What a fantastic game 7!! What a great series, only thing better would have been if the Buffalo Sabres had won it all, but we can all dream!!
I want to focus on a new relationship I recently made with a VP of HR of a HUGE well-known public Company. This is one of those moments in business/sales or just life that if I don’t start it off right I could lose my credibility or just come off weak, inexperienced or not up to the task. Maybe how the Hockey world perceived the Boston Bruins as they were taking on the Best Team in the NHL this year. The Bruins started off losing the first 2 games of the series and certainly had their backs against the wall, but they did not quit they were not intimated they believed in themselves and their teammates!!
So, this is my life as a recruiter and a business owner. Especially a small boutique business owner. Day in and day out my team and I fight to survive, this isn’t a 7 game series, this has been going on for about 10 years. Many of you know what I mean, the constant battle of having to prove yourself and make another sales call after getting rejected for the 100th time that week. But all it takes is one person or one company to make a difference and give you hope. Kind of like making a great GLOVE SAVE or stopping a break away! For the Bruins you can argue the team did it, but us former GOALIES, know it was Tim Thomas!! He stood on his head for the entire playoffs and especially in the Finals and helped his teammates win the CUP. Thomas was more than good, he was consistently good, that is the key to success. We all have great days in business, but avoiding bad days is important. Fighting off the laziness or maybe it’s the flu or the annoying co-worker or the client who just won’t stop pestering you for a discount. Staying positive, building on the good that you have created and riding the hot net minder (Co-worker) to the promise land.
My initial conversation with the VP went well, but as a business owner/neurotic perfectionist I always wonder. The second conversation was even better after reading a few emails, then the third conversation was about to take place. Somehow we start talking about his youth and find out that not only is he a former hockey player, but a fellow Goalie! Arguably the Most EXCLUSIVE FRATERNITY in the WORLD, where only the crazy are invited. My point of telling you this is because I did not expect it. It was a surprise and a bright spot in my day and week. These things happen, relationships are built other places than the golf course or over drinks. They can be built from your past, even if there is an age difference or geographic differences. I try to find topics of conversation with clients and candidates, but none are easier than talking Hockey with a fellow net minder! The path to playing in the NHL is different from the path I took to start and grow a recruiting business. It is certainly a different path than the Corporate VP takes to rise to their level of success, but what isn’t different is the commitment. The late nights, the travel, the reading and studying, that little extra effort that we take to be the best of the best each day is what separates us and the Tim Thomas’ of the World.
“Goalies never stop being goalies. We are tough, aren’t afraid to get bruised and always want to be the best for our Team. You don’t need ice to be a goalie.”
Gnozzo Knows 