Takeaway 1

Respect Scales Faster Than Likability 🎯

Adam learned early that agreeing with stakeholders to stay liked is not the path to influence. Respect is built by bringing clarity, challenging assumptions, and staying grounded in your expertise, even when it is uncomfortable.

Why It Matters:
Recruiters who earn respect gain earlier access to information, more trust in their judgment, and stronger influence over decisions. That access trickles down, equipping their teams to be more prepared, engaged, and effective.

Quick Tips

• Know your strengths and growth areas. Understand the value you bring and where you tend to overcorrect under pressure so you can self-adjust.
• Adapt to others’ influencing styles. Identify whether a stakeholder responds best to rational (data-driven), social (rapport-based), or emotional (values-driven) arguments and tailor your approach accordingly.
• Model curiosity for your team. Show up eager to learn how other functions work, and your recruiters will follow suit, deepening cross-functional trust.

Takeaway 2

It’s not the data, it’s the story you tell  📊

Leading with numbers is not enough. Trusted advisors translate data into a visual, narrative-driven case that helps business leaders understand the “so what.”

Why It Matters:
Data earns you a seat at the table, but how you frame it determines whether leaders act on it. When you can show not only where gaps exist but also the solutions to close them, you shift from order-taker to strategic partner.

Quick Tips

• Visualize capacity gaps clearly. Pair headcount goals with charts that show current bandwidth, forecasted demand, and options for closing the gap.
• Pair every insight with a solution. Do not just flag a problem. Present 2–3 actionable paths forward that tie directly to business goals.
• Benchmark against the market. Tap into peer networks and industry data so your recommendations are grounded in external realities, not just internal history.

Takeaway 3

Hiring goals you don’t share, you don’t hit 🤝

When hiring goals live only with recruiting, you are operating as a service provider. Trusted advisors ensure those goals are co-owned by hiring leaders and recruiters.

Why It Matters:
Mutual ownership removes the “us vs. them” dynamic and aligns everyone around the same success metrics. It also keeps hiring treated as a core business objective, on par with revenue or product milestones.

Quick Tips

• Cascade hiring goals like any business target. Ensure they are measured and reported with the same cadence and visibility as other company priorities.
• Anchor accountability at the manager level. Define clear expectations for hiring managers’ role in process success, from prep to decision-making.
• Integrate progress into leadership reviews. Report hiring updates in the same forums where other key metrics are tracked to reinforce importance.

What Hiring Excellence Means to Adam

For Adam, Hiring Excellence is when recruiting is seen and treated as a business driver. It is about aligning deeply with leaders, making data-backed recommendations, and fostering an environment where recruiters are energized and informed. He believes excellence is achieved when respect and curiosity replace defensiveness, and when hiring goals are truly shared across the business.

Adam's Recruiting Hot Take 🔥

Great recruiting leaders know how they show up on their best and worst days, and they build teams that complement, not copy, their strengths. Adam challenges leaders to understand when they are overcorrecting under pressure and to surround themselves with diverse styles and skills that make the whole team stronger

Timestamps

(00:00) Introduction

(01:00) Meet Adam Ward

(02:44) Why stakeholder engagement sets teams apart

(04:15) Service provider versus trusted advisor

(07:28) The role of shared accountability

(09:53) Building relationships as a business leader

(12:05) How trusted leadership benefits recruiting teams

(15:43) Top challenges facing talent leaders

(20:52) Gaining influence by letting go of likability

(24:31) Managing your strengths without overcorrecting

(26:42) How to adapt your influence style to different stakeholders