everything themselves, but in harnessing the unique talents of those around them. By embracing the support of a skilled Personal Assistant, Executive Assistant, or Chief of Staff, leaders unlock the exponential potential of their time, focus, and vision. It is not a sign of weakness, but of wisdom - to recognize that the best way to soar is to delegate the day-to-day and devote oneself solely to the loftiest strategic objectives. In this way, the most impactful leaders transcend the limits of individual capacity, becoming the orchestrators of an entire ecosystem of excellence. The true mark of greatness is not what one can accomplish alone, but what one can achieve by elevating an entire organization to perform at the highest level. This is the transformative power of leveraging the right support - to turn leaders into force multipliers, whose influence and impact know no bounds.

I had a difficult conversation with an executive last week... After a lot of back and forth, my team heard: "𝘸𝘦𝘭𝘭, 𝘸𝘦 𝘤𝘢𝘯 𝘥𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘪𝘯 𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘴𝘦. 𝘞𝘩𝘺 𝘴𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘸𝘦 𝘱𝘢𝘺 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘪𝘵"? Executives often make a huge mistake by convincing their teams to take on more thinking they are saving "𝘮𝘰𝘯𝘦𝘺". They absolutely can. But they forget, their "𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘰𝘶𝘳𝘤𝘦𝘴" are not free. This DIY approach can lead to nothing but wasted time and resources. Here's why relying on experts is crucial: 1. Experts bring experience, in a specialized field.  2. They are efficient in what they do, because they have put in the reps. 3. Due to their past experience, they bring in strategic insight 4. All combined above, leads to unmatchable results. Here are steps to avoid the DIY trap: 1. Recognize the value of expert guidance. 2. Invest in specialized skills and knowledge. 3. Focus on strategic leadership instead of micromanaging. By leveraging 𝘦𝘹𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘵 help, you can drive your business to new heights. Again, as an executive, you should focus on tasks "𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘭𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘶𝘱" and "𝘢𝘭𝘴𝘰 𝘱𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘵 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘮𝘰𝘯𝘦𝘺". Same goes for every member of your team. Before putting another "𝘴𝘱𝘦𝘤𝘪𝘢𝘭𝘪𝘻𝘦𝘥 𝘴𝘬𝘪𝘭𝘭" task on their (𝗮𝗹𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗱𝘆 𝗯𝘂𝘀𝘆) shoulders, ask them: 1. "Is it the right "next" thing to take on?"  2. "Would you like to be a part of this?" 3. "Audit your calendar and tell me do we have time for this?" 4. "By saying Yes to this new thing, what are we saying No to?" Here is the catch though, if this was a priority, you won't be scrambling to find resources, you would already get it done! I use the same principle with both my businesses and I am yet to see it fail me.

🚀 Unlock the power of strategic planning with Jessica Luna's insightful post! 🌟 It's no surprise that many employees feel disconnected from their company's strategy. In our fast-paced world, strategic planning often takes a back seat, leaving teams adrift without a clear direction. But it doesn't have to be that way. 🌊 Jessica Luna highlights six methods to strategically plan your work, empowering teams to chart a course towards success. From setting clear objectives to fostering alignment and communication, these strategies lay the foundation for a connected and effective team. 💼 As leaders, we're captains of a ship in a convoy of ships. It's our responsibility to navigate wisely, guiding our teams towards shared goals with precision and purpose. Let's embrace strategic planning as the compass that steers us in the right direction. ⚓️ Together, let's empower our teams to know where they're going, why they're going there, and how they'll get there. That's the hallmark of a truly successful organization. 💪 #StrategicPlanning #Leadership #TeamSuccess #LinkedInLeadership 🚀