How do I stay consistent with recruiting activity when frustrated with growth or team alignment?

Let’s be real—there are seasons in leadership where things just don’t click. You’ve been putting in the work, the systems are in place, but the results are slow. Or maybe your team isn’t rowing in the same direction. It’s frustrating, and it can mess with your motivation to keep recruiting.

In this episode of Recruiting Conversations, I dive into what it takes to stay consistent even when growth feels stagnant or your team isn’t aligned. This isn’t about hype—it’s about discipline, clarity, and belief. I’ll share strategies to detach from your emotional state, lead yourself through tough seasons, and rebuild your recruiting rhythm with intentionality.

Episode Breakdown

[00:00] Introduction – The emotional challenge of staying consistent when results are slow or your team feels out of sync.
[01:00] When the Fire Fades – Why hitting dry seasons in leadership is normal and part of the growth process.
[01:30] Growth Happens in Cycles – Most of the work happens underground before results show up.
[02:00] Detach Activity from Emotion – Why consistency can't depend on how you feel in the moment.
[02:30] Build a Daily Recruiting Rhythm – Your system needs to carry you when your emotions can’t.
[03:00] Reconnect with Your Why – Rewriting your vivid vision to reignite purpose and push through discouragement.
[03:30] What to Do When Team Alignment Is Off – Don’t let discouragement dictate your posture. Use it to raise your standard.
[04:00] Filter for Fit – Define and document your vision, values, and standards to attract the right recruits.
[05:00] Real Coaching Story – How one leader used a personal alignment scorecard to go from exhaustion to excitement.
[06:00] Final Challenge – Don’t ghost the process. Reset if you need to—but don’t disappear.

Key Takeaways

• Frustration Is Normal – Every great leader hits seasons of slow growth or team misalignment.

• Consistency > Emotion – Your recruiting rhythm has to run even when motivation is low.

• Reconnect with the Vision – Write the vivid picture of your dream team. Get clear on what you’re building.

• Don’t Recruit Warm Bodies – Filter for alignment. The right people are out there—and they’re worth waiting for.

• Stay in the Process – You don’t have to sprint every day, but don’t stop showing up. The seeds you're planting today will grow.

This isn’t just about recruiting more people—it’s about recruiting the right people and becoming the kind of leader they want to follow. If you’re in a dry season, this episode is your reminder to keep showing up.

Need help building a recruiting rhythm that keeps you consistent—even in the hard seasons? Subscribe to my weekly email at .css-j9qmi7{display:-webkit-box;display:-webkit-flex;display:-ms-flexbox;display:flex;-webkit-flex-direction:row;-ms-flex-direction:row;flex-direction:row;font-weight:700;margin-bottom:1rem;margin-top:2.8rem;width:100%;-webkit-box-pack:start;-ms-flex-pack:start;-webkit-justify-content:start;justify-content:start;padding-left:5rem;}@media only screen and (max-width: 599px){.css-j9qmi7{padding-left:0;-webkit-box-pack:center;-ms-flex-pack:center;-webkit-justify-content:center;justify-content:center;}}.css-j9qmi7 svg{fill:#27292D;}.css-j9qmi7 .eagfbvw0{-webkit-align-items:center;-webkit-box-align:center;-ms-flex-align:center;align-items:center;color:#27292D;}

Episode Transcript

(00:01):
So the big question is this, how dorecruiting leaders like us who have
12 to 15 other job responsibilitieswin at this game of recruiting?
How do we build a system that allowsus to recruit effectively in a minimal
amount of time while motivatingrecruits towards meaningful change?
That is the question, and thispodcast will give you the answers.

(00:21):
My name is Richard Mulligan, andwelcome to Recruiting Conversations.
Hey everybody.
Welcome back to Recruiting Conversations.
I'm Richard Milligan, and todaywe're going to talk about something
that doesn't get talked about enough
when it comes to building teams andstaying consistent with recruiting,

(00:44):
and that's this question right here.
How do I keep recruiting when I'mfrustrated with growth or when I'm just
not feeling aligned with my current team?
Now, I know some of you listeningare in this exact moment.
You've been putting in the work, you'vehad the conversations, you've built
the systems, but the results, they'renot showing up like you expected.
Maybe you've brought a few people on boardwho didn't turn out the way you hoped.

(01:08):
Maybe your current team isn't buying in.
Maybe you're having one of thoseweeks where you look at your goals
and think, is this even worth it?
And I wanna start bytelling you that is normal.
Is part of the process.
If you're leading at a high level, you'regoing to hit seasons where the fire feels
dimmer, where progress feels slower, whereyour own energy and belief are tested.

(01:32):
So today's episode is about how tolead yourself well in those moments.
Consistency is not built on motivation.
It's built on clarity,discipline, and belief.
Let's start with this.
Growth rarely moves in straight lines.
It moves in cycles.
It moves in seasons, and sometimesit moves underground long before
it shows up above the surface.

(01:53):
I coach leaders all the time whofeel like they're in a dry season,
but when we zoom out and look at thepast 12 months, we see a pattern.
They were building trust, they werehaving conversations, they were
laying the foundation, and thenall of a sudden it hits the calls,
start turning into meetings, and themeetings start turning into hires.
Why?
Because they stayedconsistent in the middle.

(02:15):
They didn't let frustrationinterrupt their rhythm.
So how do you do that?
The first piece is this.
You've gotta detach your recruitingactivity from your emotional state.
Let's, let me say that again.
You've gotta learn to separate howyou feel from what you do, because
if you only make calls when you'remotivated or you, or you only follow
up when you're confident, yourrecruiting will always be inconsistent.

(02:37):
This is why I coach to havinga daily recruiting rhythm.
It's not about volume,it's about showing up.
It's about being committed to the process,whether or not the results are immediate.
I tell people this all the time.
Your recruiting system hasto be strong enough to carry
you when your emotions can't.
And here's a tip, one of the bestthings you can do when motivation
dips is to go back to your why.

(02:58):
Why are you building this team?
Why does it matter?
What would the visionlook like if it were real?
Sometimes I'll have leaders go backand write that vision again, not the
bullet points, but the vivid picture.
Where are you sitting?
What kind of conversations are you having?
What does the energyon your team feel like?
You have to give yourself somethingworth fighting through the frustration.

(03:21):
For now, let's address thesecond part of the question.
What do I do when team alignment is off?
This is a tough one because nothingdrains your recruiting energy faster
than looking around and realizingthe people you've already brought in
aren't rowing in the same direction.
Maybe someone's creating culture drag.

(03:42):
Maybe there's a lack of buy-in.
Maybe you've got some quiet quittinghappening behind the scenes.
And that's discouraging.
But here's what I want you to hear.
Don't let the past shape your posture.
Let the future shape your focus.
Just because someone on yourteam isn't aligned, doesn't
mean your next recruit won't be.
And just because your culture isn'twhat you want today doesn't mean it

(04:04):
can't be what you build tomorrow.
One of the best things you can dowhen team alignment is off is to use
it as fuel to raise your standard.
Ask yourself, what kind of leader do Ineed to be to attract the right people?
What kind of language do Ineed to use more intentionally?
Where have I been tolerating misalignmentthat I need to address head on?

(04:26):
Because when you get clear on what you'rebuilding, you stop chasing warm bodies
and start filtering for the right fit.
This is why I coach leaders to documenttheir vision, values and standards.
When you put those on paper and startsharing them in recruiting convos,
you don't just attract, you filter.
And here's the shift.
When you start filtering for alignmentupfront, recruiting actually becomes

(04:51):
more energizing because now you'renot just building a bigger team,
you're building a better one.
Let me give you a realworld coaching moment here.
One of the leaders I work withhit a point last year where she
said, Richard, I'm exhausted.
I feel like I'm dragging myteam uphill, and I don't even
want to recruit right now.

(05:11):
So we paused everything.
We rebuilt her vision, her ideal culture,the traits she wanted, what her dream
team actually looked like, and then wecreated a personal scorecard, something
she used in every recruiting conversationto evaluate alignment, not just ability.
The result, she didn't makemore hires that month, but three

(05:33):
months later, she'd hired twopeople who were perfectly aligned.
She said, uh, I'm more excitedto build than I've been in years.
That's the power of getting clear onwho you want and committing to the
process, even when growth feels slow.
So here's your challenge for this week.
If you're in a dip, if you're in adry season, if your team isn't quite
aligned, don't shut recruiting down.

(05:54):
Slow it if you need to.
Reset if you need to, but don'tdisappear from the process.
'cause your dream team is still outthere and they're looking for a leader
who's willing to keep showing up.
Let that be you.
If that's all for today'sepisode, keep showing up.
Keep planting seeds, and I'llcatch you back here soon on
recruiting conversations.