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Proactive Recruiting Helps Stack Your Talent Deep

August 29, 2021

Stack­ing the right peo­ple, in the right seats, is a game changer.”

Ever think that lead­ers should be more like com­mis­sioned sales­peo­ple in the sense that they should be con­stant­ly prospecting?

One impor­tant way direc­tors, exec­u­tives and man­agers can do this is through proac­tive recruit­ing. This helps lead­ers build rela­tion­ships with key (prospec­tive) employ­ees they want to add to their team. Fur­ther­more, this can also apply to new clients in some cas­es because they have influ­enc­ing con­nec­tions. This is no dif­fer­ent than a gen­er­al build­ing an army. You want to build your bench deep and stack it with talent.

In fast grow­ing com­pa­nies, some­times team mem­bers don’t make the cut, or you need to expand into a new region, or add more horse­pow­er and knowl­edge to the team. When that hap­pens, most com­pa­nies rely on exter­nal recruiters or HR to bring in peo­ple, and that process can be slow, expen­sive, and reactive.

Invest 1‑Hour Per Week on Proac­tive Recruiting

But if you spent just an hour a week on proac­tive recruit­ment strate­gies and activ­i­ties — like the exec­u­tives, direc­tors and man­agers do in some of the best com­pa­nies we’ve seen — you’ll build your own robust prospect lists.

For exam­ple, if a CEO and team of sev­en peo­ple each had a list of 20 amaz­ing high-per­form­ers you’d love to have in the com­pa­ny to con­tin­u­al­ly fol­low up with, that’s a prospect list of 140 peo­ple. (And, if you’re a busi­ness-to-busi­ness orga­ni­za­tion, there’s poten­tial for some oth­er busi­ness to come out of it, too.)

What would hap­pen if you bring in the next lev­el of direc­tors, say 20 peo­ple? That’s 400 A‑Players you’re in con­ver­sa­tions with every month and work­ing to bring towards your organization.

Then, when some of that amaz­ing tal­ent gets dis­lodged or frus­trat­ed, there’s a very good chance they’re going to come your way and land, just at the right time.

After 25 years work­ing with scal­ing com­pa­nies, we know exe­cu­tion is a dis­ci­pline but stack­ing the right peo­ple, in the right seats, is a game changer.

The Chal­lenge

  • Where is your list of 14, 140 or 400?
  • What’s your plan to fol­low up the 17 times it will prob­a­bly take to land them?

For more about hav­ing a Top­grad­ing vir­tu­al bench, join us for episode 69 of The Growth Whis­per­ers podcast.


Lawrence & Co’s work focus­es on sus­tain­able and enhanced growth for you and your busi­ness. Our diverse and expe­ri­enced group of advi­sors can help your lead­ers and exec­u­tive teams stay com­pet­i­tive through the use of var­i­ous learn­ing tools includ­ing work­shops, webi­na­rs, exec­u­tive retreats, or one-to-one coaching.

We help high-achiev­ing lead­ers to have it all – a great busi­ness and a reward­ing life. Con­tact us for sim­ple and impact­ful advice. No BS. No fluff.


About Lawrence & Co.
Lawrence & Co. is a growth strategy and leadership advisory firm that helps mid-market companies achieve lasting, reliable growth. Our Growth Management System turns 30 years of experience into practical steps that drive clarity, alignment, and performance—so leaders can grow faster, with less friction, and greater confidence.

About Kevin Lawrence
Kevin Lawrence has spent three decades helping companies scale from tens of millions to hundreds of millions in revenue. He works side-by-side with CEOs and leadership teams across North America, the Middle East, Asia, Australia, and Europe, bringing real-world insights from hands-on experience. Kevin is the author of Your Oxygen Mask First, a book of 17 habits to help high-performing leaders grow sustainably while protecting their mental health and resilience. He also contributed to Scaling Up (Rockefeller Habits 2.0). Based in Vancouver, he leads Lawrence & Co, a boutique firm of growth advisors.