The Talent Initiative

When I was a young Recruiter, in the time when filing cabinets were a real thing used for storing resumes, the internet wasn’t around as yet, emails were just starting and when you got back from a meeting there would be a pile of red “messages” ready and waiting for you, I can clearly remember a shift in management style that didn’t sit well with me.

When I started, I was taught that recruitment was all about the conversation – with candidates, prospective clients, hell, even the barista downstairs. The idea of the people business was firmly ingrained in me. Nothing would replace a quality conversation.

Sure, it was a business, and I can remember the line being firmly drawn between just chatting with people and being that nice guy, and actually earning your keep and contributing to keeping the lights on; “you can have the best rolodex in the world, but if you’re not making money, you won’t be here too long.”

But it was still a people business, and you were judged on your output in terms of what revenue you could bring into the business.

Then the business was sold or acquired – whatever – new management came in and things changed. Philosophies changed overnight (or at least it felt that way). Numbers were more key than people.

Metrics were established and reported on daily.
There was a stand-up at the end of every day where you publicly had to provide your numbers for the day, which were recorded on a whiteboard for all to see.

Metrics like: number of client calls (min 50), new jobs received, candidates submitted, candidates interviewed, offers accepted, money made.

I still break out in a cold sweat thinking of these stand-ups. Remembering the struggle to even find 50 people to call. The padding of the numbers to save face, learning how people would “bottom drawer” stuff in case of a bad day happening. It sure was an eye opener.

From my perspective, this didn’t work. It became a culture, not of accountability but of fear. Sure, it built resilience and creativity, but the focus moved away from people, service and problem solving, to churn and numbers for numbers’ sake.

My memory doesn’t tell me that we achieved much more (if any) revenue with this model. But I do remember being in trouble for actually taking the time to meet/interview my candidates, as that took too much time.

---

What That Taught Me – And How TTI Works Today

That experience left a mark. It taught me something I’ve carried into The Talent Initiative:

• Numbers matter. You can’t run a business on good vibes alone.
• But numbers without meaning are dangerous. When the metric becomes the goal, you lose sight of why you’re doing the work in the first place.

At TTI, I still track activity and outcomes – I need to know what’s working. But I don’t believe in worshipping metrics for their own sake. I’d rather:

• Have five real conversations that move the needle for a client or candidate
  than fifty meaningless dials to fill a spreadsheet.
• Spend the extra time understanding a brief properly
  than rush three half-baked CVs over just to say I “submitted”.
• Measure success in placements that last, repeat business, and referrals,
  not just this week’s call count.

Quantity has its place – you do need enough activity in the market to create opportunities. But quality is what builds trust, reputation, and long-term relationships. In my world, that’s where the real compounding value sits.

So when you work with The Talent Initiative, you won’t get spammed with candidates or bombarded with noise so I can hit an arbitrary number. You’ll get considered shortlists, honest conversations, and someone who still believes that recruitment is, first and foremost, a people business – supported by metrics, not ruled by them.

That’s the balance I try to hold:
Use the numbers to inform the work.
Never let them replace the work that really matters.