by Greg Carroll, Tudor Collegiate Strategies
Over the past few years I’ve been working for Tudor Collegiate Strategies. I’ve sort of evolved into the character Bubba Blue from the movie Forrest Gump. Bubba had a knack of taking virtually any recipe and making it uniquely different by adding shrimp. The man loved shrimp. I can now take virtually any topic and connect it to recruiting.
I’ve been watching the series “The Captain” on ESPN as it chronicles Derek Jeter’s career. I’ve been a Yankees fan forever so I’ve really enjoyed the story of his success. It’s a six part series and is an intimate interview with Jeter and a collection of his thoughts about his path to Cooperstown. At different times, and not in so many words, Jeter attributes his success to keeping things simple.
He had the benefit of growing up in a home with parents who were grounded in every sense of the word. Where keeping things simple was an attitude and a lifestyle. As Jeter’s career took off he encountered distractions everywhere. From so-called friends trying to get close, to a front office intent on devaluing his contributions to the Yankees success. In spite of those distractions, he kept things simple and eliminated all the “noise” that could have derailed his goal of leading the Yankees to great success. That’s why he’s “The Captain”.
Successful recruiting isn’t complicated. It’s actually pretty simple. But just like Jeter being the first on the field and the last one to leave takes commitment, being a recruiting rock star takes a commitment of time, everyone’s most valuable resource. Here are some simple steps to take to help you succeed as a recruiter:
- Eliminate Noise! Yes, distance yourself from all the negative chatter about your administration, your budget, the facility that didn’t get the upgrade promised. All that stuff that makes you not want to commit to being great. Surround yourself with others with a winning mindset. Surround yourself with people who are problem solvers, people who want to prove others wrong. Seek out podcasts that are inspiring, read books that challenge your thinking. Eliminate noise wherever it exits.
- If you are using recruiting software, make certain you are using it to its maximum potential. Whether it is Frontrush, ARMS, or ARI, they all have gone through updates and are likely capable of offering you more than you are currently using. Schedule an update with your rep. These services can make your life easier and your work more efficient. If you’re NOT using a software platform see if you can get funding to do so. They can save you a ton of time AND you will have greater results.
- Get On Schedule! Easy for me to say right? I know … But as the start of a new academic year gets closer this is the perfect time to establish a realistic schedule for your recruiting work. And start right now, before your life goes completely crazy with classes, athletes, games, practices, etc. Establish the habit now and fit everything around the habit you have established when things go crazy.
- Follow your recruiting playbook. If you are a TCS client, you get that playbook every month. Stick to it, stay with it. It contains everything you need to be speaking with your recruits and their parents about for the month. It will bring you rock star success. That’s pretty simple. If you’re not a TCS client, reach out to us because you can REALLY simplify your recruiting by partnering with TCS.
- Eliminate things you do that are not making you better – a better coach, a better recruiter, a better parent, a better co-worker etc. If you have a behavior or are doing something that’s not paying off, get rid of it. It may be an assistant coach that’s not making your program better. As hard as it might be to make a change, you have to rip the bandage off. It may be a habit like breakfast at the diner rather than going for a brisk walk to start your day, clear your head. What are the things you do that aren’t contributing positively to your day and your success? It’s a rhetorical question, but we all have them and some cost us more than others.
Derek Jeter was blessed with athletic talent. He also had the desire to be the guy at the plate with the game on the line or the guy who had to make the play at short to win the game. His ability to be successful in those situations was directly tied to his ability to keep things simple. And there is no solution more simple than putting in the work and finding ways to work more efficiently.
Need helping keeping it simple? Greg Carroll and the team at Tudor Collegiate Strategies are helping college coaches simplify and organize their recruiting process. You can email Greg at greg@dantudor.com to set up a strategy call.