It’s been a frustrating summer for me.  The exasperation I’ve felt didn’t come at
home…or at work…or at church. I’m sure frustration in any of those areas would
have been easier to accept. No, my frustration came on the golf course. 

You might read this and think to yourself, “Oh, David must be a
terrible golfer or perhaps he is a beginner—it only makes sense that he’d
experience some frustration trying to learn a difficult game like golf.” But,
that’s not the case.

I've been golfing since I was 11-years-old, and I became
proficient enough as a teenager to play on my high school golf team.  I continued to play golf over the years, and
I’m able to compete well against most weekend golfers. I used to find golf
relaxing and enjoyable.  So why all the
frustration? 

The golfing frustration I’m experiencing is a direct result of
change. Change is hard, especially when you've done something the same way for
so long, and you’ve done it relatively well.  

My problem dates back to 1971 when I first began to golf. I learned
to play under the direction of my grandfather. 
He was a decent golfer, but not a great teacher of proper technique. As
a result, I developed some bad habits while establishing my swing.

One of my bad habits is cocking my left wrist back at the top of
my backswing instead of keeping it straight. 
This fault forces me to make corrections later in my swing in order to
make solid contact with the ball. 

While this technique is not correct, it does work well 95% of
the time (that’s why I’ve sustained this habit).  Granted, sometimes the 5% of “not working”
can ruin an afternoon of golf, but I generally accepted the idea of being a good
enough golfer.

But over time, being good enough was getting a little old.  So early this year, I decided to get better
at golf, and I knew that playing one round every two weeks (and working on
changes while playing) was not enough repetitions to see any changes materialize.  I had to commit to practicing on the practice
range and work diligently at correcting my swing.

I can't even begin to describe how uncomfortable it is to swing
in a new way. Everything feels off and it’s not an enjoyable experience.  Although I committed to working through the
form issues, I longed to be back on the course where things felt normal and
more comfortable.   

As you suspect, I then did what I was told not to do. I went out
and shot a round of golf before I was ready.  While I attempting to focus on applying what I
had learned on the range, I got seven holes into my round and lost my resolve.
When I started scoring poorly, I quickly reverted back to my old habits so as not to humiliate myself. I began doing what I had always done.

In hindsight, I realized my mistake.  I’ve now made my way back on the practice
range and recommitted myself to the process of changing my swing for the
better.  While it is still uncomfortable,
I know I’ll be susceptible to reverting back to my old ways if the new habits
are not fully formed during practice.

So what does this have to do with recruiting? 

Many recruiting techniques in the real estate industry have
been used for many years.  At some point
in the past, each of these techniques was successful; otherwise it would not
have been developed and used.

But, times change.  While
some of these old techniques remain effective, many of them have either lost
their usefulness or have needed modifications to remain relevant.  From a third party perspective, the
recruiting methodologies in many real estate companies look like golf swings
that need some work.  

Does the swing need to be reconstructed completely?  No.  In
my case, I’m only trying to learn how to not cock my wrist at the top of my
backswing!  The same is true in
recruiting—even small tweaks can be difficult and all humans tend to resist
change.

So, how do you get started on the path to making improvements to
your recruiting techniques and methodologies? 
Take Harry Beckwork’s advice from the blog I wrote a couple of weeks ago:

 "Assume your service is bad. It can't hurt and will force
you to improve."

I started the process assuming that that my swing was bad, and
then made a commitment to make it better.

As you start down this path, here are some questions you may
want to consider:

• What recruiting practices have you been using for the longest
  period of time?
• What recruiting techniques have become less effective in recent
  years?
• When is the last time you learned / tried something new?
• When is the last time you asked an expert recruiter (someone in your
  network that you respect) what they do and what they have stopped doing?

Once a picture starts to
emerge of the changes you need to make in order to improve, know that you’ll
have to make a commitment to practice these changes.  Forcing yourself to try new things and then
practicing is always the hardest part of learning.

See you at the practice range….

Join the WorkPuzzle Discussion at the Tidemark Online Community (TMOC)

Engage in the WorkPuzzle discussion by joining the TMOC private social network.  Commenting on a public blog like WorkPuzzle can be a little intimidating, so why not join the discussion inside the privacy of the TMOC discussion group?  

By joining TMOC, you'll get to see who else is in the group and your comments will only be seen by those whom you trust.   Joining TMOC is quick, easy, and free (no kidding…this takes less than 2 minutes).   To get started, click here.

Already of a member of TMOC?  If so, join the WorkPuzzle Dialog Group by clicking on the WorkPuzzle Group icon on the left side of your TMOC homepage.  Questions?   Email the WorkPuzzle editor (workpuzzle@hiringcenter.net) and we'll walk through the process.

Editor's Note: This article was written by Dr. David Mashburn. Dave is a Clinical and Consulting Psychologist, a Partner at Tidemark, Inc. and a regular contributor to WorkPuzzle.