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When I worked in recruiting, I was expected to firefight situations with clients and candidates alike. One of the reasons I was able to last more than 40 years in the field was because I was a very good firefighter. Problems arose all the time. I learned how to deal with them to keep moving things forward.
And then there were situations where I couldn’t.
I couldn’t figure it out.
I became stuck.
Part of the reason I felt stuck was I worked for firms where it was very clear you couldn’t ask for help. That was an institutional mistake in how the firm was constructed and led.
Over time, I learned to do an end-run to solve my problems. I found people outside of the firm to go to who could help. The formula I created was very simple.
1. Acknowledge that I couldn’t figure it out on my own.
2. Get some help.
Sometimes, my wife was a tremendous asset. Although her work was very different than mine, I could talk through scenarios, answer your questions, and begin to get unstuck. Sometimes, I would ask a friend of mine with another search firm for their opinion. Again, their questions help move the needle for.
I didn’t close every sale but I learned a lot from all of this. The second part of dealing with the problem is to do a postmortem based upon the outcome and what happened, whether with you receive the outcome you wanted or not.
1. Notice/observe what happened with your intervention. How do they respond or not respond? Don’t just simply look at what is said but pay attention to what is not said. If you didn’t get the outcome that you wanted, where did you lose them?
2. Learn. Learn from the mistakes. You may never face the same situation again but you will face similar ones. How should you have responded differently? What would you keep doing or change?
3. Improve. Professionals work at getting better. Amateurs wing it. All great athletes practice and all great entertainers rehearse. Both usually due to the guidance of a coach who helps them exceed their natural talent. Keep notes of your triumphs and failures and work at getting better just like athletes and entertainers do.
Champions are extreme. They have extreme honesty with themselves. They are cautious with whom they apply extreme honesty. After all, in corporate life, many managers would prefer that everyone get along rather than get better.
Following these simple steps will help you solve more problems and get better at your craft, rather than sticking your head in the sand up and hoping they will go away.
On occasion, that’s the right way to do it. After all, like a cut or burn, some problems will heal themselves. But most won’t. Instincts, touch and feel are important traits to develop. But learning to deal with problems is important, too.
Ⓒ The Big Game Hunter, Inc., Asheville, NC 2020
ABOUT JEFF ALTMAN, THE BIG GAME HUNTER
Jeff Altman, The Big Game Hunter is a career and leadership coach who worked as a recruiter for more than 40 years. He is the host of “No BS Job Search Advice Radio,” the #1 podcast in iTunes for job search with more than 1900 episodes, and is 
a member of The Forbes Coaches Council.
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