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RDLC’s knowledge base is generated by our own members and partners, nurtured by an extraordinary willingness to share.
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From tactical quick wins to game-changing strategies, gain access to insights far beyond the leading edge.

Whatever happened to the cheeky top billing recruiter…?!
In some unguarded and honest chatter about office space, contracts and costs, I was reminded of a renewables business I had in one of the

Wizard of Oz world…
The world has changed, your business has changed, and you too, have changed. It’s time to face facts though, your staff who have been furloughed

Are You Bounce Back ready?
Without trivialising what has happened; the effects, the pain, loss and impact on so many families, what happens from now business-wise is really exciting. So


Running a Recruitment Business can often feel a little precarious…
When it’s all going well, it’s great, but all too quickly, one wrong move or lack of concentration can be extremely hazardous. I’ve been reminded

10 pointers from the RDLC for selling your business!
Each business is different, but most of you want to see a future event that secures you financially. So, here’s a simple guidance document from


Get Inspired, Be Inspiring
Last week, one of the CEOs I work with became frustrated about perceptions vs. expectations. He’d reached the end of his tether with his 60-strong team’s inability to deliver. So he rolled up his sleeves and did the job himself – for three days straight.
Now if you’re laughing, you shouldn’t be. Fact is he was shitting himself, but he still dived into the bear pit and got his hands dirty. He saw what was working, what wasn’t, and the processes and blockers that needed fixing. And I admire that.
Here’s why you should take a leaf out of his book every once in a while…
The Real Cost of Friday Afternoons Off
At one stage, Friday was known as deals day. Now it’s a morning of half-hearted sales activity followed by an early finish.
As far as I’m concerned, adding efficiencies and building automation into the front of pipelines hasn’t driven productivity – it’s caused it to stagnate. People are doing the same amount of work in less time, as opposed to using the time they’ve gained to gained to accelerate performance.
Invest In Me, Myself And I
People say it flippantly, but every day should be a school day. Thinking otherwise means you’re stagnating and destined to peddle the same old shit over and over again.
That doesn’t have to be the case.
Vanilla Is For Ice Cream: How To Make An Impact Online
It’s better to do nothing than be vanilla on social media. Simply regurgitating industry news and age-old wisdom will make you invisible – not interesting. On the flip side, daring to voice an honest opinion will make people stop scrolling and start noticing.
I recently did a piece on internal recruiters. By looking at some of the comments, you’d think I went around their house on Christmas Day and pissed on the tree. But it wasn’t clickbait. I believed in it.
IN-HOUSE RECRUITMENT IS DEAD. LONG LIVE OUTSOURCED IN-HOUSE
I’m a recruiter at heart. So, I fully endorse any and all methods that result in clients attracting, hiring and retaining talent as and when they need.
But the days are numbered for internal recruiters. Companies’ needs are changing, and agency recruitment is having to evolve to match. Leaders are denouncing relics of the past and embracing a method of recruitment that scales with business objectives.
Competence-Based Hires: A ‘C’-Change For Staffing Or Micro Fad?
What will the next revolution of staffing be? I’d be interested to hear your thoughts but, as far as I’m concerned, it’s hiring on competency.
More and more companies are choosing candidates based solely on their ability to learn. But is the rise of competency-based hiring a micro fad, or is it the direction of recruitment as a whole?
Here’s why I think it’s got legs….
HAVE YOU GOT THE NED MINERALS?
Congratulations on exiting your business (recruitment or other). A reason to celebrate indeed given how few manage this neat trick.
So, a heartfelt “nice one”!
You’ve now entered the upper echelons of the Business Hall of Fame. Your ‘moment of success’ has placed you within a ratified group of leaders. In fact, your Liam Neeson skill set has seen such acclaim that people dream of leveraging from your experience.
Your next role should be as an advisor, or even a NED! Or not…
Productising Is An Art Form
Early in my career, I recognised the value of solution selling and developing “products” in recruitment was, back then, truly stand out!
Midway through my career, I struck “productisation” gold, by leveraging a deal Bill Bottriell (god), did with paper advertising, and I started sourcing and delivering first-time contractors.
Persuading businesses to employ “box fresh” but exceptionally qualified talent as 1st freelancers! was a skill. However, the way we wrapped it up into a product (service, solution, price), acted as a catalyst for substantial global growth.
ARE YOU BUILDING A TEAM OF CHEFS OR RESTAURANTEURS?
I remember thinking in 1995 that you should make yourself redundant ASAP so you can do the jobs you need or want to do next. It’s still relevant now. Your success should set the tone, but if you’re still the major breadwinner two years in, then something is drastically wrong.
Training your staff to recruit will only get you so far. To really leave a legacy, you need to create restauranteurs, not chefs. When your team start to go out and win their own business, that’s a true reflection of success.
MEETINGS GOING NOWHERE? INSPECT, DON’T EXPECT
Why is it that, as soon as your staff leave the meeting room, it’s as if a device has zapped their brain and erased everything you’ve discussed? You’ve had a useful conversation, identified the goals and objectives, and still, two weeks later… nothing.
Recruitment entrepreneur Wayne Brophy calls it “The Zappers” – the only possible reason why culpability and commitment miraculously vanish the moment people return back to their desks. For meetings to be effective, you need to ramp up accountability. In other words: inspect, don’t expect.
READY TO INNOVATE? LOOK BEYOND RECRUITMENT
Recruitment is facing its biggest challenge: shifting from bums on seats to consultancy. This is not evolution, but revolution, and as a business leader, you
BRAND SPANKING NEW
Successful business leaders don’t need complete oversight of the operation. But your vision, value and voice do need to be seen in all decisions across the company.
Combined, these things form your personal brand: the perception others have of you. It’s all about how you act, how you stand out from the crowd, and how you make clients see why they should choose you over a competitor – both online and offline.
While most daily choices can be decided by gut instinct, the general direction of your organisation needs to embrace your personal brand. The trick is achieving a balance atevery stageof your journey as a recruitment business leader.
DON’T BE AFRAID TO HAVE A PERSONALITY IN BUSINESS
If you have seen Split, you will know all about the power of personality – multiple ones too. But in recruitment, all you need is one good one.
If you Google the personality traits that recruiters need, you will be met with dozens of articles saying you need things like resilience, grit, honesty, resourcefulness, and empathy. This is all very unfortunate considering how long the waiting list is for people in need of personality transplants.
HAPPY PEOPLE MAKE MONEY: WHY PSYCHOLOGY AT WORK MATTERS
How do we inspire people to be superhuman at work? Short of buying them a cape, spandex and a steroid injection, the answer may be unclear at first. That’s why held a themed super lunch event earlier this year, putting Psychology at Work in the spotlight. We’ve pulled together a five-strong speaker list from all walks of corporate life, to help you understand how to get the best from your team.
ARE YOU A BUSINESS PSYCHOPATH? I DO HOPE SO
My 16-year-old recently started a psychology group at boarding school. Her friends get together and talk about derangement, strange motivations, and ‘potentially’ criminal ambition. Which are all traits, you might say, that a teenager is familiar with.
Lifestyle Or Legacy? Pt. 3: Keeping Up The Momentum
A lot of people I work with can’t wait to have a business where they don’t have to go in on a Friday. “At what point can I start to ease off?” they ask. My heart sinks: recruiters with this mentality are never going to move beyond a lifestyle business.
Building a legacy gets harder, not easier. But it should also get more rewarding at every milestone. After all, if you don’t enjoy your business more than everyone else put together, why on earth would people come and work for you?
LIFESTYLE OR LEGACY? PT. 2: HOW TO LEAD A MULTI-MILLION-POUND BUSINESS
There are 50,000 recruitment agencies in the UK. The last thing the world needs is another one. To rise to the top, you need to bring something clever and genuinely different to the market, and have the balls and brains to make people believe it.
Go Niche or Go Home. Fame Is the Aim in Recruitment
Everyone tells you to be niche. Not everyone takes the time to explain what this means or how far you should go in practice. Having strict discipline about your markets is imperative if you want to grow fast, especially as the recruitment sector becomes even more saturated and squeezed.
Level Up! how to build succession by delegating early
Too many leaders find it difficult to explain themselves clearly and pass on responsibility with confidence. As a result, they end up being the limiter to their own business. It’s a bad coach that says if a job’s worth doing, do it yourself. Why? Because if you skill your people up and delegate early, you’ll make them feel embedded in your business and ultimately build a succession plan.
There’s no ‘I’ in team. But there are three in millionaire
If you’re running your own company, you’ve already demonstrated that you have the guts to stand up and make tough calls. Building a strong team is important, but your business isn’t a commune where people put tents up and a committee decides your fate. You need to look after your commercial interests.
What’s your business famous for?
Everyone knows what an elevator pitch is. But does your recruitment business have one that’s meaningful? One that you’re proud of? One that anyone knows or uses?
A lot of businesses talk about developing their ‘stories’. All try to define themselves through a commitment to the three core things:
Lifestyle Or Legacy? Pt. 1: Where Is Your Business Heading?
People often ask me how to succeed in recruitment; how they can reach the golden horizon at the end of a £10m exit strategy. That’s everyone’s goal, though. The question I’m often asking in my head is: “Are they serious?”