There is a phrase that is often used in a number of contexts, the phrase is:

“Stay true to the game” 

I’ve always almost seen it used when talking about sports, and almost always in basketball. But I’ve seen it used across pop culture for decades.

“The game” is that thing you do. Maybe it’s sales. Maybe it’s accounting. Maybe it’s basketball. My ‘game’ is recruiting. Third-party, corporate, RPO, the vendors that support recruiting, we are all in the same game.

“Stay true” well that’s a little more difficult to define for each of us. What does it mean to ‘stay true’ to recruiting?

If you pull out recruiting and think about what does it mean to ‘be true’ to anything. Think about that one thing you’re most passionate about. How are you ‘true’ to that passion? How do you think about it? How do you ensure it’s number one in your life? What do you give to that passion to demonstrate it’s your truth?

I think this helps to start paint the picture of what being true to recruiting is all about.

My game is recruiting. If I’m true to my game there are things I need to do. Here are some of things I do to stay true to my game:

– Consume anything about recruiting I can get my hands on.

– Network with people in recruiting at all levels that are better than me.

– Take calls and notes from others in the field who want my knowledge and share constantly.

– Constantly think and act in a way that will raise my game.

– Understand that being true to recruiting is a choice. My choice.

If I’m going to be true to my game I need to constantly search for ways to raise my game and raise the game overall as a profession.

I’m a busy guy (aren’t we all!). I run a staffing company (HRU Technical Resources). I write every day and share freely with the community. I wrote a book (The Talent Fix). I volunteered and I’m on the board of the Association of Talent Acquisition Professionals (ATAP) as the President-Elect, and I run the Michigan’s Recruiter’s Conference each year.

At the same time, I constantly push my team to leverage the latest and greatest recruiting technology on the planet, and push them to be life-long learners of sourcing and recruiting. I’m sure that isn’t the easiest environment to work in. But, I’m staying true to the game.

It’s Monday. You have a choice to make today. Do you stay true to your game, or not?

Do you even know what your “game” is? If you do, congratulations, you are already on a great path! A powerful path! Knowing what game is yours is more than half the battle. Once you find it, the work to stay true isn’t work, it almost becomes an obsession of sorts! In a good way!

So, my challenge to you this Monday is simple. In the comments below, tell me what your game is. Then, tell me what you’ll do this week to stay true to your game! Go.