Podcast: Play in new window | Download
This week’s post and podcast are about how your beliefs and thoughts are directly impacting the results you’re getting in your recruitment business. I’m talking about those stories you tell yourself that might limit your growth without realising it.
I frequently encounter this with clients and prospects during discovery calls. I’ve noticed one pattern recently and have a specific individual in mind.
Let’s call him Michael.
Michael had noticed his business performance had plateaued over the last six months. When I asked what he thought was behind this stagnation, he responded immediately: “The market is just so competitive and tough right now. The big firms have all the advantages in times like this.”
I paused and asked him, “Is that a fact or a thought you keep having?” He stopped in his tracks. After a moment, he said, “I guess that’s how I’ve been viewing things.”
Here’s the thing: if you keep thinking the big players have all the advantages and that you can’t compete as a micro or SME business, that belief will show up in your outreach and conversations. You can’t not communicate those feelings when you’re speaking with prospects.
In recruitment, where rejection is part of everyday life and market conditions constantly shift, your thoughts and beliefs become the lens through which you interpret everything. They’re like an invisible force steering your ship. We need to make those invisible forces visible so you can make different choices.
Recognising The Power of Your Thoughts
Returning to my call with Michael, everything changed once he recognised this pattern. He started thinking differently: “What a fantastic opportunity for a smaller business to get ahead because we’re more nimble and agile and can adapt quickly.”
He created a new service offering based on this new perspective and took it to market. Within a quarter, his business started growing again, and he built from there.
It’s easy to think our thoughts are just thoughts, but they’re so much more. Your beliefs aren’t just random ideas floating around in your head – they’re the foundations of every decision you make for your business. They affect your confidence with clients, your confidence as a leader with your team, and ultimately, your results.
I want as much control over our results as possible. That means being conscious of my thoughts and ensuring they’re constructive thoughts that move us forward rather than hold us back.
Common Limiting Beliefs I Hear from Recruitment Owners
Let me share some of the most familiar beliefs I hear during coaching sessions and business development calls. See which sounds familiar to you:
“My team just don’t have the same drive that I do.”
“I’m not really a natural salesperson. I came from the industry and haven’t been trained through other recruitment companies, so I’m never going to be great at winning new business.”
“Every time I feel like we’re making progress, something gets in the way and knocks us back.”
“The economy, the market, the pandemic – this isn’t a good time to grow a business.”
And here’s one I’ll explore in detail: “Clients in my sector will never pay higher fees.” This is a variation: “I don’t believe in charging high fees. I think some recruitment companies overcharge.”
Let me tell you about Sam, a client I worked with in engineering. He had always charged 15-18% when competitors were charging more. When I challenged Sam about what held him back from asking for more, he believed that clients would say no if he asked for higher fees and he would lose them.
There was a real fear of losing business here. But when we talked about holding a different thought – “My expertise is valuable, and the right clients will pay for quality” – everything changed.
Within a month, Sam called to tell me he’d secured a new client at 22%, a rate he’d never charged before. He now consistently charges 25% and has seen a 30-40% increase in revenue.
How Your Beliefs Create Your Results
I use a simple yet powerful framework with clients to show how beliefs create results. This framework can be applied to any situation.
Let’s examine what’s happening in the market right now—global economic situations, political changes, and government shifts. There’s a lot going on that affects how recruitment businesses operate.
Here’s how the framework works:
Thought: When you consider all these market dynamics, your initial thought might be: “2025 is going to be a tough year in recruitment.”
Feeling: Based on that thought, you experience a physiological response – perhaps fear, panic, or anxiety.
Actions: When you’re feeling anxious, you might procrastinate, withdraw from outreach activities, or become less confident in leading your team. This affects focus and direction.
Results: The consequence is that your pipeline suffers, which ultimately affects your business results. You stay stagnant.
Now contrast this with someone who looks at the same market dynamics and thinks: “Whenever there are challenging times, there are equal opportunities for new businesses. It’s about grabbing those opportunities.”
This different thought creates feelings of inspiration, hope, and excitement. The actions that follow are completely different – they’re focused, they have a plan, they’re actively on social media, doing outreach, and leveraging their networks.
The results? They’re growing and hiring.
Understanding Facts Versus Stories
We can all interpret a situation differently. Consider going to the cinema to see a blockbuster film. You might go with family or friends, and everyone will have different opinions about the same movie.
This happens in business, too.
We can attend the same meeting and come away with completely different meanings from the conversation.
The key is stepping back from the story and looking at the data—the facts and figures. Current market data from the UK, US, and Australia presents a more nuanced picture than many of the stories we tell ourselves.
For example, while the UK has fewer jobs available quarter-on-quarter, forecasted growth in Australian and American markets is present. The UK economy grew in the first quarter, which was higher than anticipated.
We don’t know exactly what the trading market will be like in the next six months. The only certainty is uncertainty. But in an uncertain market, you have a choice about what you make that data mean.
You can interpret it as “another tough six months” or as “there’s always opportunity in any market, and I’m going to find those opportunities.”
How To Change Limiting Beliefs
When we explore beliefs, remember they aren’t facts. They’re just thoughts you’ve practised repeatedly until you believe them. That’s the definition of a belief – a thought you keep thinking.
The good news? You can change beliefs. You change your beliefs about political parties, brands you like, even from season to season. Here’s a process I use with clients:
Identify the belief: When you’re feeling stuck or frustrated, ask yourself, “What am I believing about this situation?” Write it down exactly as it appears, sticking to facts.
Question it: Ask yourself: “Is this absolutely true? Can I know this is true? What evidence do I have that this belief is true?” Be brutally honest with your answers.
Explore the impact: “How do I react when I believe this thought? Who would I become if I didn’t hold this thought?”
Find alternatives: “How would I advise a friend who believed this? What would be a more empowering thought about this situation?”
A simple way to start is by asking, “What if the opposite of what I’ve been thinking was true?” Test this out and notice how you feel differently from the original thought.
Putting It into Practice
Your business will grow when you decide to grow, and that growth often starts with challenging your thinking and beliefs. It starts with yourself.
I remember a mentor saying, “A person’s degree of success is related to the degree of discomfort they’re willing to put themselves in.” As soon as something feels easy and comfortable, that’s your cue to start looking at yourself again, starting with your thoughts and beliefs.
The recruitment owners who have made the most remarkable transformations aren’t necessarily the most experienced or well-connected. However, they are willing to question the limiting stories they tell themselves and experiment with different thoughts and ways of doing things.
This week, I encourage you to notice one belief holding you back. Ask yourself: “What if this isn’t true? What would be possible if I didn’t hold this belief?”
Thanks
Sharon
How We Can Help
If you recognise limiting beliefs in your thinking and want support in identifying and transforming them, we do exactly this kind of work with Superfast Circle members.
Through our coaching calls and one-to-one sessions, we help recruitment business owners overcome the mental barriers holding their businesses back.
Your beliefs are the foundations of your business. Build them wisely, and you’ll build your success.
