Mark introduces the topic of people being coachable and referable
Jim tells the story of a young man he knows and attending his wedding
He goes back a few years when this young man was just starting out and shares how he introduced him to his future boss because he was coachable, referable and persistent. Jim says he still, to this day, tries to be coachable
Mark says team sports is great fodder for stories
Mark shares his story about his daughter asking to speak with him about recruiting
She was coachable and referable. His interview was 2 hours and fantastic and at the end she decided she didn’t want to be a recruiter. He goes on to talk about his perspective on people being coachable or not
Mark talks about his friend who can’t have lunch without looking at his phone and how he unconsciously decided to not refer him to others because of the risk that might not bring his full attention to the introduction
Jim is reminded of somebody at the wedding saying “it’s all about who you know” and how that is helpful, but not enough…you have to be coachable, referable and persistent
Mark talks about nepotism and and the absence of coachability and referability.
Jim says he won’t refer people just because they ask or are family or friends
Jim shares a story about another kid who he had to stop helping because he wasn’t coachable
Jim asks Mark for examples from his recruiting profession
Mark talks about coaching people in the interview process and the topics of compensation and setting expectations at the end of the interview
Jim laughs at how many people disregard his advice
Mark says polite persistence is a positive attribute
Jim talks about the power of questions and listening way more than you talk 80/20
Mark completely agrees and says opened ended are the way to go
Mark also says questions are the best way to disagree with someone too
Jim takes us back to the kid at the wedding and says he manifested his beautiful life by being coachable, referable and persistent
Mark says these skills are lifelong and we should constantly work on getting better
Jim shares his story about working with patent attorneys
He emphasizes the importance of working with great clients
Removing the friction
Mark shares his story about changing auto mechanics and why we pay experts that know stuff we don’t know
Jim shares his perspective about his gardener and how is so referable and never lets Jim down. He is ultimately referable
Mark shares the feeling of satisfaction of having referred someone and having that person come through
Be more coachable, be referable and be persistent