In this month's newsletter...

'Marketing Mentor'

Create a Facebook page for your business

Global employment markets stabilise

Predictability

Networking: Avoid the fear of rejection

Discrimination in recruitment - essential!

Recruitment Matters News

July - October 2011 training schedule

Welcome to our July newsletter

This is our July newsletter featuring a mix of industry news, helpful information from recruitment industry experts, tips to help you improve and grow the profitability of your business and, of course, lots of news from ourselves at Recruitment Matters International about our training courses, products and services.

Following a very busy early summer here at RMI, we're certainly not resting on our laurels. As many you may have read, we're introducing two new one day training courses, starting in September - one on Candidate Interview & Screening Techniques and the other on Running An Effective Temp Desk. As part of our strategy to offer a wider range of training courses, we're delighted to be working with two new associate trainers, Alison Whitehead and Jo Gregory - for more about Ali & Jo click on Meet The Team. For more on our future plans please read the 'Recruitment Matters News' section of this newsletter.

As you will have gathered, we feel pretty upbeat about the future prospects for the recruitment industry and our place in it as a leading training and consultancy company. Clearly, not all sectors are equally strong, however.

For example, the demand for highly skilled professional workers is significantly stronger than demand for workers across the UK labour market as a whole, according to new research commissioned by the Association of Professional Staffing Companies (APSCo).

Research compiled by Innovantage reveals that permanent vacancies for highly skilled professional workers increased by 7% year-on-year in April - almost twice the rate of increase for all permanent vacancies across the entire labour market, which grew by 4%.

213,316 permanent jobs for highly skilled professional workers were advertised on job boards in April 2011, compared to 200,056 in April 2010.

The research is based on an analysis of jobs advertised on job boards. The definition of 'highly skilled professional' included in the analysis excludes public sector workers in the medical and education sectors, such as doctors and teachers. Innovantage's unique software is able to track every unique job advertised on a UK job board, while stripping out any duplicates.

According to APSCo, the research shows that despite sluggish economic growth, highly skilled candidates with professional qualifications are faring much better in the labour market than candidates with lower value skills.

In a further encouraging analysis, UK online recruitment has increased 8% month-on-month, according to June's Monster Employment Index.

The Index reveals June's online recruitment activity was in line with levels not seen since December 2008, with the majority of sectors expanding recruitment.

There was significant growth in engineering with increased demand for management and technician posts, while within manufacturing, plant and machine operators, assemblers, craft and related workers recorded the largest annual growth.

A Monster spokesperson said: "With the figures showing unemployment edging downward and employment rising by 376,000 people over the year, the UK certainly has reason to feel comforted by an expanding job market.

"However, a lot of new employment opportunities have come in the form of part-time work, especially in sectors like construction where firms are recruiting but not for long-term positions; this suggests the job market might not be as steady as the figures initially suggest. Nonetheless, overall recruitment growth continues in a positive direction, especially in the economy's key sectors."

Other news articles featured later point to stabilisation in global employment markets, and growth in the temporary agency labour market - another good reason for us to launch our 'Temp Desk' course!

We had a submission from Wood Green, The Animal Charity last week (more later) touching on the subject of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) and how working with them in a variety of ways can enhance a company's policy on CSR - is this the hot topic for you that it seemed to be a couple of years ago and, if not, should it be? We would love to hear your views and news of your CSR activities.

Similarly, where does the subject of diversity fit on your agenda? Please don't misunderstand the headline for Greg Savage's latest contribution, 'Discrimination in recruitment - not only good, but essential!'

Elsewhere, in the second of a two part feature, we've got more top networking advice from Andy Lopata, a business networking strategist, who tells us how to avoid the fear of rejection.

It won't have escaped your attention that the Olympics are coming to London in a year's time - already the hype seems to be building relentlessly, so we thought that it would be particularly topical to feature an article on '10 Gold medal-winning tips for creating a high performing team'. It's highly motivational and insightful stuff by someone who has 'been there and done it', Ben Hunt-Davies who was in Britain's Men's Rowing Eight which took gold in the Sydney Olympics in 2000 after some pretty dire performances only a couple of years earlier.

This month, our 'Marketing Mentor' Alastair Campbell gives advice on how to turn the 'law of scarcity' to your advantage.

Our own trainer & MD, Warren, has two more tips for you this month - one on the merits of hard work and another on predictability.

We've also got the next in a series of contributions on SEO advice from eBoss Solutions MD, David Lyons, this time on creating a Facebook page for your business..

Here at RMI, our busy summer continues, so for the latest on what we have got lined up right through to October, please read our news section which is just before our current training schedule.

We very much like this to be an interactive newsletter and we welcome your comments and feedback and will be happy to feature your contributions on important industry issues and your advice on how to improve the success and professionalism of our marketplace. As you now know, in return, we show our gratitude by featuring a link to your company, as a contributor to this publication.
We at Recruitment Matters International have a simple underlying philosophy to everything that we do, and that is, by helping each other to improve, we all stand to benefit in this large, dynamic and ever evolving industry.

Please send your potential editorial contributions to ken@recruitmentmatters.com.

The 'Marketing Mentor' - Marketing Advice for Recruitment Companies

Contributor: Alastair Campbell, The Marketing Mentor Programme

Get the law of scarcity on your side
What do Buzz Lightyear, the Teletubbies and a Marks and Spencer's cooked chicken have in common? If you think back, a few years ago you will remember that Buzz, Tinky Winky & friends were the 'must have' toys of the year. Each of them had more customers wishing to buy them than shopkeepers had in stock. As a result, demand outstripped supply and there were scenes of parents fighting each other in the aisles. An irrational demand was created that dramatically increased sales.

Last week when I was in Marks & Spencer, a special offer on cooked chicken saw a similar situation where several people were clambering over the one remaining cooked chicken that was available for a bargain price.

The law of scarcity is quite simple. If something becomes difficult to get hold of, it becomes more attractive. That is the reason why gold, diamonds and oil keep going up in price. There is a finite quantity of the item - but a growing demand.

And, of course, it's not only jewellery or toys that are in high demand. The more popular a restaurant is, the more people want to go there. Have you ever wandered into an empty restaurant, only to make your excuses and leave? The implication of an empty restaurant is that the food, service or the price must be wrong because nobody else is going there. It is the influence of the popular vote or the herd mentality. We often take popularity alone to indicate that something is good. And if there is a scarcity of supply, this equals a highly desirable item. The iPad 2's launch saw people sleeping out in the streets in order to get hold of them.

Stradivarius could have increased production of his violins by taking on lots of extra staff. There was a huge demand for the product that he produced. Instead he decided to carry on producing a smaller number of high-quality violins. The result was that prices were high at the time of manufacture and have only risen since his fame has spread and the numbers of violins he produced have reduced.

So how can you use the law of scarcity to your advantage? Quite simply, you decide the limits. In recruitment, there is only 1 of any person, so the supply is certainly very limited. If you are running a training event, you can control how many people to invite and when the tickets will stop being on sale.

If you want to make something more desirable, by limiting its availability, it will instantly become more attractive. Emphasise the unique nature of a candidate, what is their special combination of skills that makes them so exceptional and what are the qualities that single them out for the role?

Alastair Campbell is MD of The Ideal Marketing Company and author of The Marketing Launchpad available from Amazon. He is offering a free 1 hour marketing consultation to all readers of this newsletter. Visit www.idealmarketingcompany.com for details or call 01858 44 55 43.

Corporate Social Responsibility

Wood Green, The Animals Charity is aware of how important Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) can be. Not only does the leading animal welfare charity strive to reach high levels in their own actions but they encourage others to do the same.

The Charity's vision is of a world where all pets are well cared for in loving homes for life. They aim to achieve this vision by; providing the best possible care for animals in need; promoting good animal welfare and responsible pet ownership by providing support, guidance and education to members of the public; and setting standards of animal welfare in the UK and beyond.

In addition, the Charity recognises the importance of its contribution to energy conservation and its impact on the environment via the use of clean, self sufficient energy and amongst several other initiatives, even have their own wind turbine at their Godmanchester centre.

In the era of CSR many businesses are adopting charities and worthy causes through membership schemes designed to provide benefits for both parties.

Whatever the size of your organisation, you can work in partnership with Wood Green to directly help them care for over 5,500 animals every year.

Wood Green's corporate partnership benefits include: staff volunteering/development days, discounts on venue hire, advertising/promotion and exhibition opportunities, workplace talks and presentations to your employees, networking events with fellow members, newsletters and updates and brand partnering.

If you would like to improve your own CSR, then consider working with Wood Green, The Animals Charity. Every time you hire Wood Green for a meeting or order catering for your private function you will be contributing. Every penny of profit goes towards the welfare of the animals in their care.

Please contact them on 0844 248 8181 or visit their website www.woodgreen.org.uk .

The merits of creating a Facebook page for your business

Contributor: David Lyons, MD, eBoss Solutions

Facebook is a great place for a small business to build its brand and establish a connection with potential clients. It allows your clients to interact with you in a unique way. Now, let's look at the nuts and bolts of building a Facebook business page.

There are two flavours of Facebook page - business and personal. Personal pages are a place for people to keep in touch with friends and exchange pictures of various events in their lives. A business page is a company presence on Facebook that allows promotion of the business by interacting with Facebook's over 700 million users. There are two common mistakes small business owners make when trying to establish a Facebook presence: being too personal and being too promotional.

Being Too Personal
For a small family farm, pictures of your children collecting eggs and picking vegetables are completely appropriate. A recruitment company is different from a more casual business. Clients expect a recruiter to be able to find them employment or fill positions they have available. Think of your page on Facebook as a virtual tour of the business you are conducting for potential clients.

Being Too Promotional
While promotion of the business is the goal of a Facebook business page, being TOO promotional can backfire and have the page deleted by Facebook. It is a thin line between low key advertising and spamming. Basically, any communication that appears to be an advertisement will be flagged as spam. The secret to avoid crossing the line is to use interesting and useful news and information to direct other Facebook users to your business's main web site. By doing this, Facebook's users are happy and making no complaints, while the business is tapping into the multitude of users to attract attention - it is a win-win situation.

Setting Up your Page
Before a business page can be established, a Facebook personal account must be established. This should be done by the owner of the company to avoid issues down the road. A Facebook account can be created at http://www.facebook.com/. Once a personal account exists, it is time to build a business page.

First go to http://www.facebook.com/pages/create.php and select the appropriate category.
After selecting the type of page, fill in the appropriate information for the company.
Be sure to read the Facebook Page Terms - this will let you know exactly what types of content is permissible on your Facebook page.

Check the box and click 'Get Started'.
A security box will pop up with strange looking words. If you cannot read them, click 'Try different words' until a legible set appears. Type those words into the form. Facebook's automated system will force you to correct some issues before continuing, such as upper and lower case letters.. Once the entered information meets Facebook's requirements, your company is ready to start making friends.

Facebook will allow you to choose your own url, for example
http://www.facebook.com/abc123recruitment when you have attracted 25 'likes' for your page. Numerous businesses use lots of different methods to attract 'likes' to their page and it is believed that major search engines are using these 'likes' in their ranking algorithms.

Next month we discuss other web 2.0 platforms that allow you to easily post content to your Facebook fan page, twitter and blog all at the same time.

Excellence isn't a natural gift

People sometimes talk about someone having a "natural talent". Maybe it's the guitarist who can play almost any tune after one listen. It might be a tennis player who makes certain shots look so easy. It could be an artist who can sketch a portrait with almost lifelike accuracy. So is it a natural talent or is there something else in the equation?

The main ingredient why certain people stand out from their peers isn't natural talent or a "gift" for that task. It is much more simple and achievable than that. It is HARD WORK. For a moment, think back to something you have done well, something that you are proud of, really proud of. It might have been making a great presentation, passing a particularly difficult exam, overcoming a handicap or gaining a promotion. So now tell me how much effort, preparation and hard work went into achieving that result. Rafael Nadal isn't a world class tennis player just because of natural talent (which of course at that level has to play a part). He is world class because of the hours and hours of practice he has put in. Eric Clapton isn't one of the world's top guitarists just because he has an ear for music - he dedicated his teens and twenties into practising and playing for more hours than most people put into a whole career.

So if you want to be a better recruiter, better listener, better presenter, better cold caller, better at overcoming objections, better at selling a role... there are no short cuts. It is about putting in the effort and time practising and doing it that will make all the difference. If you can be guided and coached by someone who is already great at it, if you can read books by people that know their stuff or you can watch videos or attend training sessions on your topic of focus, it will push your results forward much quicker for sure. But there is no easy road to consistently high performance. Take two rookies joining a recruitment company. Rookie number one picks up the phone to make business development calls for 1 hour per day. Rookie number two averages 3 hours per day. Does rookie number two get more vacancies and better results because they hit the phone three times as much as their colleague? Of course they do - but not simply because they speak to three times as many people. It is because they are learning their trade, practising different tactics and techniques and experiencing situations three times as often as their colleague. Or, to put it really simply, it will take the first rookie three years to get as much experience under their belt as their harder working colleague. Put the time in and the results will come - because you put the time in.

This article was provided by Warren Kemp, MD & lead trainer of Recruitment Matters International - follow Warren on Twitter http://twitter.com/WarrenBKemp. For more information, visit www.recruitmentmatters.com or email info@recruitmentmatters.com .

Global employment markets stabilise

Employment markets around the world appear to be stablising, according to the latest global snapshot survey from Antal International.

The survey shows global hiring levels rose slightly, with 52% of respondents recruiting at professional and managerial level in comparison to 50% in February. The same percentageof organisations intend to hire in the coming quarter.

Attrition rates rose from 16% in February to 17% in June and this was expected to remain stable over the next three months.

Antal chief executive and chairman Tony Goodwin says: “The last Antal International Global Snapshot indicated a long-anticipated return to stability in global markets. This edition of the survey confirms that stability. The overall results are almost exactly those predicted by the last report with 52% of organisations around the world taking on professional and managerial staff and only 17% reducing headcounts.

“However, while in February the Americas had overtaken Asia Pacific as the area with the greatest demand for professionals and managers, the situation is now reversed with 64% of businesses now hiring across the region. It's a clear example of the continuing oscillation of economic power between the two superpowers.”

Predictability

If you want to have a good understanding of what is likely to happen in the future then look back into history. I'm sure you know someone who is always late, and I'm sure you know someone who prides themselves on their punctuality. So their history will be a great indication of their future actions.

If a client has history of sacking staff at the end of someone's probationary period reasonably often - they will do it again. If a candidate has history of taking a counter offer or turning a job offer down on more than one occasion - they will do it again. If a contact cancels a meeting with you more than once - they will do it again. As human beings we are predictable and consistent. So don't be fooled by someone's winning smile or smooth words because you need to hit a KPI. Don't hope for the best just because the candidate is a good fit for a role. It isn't a "gut feel" that people talk about that is making you feel uneasy…. It's predictability based on history.

Warren Kemp is MD and lead trainer with Recruitment Matters. For more tips, advice and information on Recruitment Matters visit www.recruitmentmatters.com/free.php, telephone 0800 0749 289/ +44 (0)1945 461561 or email warren@recruitmentmatters.com. Follow Warren on Twitter at http://twitter.com/WarrenBKemp

Temporary agency labour market continues to grow despite impending red tape

The temporary agency labour market continues to grow despite impending red tape but the outlook is gloomy for the Care Sector following Southern Cross troubles.

New data from de Poel, the number one procurer of temporary agency labour, shows the use of temporary agency workers in June has increased, a trend that has continued since the beginning of 2011. The statistics show that the use of temporary agency labour has grown by 18% compared with the same time last year.

This comes following the announcement that the total number of people out of work actually fell, according to the wider ILO measure of unemployment. However, the ONS Labour Statistics showed the number of people without jobs and claiming unemployment benefit rose by almost double that expected to the highest level since March 2010.

However, the stats show that the care sector is still facing uncertainty, with an 18% decrease in the use of temporary agency labour in the last month. This follows the announcement from care homes provider, Southern Cross that they are to cease trading, therefore the sector is one to watch over the next few months as the future of the care homes remains uncertain.

The overall increase in temporary agency labour comes despite the impending Agency Workers Regulations that will see temporary workers get the same rights as permanent employees after 12 weeks in a role. This is likely to hit businesses financially if the relevant precautions are not taken to prepare for the new legislations.

Key facts
The number of hours worked by temporary agency staff increased by 18.61% in June 2011 compared with June 2010.
Increase in temporary agency labour usage (June 2010 - June 2011) by sector:
Waste 25.09%; Retail 15.75%; Business services 56.31%; Logistics 30.57%; Facilities 11.61%; Manufacturing 2.34%
Decreases of temporary agency labour usage by sector:
Care -15.39%

Networking: How to avoid the fear of rejection

Contributor: Andy Lopata, Business Networking Strategist

(This is Part Two of a two part article from Andy)

Fear of rejection
Why are we so frightened of meeting new people? Personally, I blame my mum! Throughout my childhood years my mother always used to warn me, "Don't talk to strangers!"

The host with the most
Act the host. If you see someone walking around on their own, go up and introduce yourself to them. Put your hand out and say "Hi, I'm Andy nice to meet you." (I would suggest you use your own name, but the principle remains the same!). Perhaps volunteer to act as a 'visitor host' if you are a member of a networking organisation. This will give you the opportunity to meet all of the new people coming into the room and you will feel more comfortable speaking to them. After all, that's your responsibility.

You don't need to be a volunteer to be a host, however. The renowned British business coach and networking trainer, George Metcalfe, often talks about the ability of children at their parent's parties to meet everyone there. Their mother or father gives them the crisps or nuts and invites them to pass around the room offering them to all of the guests.

I am not suggesting taking on the role of the waiters, but you can certainly start conversations by offering other people a top up of their drink or a selection from the buffet when you help yourself. In fact, the bar or buffet table is often one of the best places to start a conversation, as long as you don't permanently have a mouth full of food!

Talking to plants
At networking events, I will often look to start a conversation with people who are on their own. It is much easier than breaking into a group conversation and the chances are they won't tell you to leave them alone and go away. Very few people go to networking events for solitude.

You can often find these people around the bar or buffet table (they've probably read the advice above!) or by the walls. Nervous people on their own seldom stand in the middle of a room unless they are milling around trying to pluck up the courage to approach someone. Often they will be admiring the art on the walls or the flora in the room, which gives you a nice topic with which to start a conversation.

When approaching these people you are already at an advantage because, they will both respect your courage (which they have probably lacked) and be grateful that you've taken the time and effort to relieve them from their anxiety. They are probably just as nervous as everyone else, and they'll be delighted to get into a conversation with you. You've rescued them from walking around, avoiding interrupting other people for fear of rejection.

When you do approach them, take care not to dive in aggressively but be empathetic to their nervous state. Ask them if they mind if you join them before introducing yourself, rather than running up asking, "So, what do you do then?"

Having spoken to them, try not to leave them on their own again because you'll just return them to the same state you found them. Move on with them and introduce them to someone else.

Approaching groups
If you see a group of people talking, approach the group, but don't butt in. Remember, as Susan Roane says in How to Work a Room, "There is a difference between including yourself in other people's conversations and intruding on them."

If someone's talking and you interrupt, or ask if you can join them, people will stop listening to the person who's talking, and invite you into their group. That's great for you but not so nice for the person who's talking. Stand just on the edge of the group and wait for the appropriate time.

The easiest way to approach a group is to catch the eye of one of the participants and smile. Usually they should invite you to join them at the appropriate juncture. Alternatively, it may be that they're talking about something in which you have an interest, in which case, when there's an appropriate pause, you can just say, "Excuse me, I heard you mention so and so. Can I ask you a question? Are you involved in that?" and you're in the conversation. Or it may just be that you have a pause, and you ask, "May I join you?" But it's always best to wait for the right pause in conversation.

The one thing I try to avoid is approaching two people who are in discussion. If you see two people talking together, they may be building a rapport and an interruption may break that. Alternatively, they may be discussing business.

At a networking event at the New Zealand Embassy, I was talking to someone who was involved with an overseas Alumni Association. My colleague was informing me that the Association were looking for a place to meet in London. I spotted an opportunity for one of our clients to host the meetings in their corporate headquarters and possibly benefit from meeting some of the influential business people who I assumed were members.

I was just trying to find out enough information so I could make the connection when another guest approached us. I had met Annie at a number of other networking events and smiled as she approached but carried on with the conversation as I was in the middle of a question.

"Will representatives of my client's organisation be welcome to attend the meetings and would it be appropriate?" I asked.

"I am sure that wouldn't be a problem and they would probably be very welcome," came the reply.

Annie was standing alongside, with her head tilted and eyes intently focused on the two of us. From her mouth came sounds of agreement and interest, even though what we were talking about was so specific that it couldn't possibly have engaged her.

Not wanting to be rude, we felt obliged to break our conversation to invite her in. The conversation died and I left the two of them to talk. Fortunately, I followed the contact up myself, but not everyone will, and a very strong opportunity could have been lost.
To find out more about how to pick the right networks, implement a successful networking strategy or how to generate more referrals, visit www.lopata.co.uk or contact harvey@lopata.co.uk / 01992 450488.

Discrimination in recruitment - not only good but essential!

Contributor: Greg Savage, The Savage Truth blog

Previously I blogged on the importance of the 'job order triage.' Great recruiters ruthlessly prioritise the briefs they work on, and put most effort into the highly fillable few. Well, what about the candidates to invest time in?

Some recruiters take the view that as there is a talent shortage, every candidate needs equal help and focus. Afraid not. Big mistake.

You need to discriminate when it comes to talent selection. Obviously not on the basis on creed, colour, ethnicity, or any other irrelevant, illegal or immoral prejudice. No, you need to discriminate on the basis of the answer to one golden question. Is this candidate placeable?

And a placeable candidate is one about whom you can answer YES to these two questions.

If put in front of the right clients, will this candidate likely be offered a job?
If offered a job on reasonable market terms, is this candidate likely to accept it?

There it is - the definition of a placeable candidate. Obvious huh?

Well not so obvious if you see the bumbling efforts of most recruiters when it comes to deciding who they spend their precious time on. Common errors include working on the candidate with the most marketable skills (cool, but what good is that if his salary expectations are 25% above market?).

Or working on a candidate who, deep down, has no real intention of leaving where they are, but in fact have had a bad week and are just flirting with leaving. After you have done all the work to find them a job, their current employer will easily woo them back with money, or emotional blackmail, or both.

But a great recruiter knows all this before they ever start trying to find someone a job.

Placeable candidates - the ones you should discriminate towards when it comes to effort, typically have all or most of these characteristics:

They have skills and experience currently in demand.
Their salary expectations are reasonable and they present as an affordable option to a potential employer.
They have legitimate and tested reasons for leaving where they are now. You have dug down and unearthed their true motivators to leave and you believe you can find them these things in a new role.
You have pre-empted the possibility of a counter offer from their current employer.
They interview well. Likeable, personable, communicative.
The candidate buys into your "rules of engagement" where you explain how you and he will work together, and during the process they deliver on that commitment. (For example returning your calls, attending all interviews etc.
The candidate agrees to allow you to exclusively handle their job search.

Remember this: Finding someone a job is only half the battle. Getting them to accept it is the other half.

So "discriminate" to your heart's content. Work hard on candidates who will get a job offer if put in front of a client and will accept it once it comes.

About The Savage Truth. Based in Australia and written by Greg Savage, The Savage Truth is a resource of insights and ideas for anyone interested in recruitment and staffing. To contact Greg please email: gsavage@aquent.com

10 Gold medal-winning tips for creating a high performing team

Teamwork can be a pain in the neck. We've probably all worked in dysfunctional teams where we've had to stop doing what we wanted in order to fit in with others. We've probably all had team mates we can't stand. But however much we might like to, many of us can't fulfil our roles in recruitment or HR singlehandedly. Being part of a great team can also bring out the best in ourselves and be a really good laugh.

Ben Hunt-Davies knows from first-hand experience what it takes to be part of a high-performing team. He was in the British Men's Rowing Eight and in 1998 things were looking dire - they'd crashed out of the Atlanta and Barcelona Olympics, and come 7th in the '98 World Championships. In just two years they achieved a dramatic turnaround and won Olympic Gold at the Sydney Games in 2000. Hunt-Davies has teamed up with leading executive coach Harriet Beveridge to write Will It Make the Boat Go Faster? Olympic-Winning Strategies for Everyday Success. Download a sample chapter, sign up for a free e-course and order a copy of the book itself at www.willitmaketheboatgofaster.com .

So what's the difference between a poor team and a peak-performing one? Based on Ben's experiences, here are our top tips on how to build a world-beating team.

1. Agree a mouth-watering goal. Agree a goal that excites the whole team because it will benefit each team member personally. The benefits don't have to be the same for each team member, but it is crucial that everyone needs to achieve this same goal in order to get their individual reward. Ben's crew wanted Olympic Gold. It meant different things to different people - pride, money, respect - but they all wanted it passionately.

2. Ensure everyone is needed. The goal needs to be something that everyone can contribute to. No spare parts, no passengers, an excellent team requires all team members' input and means everyone is clear on and respects each other's role.

3. Make the goal concrete. If the goal is tangible and measurable goal you can make sure every ounce of effort is directed in the same direction. Clear goals are like magnets, pulling your team together and focusing energies through current challenges towards future success. Following on from Ed Percival's recent article for recruiter.co.uk, "Live your vision now" (May 2011), your goal might not be time-bound in the way Ben's was - but you must have a crystal clear common compass.

4. Agree team ground rules. Ben and his crew had a list of golden rules. These ranged from the technical - make sure every chin up is a full chin up - to the attitudinal - control the controllables and let go of the rest. How do you need to behave in order to get the best out of each other? Be punctual? Empathetic? Give feedback? If everyone agrees to some ground rules it can prevent interpersonal problems from happening in the first place or at least make them much easier to resolve. Monitor and refine the rules regularly so they are relevant and they stick.

5. Talk, talk and talk some more. Ben and the men's eight rowing team spent so much time off the water, talking, that they had the mickey taken out of them by others in Team GB. What on earth were they doing, skiving rather than training? They appreciated that a peak-performing team needs to have mutual understanding - where are we heading? What's working? What team rules do we need? What are we learning? Team talk is crucial to glue the team together and optimise performance.

6. Tell it how you see it. The word 'feedback' tends to invoke an involuntary shudder from most of us, but Ben and his crew actively sought it out and celebrated it. Their attitude was, 'If you can spot something which might improve our performance, why on earth wouldn't you tell me? Don't waste a minute - tell me now so I can turn things around quickly.' They took the sting out of feedback by viewing it purely as interesting information - it was up to the receiver to digest it and decide what to do with it.

7. Beware 'commitment'. When people talk about poor team performers they typically question their commitment. Ben and the crew were careful to avoid this over-generalisation. Get specific: what is driving the perceived lack of commitment? Is the team member clear about what's expected of them? Are they aware about their current behaviours? What training or feedback do they need? For example, Ben was committed to winning the Barcelona Olympics, but the third time he turned up to training still wearing clothes from the party the night before it kicked off a robust conversation on what precisely was meant by the team ground rule to turn up to sessions in a fit state!

8. Will it make the boat go faster? Ben's crew used the beautifully simple question 'Will it make the boat go faster?' like a compass - to help them resolve team differences, make choices and improve their performance. What would be your equivalent question? What values do you want to live or what tangible goals do you want to achieve? One simple team question can cut through confusion, clarify team thinking and up your game.

9. Have strong belief. The British eight diarised belief-building sessions in just the same way that they scheduled weights sessions or endurance training. Why? Because strong beliefs breed positive behaviours. Why you are becoming a great team? Why can you achieve your goal? Why is it so important to you all? Share your thoughts regularly as a team, write them down, keep referring to them. Ben and the crew reviewed their list before the Olympic Final to fire up their confidence for the race of their lives.

10. Mind your 'p's and 'q's. Time and again research shows that what interests people to perform above and beyond average performance is not money, but what the psychologist Herzberg called motivators - things like recognition, praise, interesting work. Having a goal that benefits everyone is a crucial ingredient, but while you are on the journey towards the goal simple acknowledgements of effort, thank yous and pats on the back are hugely powerful.

Recruitment Matters news

As you know, 2011 is shaping up as a year of strong growth for us - and for many of you too, it seems, based on the continued number of bookings for our Two Day Introduction To Recruitment course. Long may it continue!

Although, it's a traditional holiday period, we're maintaining a full training programme - after all, you won't be away all summer will you? Perhaps you can boost your performance (and earnings) before you take a break and come along on one of our courses in the coming couple of weeks, such as Selling Executive Search, Successful Head-Hunting or Business Development & Account Management .

Or have a refresher when you come back so you hit the ground running? In September alone, we have no less than 9 different course topics to choose from including our new Temp Desk and Interview courses (our new associate trainers Jo and Ali are looking forward to meeting you!). If you feel that you should be getting more from your LinkedIn activities, then come to Social Media in Bristol or Birmingham - or Dublin in October. For consultants taking their first step into management or existing managers who may be trying to juggle running their own desks and managing their team at the same time, then Introduction To Management should provide the solution.

We continue to experience a significant trend towards many of you investing in in-house training which is something that we enjoy as it gives us the opportunity to develop a greater involvement with our clients. Ideally, do plan a good couple of months ahead if you can. We'll always do our best to accommodate your requirements and don't like to disappoint if we can possibly avoid it.

Remember, in order to optimise your learning experience, most of our courses are purposely run with small delegate numbers and are generally capped at 12. Book now to avoid disappointment! See our July - October 2011 training dates below.

We hope that you enjoyed Warren's new tips for this month - you will find many more on our free tips page which is regularly updated.

Finally, remember, if you can't come to us, we can come to you to deliver an in-house version of any of our courses to meet your specific objectives. Contact ken@recruitmentmatters.com for more information or call 0800 0749289 or, if you're overseas, 0044 1529 410375.

RECRUITMENT MATTERS INTERNATIONAL: July - October 2011 Open Training Schedule

Attending an open course is not only a highly cost effective way of learning, it also gives you a chance to interact with your peers from other organisations, taking on board their viewpoints and experiences.

In order to optimise your learning experience, most of our courses are purposely run with small delegate numbers and are generally capped at 12. Book now to avoid disappointment!

NOTE: All our courses come with a 100% money back guarantee if not fully satisfied. If an individual books for a 'refresher' session on a previously attended one day course, then the cost is just £85+VAT.

RUNNING AN EFFECTIVE TEMP DESK - New!
Sept 22nd - London
Sept 28th - Manchester
Oct 25th - London
Oct 26th - Birmingham