Can I suggest a reframe for recruitment season?
Instead of:
“Who might we lose?”
Try:
“What would improve if we did?”
Because every team has a mix.
Some are superstars.
Some are solidly good.
And some…with issues…that you’re managing.
(You don’t need a spreadsheet to know which is which.)
What if a couple of people in the “some issues” column handed in their notice…
Would that actually be a problem?
Or would it create space?
Space for:
• Higher standards
• Stronger culture
• More consistency
• Less emotional drag
Recruitment doesn’t just replace.
It reshapes.
A head I know had a great teacher, but they were also a bit of a diva. They were high maintenance.
They would regularly, subtly threaten to leave. The head was always being held to a soft kind of ransom.
We talked. I suggested he let her go this time, and didn’t meet the requests (that were low level demands).
I assured him he’d recruit better.
And he did! When we spoke again in September he could not stop smiling about the new member of the team, and the difference this had made across the school.
So here’s a simple exercise:
Look at your team numbers right now.
Roughly:
How many are superstars?
How many are solid and dependable?
How many require disproportionate energy?
If your goal over the next 2–3 years was simply this:
Increase the proportion of superstars.
Everything changes.
You don’t recruit to fill.
You recruit to strengthen.
You don’t panic about movement.
You use it.
You don’t cling to stability at any cost.
You design for excellence.
That’s the Recruitment Game.
And it’s winnable.
If you’d like to see how your current team stacks up — not in theory, but in 4 useful numbers — we’ve created something practical.
In less 2 minutes, you’ll see:
- Where you currently stand
- Where your leverage is
- And what to focus on first:
• Where your hidden pressure points are
• Whether you’re building momentum — or managing drag
No fluff.
Just clarity.
Because recruitment isn’t about luck.
It’s about design.
Here’s to building a team of superstars,
Sonia ❤️