How Clear Expectations and Delegation Built a £3 Million Recruitment Team, with Mike Stirton, Ep #231

The Resilient Recruiter

As a billing manager, managing your billings and supporting your team and their individual billings can be overwhelming. Our special guest will explain how this can be achieved and what he learned from his decades of experience in recruiting.

In this episode, Mike Stirton discussed two key factors in building a high-performing team: clear expectations and delegation.

Mike is a seasoned recruitment leader who has led high-performing teams within Scotland's Financial & Professional Services sectors.

Mike has excelled in producing some of the best and high-performing recruiters within his sector while running a personal desk of £1m+.

He has recently joined forces with Be-IT and is currently working on launching their new professional and financial services recruitment business.

Episode Outline and Highlights

• [02:06] How Mike got into recruiting and why he could adapt quickly.

• [06:21] Building high-performing teams: leading a £3M team of 5 consultants.

• [15:40] Overcoming the lows - why Mike at one point hated recruitment.

• [20:10] Specific best practices on how to format a great CV.

• [27:05] Effective approach to developing other top billers.

• [31:02] Mike shares his business model and placement niche.

• [37:46] What is a recruitment leader’s greatest achievement?

• [41:01] Why sometimes under-projecting works.

• [44:20] How Billing Managers should use delegation when supporting and mentoring their top-billers.

• [48:40] Redesigning back office operations to provide innovative solutions.

• [53:59] The five steps in mapping out your recruitment process.

Key Ingredients to Build High-Performing Teams

A remarkable achievement Mike shared is creating a £3M + team of recruiters (5 consultants) in a niche market. This is amazing considering he is a billing manager creating at least £1m+. I wanted to pick Mike’s brains and hear his insights on what are the key ingredients when building a high-performing team. Mike mentioned at least seven key factors:

• Trust: Establishing mutual trust between you and your team is fundamental. This foundation allows team members to feel secure and perform at their best.

• Clear Expectations: Be very clear with the expectations for each task. Clearly communicate what is the minimum required performance, ensuring there’s no ambiguity.

• Tailored Management: Every team member is unique, and you need to manage them according to their individual strengths and personalities, not a one-size-fits-all approach.

• Empowerment and Autonomy: Give your team the space to work independently, stepping back when they meet or exceed expectations. Encourage entrepreneurial spirit and avoid micromanaging.

• Skill Development: Focus on developing your team from trainees or junior staff into experts. Break down complex concepts into simpler terms to make learning approachable.

• Team Diversity in Skills: Build a team where each member brings a unique skill set to the table, so they complement each other. This helps tackle any challenge effectively.

• Learning from Mistakes: Mike highlights that making mistakes is part of the growth process. Learning from errors is crucial to long-term success in leading teams.

Effective Approach to Developing Top Billers

For Mike, his getting big billings is not the best achievement, but rather, when his team members are starting to bill like him: “The best achievement was actually when, you know, some of my other team members were also starting to get to those numbers as well.”

An effective billing manager does not always translate into a good mentor or sales coach. So, what steps should you take if you want to develop your team members to be like you and bill significantly? Mike emphasized the importance of clarity and respect.

“And it's pretty much the way I parent my children as well, so it's no different. So, yeah, that's kind of been the cornerstone. It's just treat people with respect, be very clear with them, be very honest, and take the pressure off them when they're.”

Scottish recruiters tend to use football analogies a lot, so I am sure you will enjoy how Mike described his approach to team development as the same way football coaches approach their teams.

The Power of Delegation

It is not easy to guide a team of big billers while you yourself need to ensure you are producing—that is why many billing managers find it challenging to maintain consistent team performance.

Mike shared his secret: delegation.

He uses delegation thoughtfully and strategically. Here’s how he approaches it:

Delegate for Development: Mike views delegation as providing team members with learning experiences. He emphasizes that delegation is a win-win because it allows others to gain experience while easing their workload.

Match Tasks to Strengths: Mike assigns tasks based on his team members' strengths and preferences when delegating. He selects the right person for each job, ensuring that the task aligns with the individual's skills and mindset. For example, he delegates a report task to someone who enjoys working with spreadsheets, not to the more social team members.

Motivation: He incorporates positive reinforcement by motivating the team members when delegating. This boosts their confidence and makes them feel valued and capable.

Clear Expectations: Mike is very clear about his expectations when delegating, especially regarding deadlines. He sets the task, communicates the deadline, and ensures the person knows exactly what is required.

This approach ensures that delegation is effective, motivational, and aligned with the strengths and capacities of his team members.

Mike Stirton Bio and Contact Info

Mike is a seasoned recruitment leader who has led high-performing teams within the Financial & Professional Services sectors in Scotland. Mike has excelled in producing some of the best and high-performing recruiters within his sector whilst at the same time running a personal desk of £1m+. He has recently joined forces with Be-IT and is currently working on launching their new professional and financial services recruitment business.

• Mike on LinkedIn

• BE IT website link

People and Resources Mentioned

• Bullhorn

Connect with Mark Whitby

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• Mark on Instagram: @RecruitmentCoach

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