Charted Path

During uncertain times, it’s tempting to chase new market opportunities for your staffing firm — especially if margins appear to be higher and the work seems easier. Maybe the grass appears greener in IT, finance or even light industrial. Before you do so, however, consider this true-life cautionary tale. A successful staffing executive in the light industrial space wanted to diversify into other … Read More

When Jeff Bowling unexpectedly had to buy out an investor to keep the doors open at The Delta Cos., a medical staffing firm he’d founded in 1997, he found himself in a major cash crunch. How could he maintain operations? Just as importantly, how could he keep his great team if he couldn’t pay them? Many founders have been faced with trying … Read More

Modifying compensation plans can be disruptive and demotivating, even if your team benefits from the changes you’re making. Generally, they will be skeptical: There will be chatter and maybe even accusations that leadership is amending the comp plan only to fatten their own wallets. Yet even with these risks, there are times change is necessary. Sometimes the existing comp structure … Read More

Amid this year’s economic and financial tumult, I’ve seen staffing leaders challenging their traditional approach to their businesses. This focus on improvement has always been important, but it’s even more vital now as the market is evolving at a breakneck pace, requiring firms to be more adaptable. To benefit from change, however, there also has to be a clear understanding of … Read More

Since I started in staffing as a recruiter in 1994, technological disruption has rattled our industry every few years. In the ’90s, we thought job boards such as Monster would replace staffing firms. Then, in the 2000s, we predicted vendor management systems and manages service providers would create barriers between us and our clients. During these tumultuous periods, we imagined new … Read More

Hiring a new leader for your staffing organization is never easy, but it’s even harder when you expect that new person to introduce fresh ideas, new processes or even revamp operations entirely. Failing to set expectations and guidelines for them — and the existing team — can be catastrophic. I have seen this failure time and time again. A centerpiece of … Read More

In times of business disruption or market swings, executives often first scrutinize their direct reports’ performance metrics. Are the “total sales” metrics accurately measuring success? Are the “quality” guidelines as closely aligned with production as they could be? Then they slap on new ones. Taking a hard look at performance metrics can be a useful exercise. Adding additional ones may help you … Read More

There’s a common theme I’m seeing with my staffing industry clients: a sense of uncertainty.  While unpredictability is nothing new, some unique forces are threatening to transform our industry in a short time, including overall market unpredictability, labor shortages and technological disruption. It’s impossible to remove all uncertainty, but there are ways to build resilient companies. Whether your goal is to … Read More

“The 2019 Staffing 100 North America stand out as leaders, executives and visionaries and for their significant commitment to empowering people. From job-seekers and internal talent to partners and stakeholders across the ecosystem, the Staffing 100 honorees understand that people helping people is both a competitive advantage and a way to advance the world of work for all,” said Subadhra … Read More

Mike Cleland was recently featured on Haley Marketing Groups’s Secrets of Staffing Success Podcast.  Todd  Lewandowski and Mike spoke about the following: The biggest mistake staffing leaders make Biggest key to sustained growth for staffing firms Is metrics based management a double edged sword? How staffing firms can improve internal staff turnover Why the staffing industry needs to be proud … Read More