Feb 11 2010
Ebb and Flow
As sourcers, we’ve all had this happen: we spend a whole day looking for a tough req and come up empty, or we may have luck and find the perfect candidate within 10 minutes. Almost all of you are smiling and nodding in agreement right now, because it’s happened to all of us at some point – but the tough part is explaining this to our peers and especially our bosses.
How do you justify a productive day of sourcing when you’ve only got a few leads, if that? That’s the big question, because research never guarantees a specific outcome – only that you will find some kind of an answer. And a lot of times, it’s not the answer you were looking for. I love Thomas Edison’s approach to research and invention: “If I find 10,000 ways something won’t work, I haven’t failed. I am not discouraged, because every wrong attempt discarded is another step forward.”
In research, I consider it a success if you’re able to rule out certain resources for a search. Nope – no gold in them ‘thar hills, let’s pick up our tools and move to the next place! And when you’re faced with a tough search, chances are a LOT of resources are going to be ruled out! That’s what makes it a tough search in the first place.
When I was in college, I waited tables to put myself through school. Some nights, I’d work for 6 hours and only make $30 in tips. Other nights, I’d work for 4 hours and go home with $100. Ebb and flow. Things always worked out in the end and I always made rent, because I never gave up during the ebb periods. And I think that’s what Edison was talking about as well – you never fail in your attempts to accomplish something unless you fail to keep pressing forward to find a solution.
As you may guess, I’m currently in an ebb period of a search I’m working on. Writing this post and really thinking about the big picture has helped me to regroup and re-focus. I urge each and every one of you to not get discouraged when you’re going through an ebb in your sourcing efforts. Things will work out in the end if you continue to press forward. Good luck and happy sourcing!