Scott Wintrip Joins Us On The Steve Jobs Inspired Join Up Dots Podcast
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Introducing Scott Wintrip
Scott Wintrip is my guest today, on the Steve Jobs inspired Join Up Dots business coaching interview.
He is a man who was first introduce to me by a previous guest and friend of the show Tayo Rockson
How The Dots Joined Up For Scott
So when did he realise that getting bottoms on seats was a skill that he possessed and could build a business around?
And what is the biggest mistake that people make when getting the talent that their companies deserve?
Well lets find out as we bring onto the show to start joining up dots with the one and only Mr Scott Wintrip
Show Highlights
During the show we discussed such weighty topics with Scott Wintrip such as:
Scott shares his advice of how he makes the right decisions in his life, and if not what he does to then quickly make them the right decisions.
Why Scott feels that he did his most remarkable work of his career whilst going through a heavy divorce with his wife.
Why Scott feels that anyone who is getting into recruitment should get their recruitment education. Go work for a consultancy before ever going it alone.
and lastly….
Scott shares his views on the only person that you can believe in life – yourself. Be aware if you catch yourself lying to yourself, as it can undermine everything that is possible.
How To Connect With Scott Wintrip
Books By Scott
Return To The Top Of Scott Wintrip
If you are inspired by the conversation with Scott Wintrip, then check out the amazing Tamara Thompson, Cameron Brown, Kristin Addis and Dan Lok
If you want our whole collection of shows then jump over to the podcast archives here
Audio Transcription For Scott Wintrip Interview
Intro [0:00]
When we’re young, we have an amazing positive outlook about how great life is going to be. But somewhere along the line we forget to dream and end up settling join up dots features amazing people who refuse to give up and chose to go after their dreams. This is your blueprint for greatness. So here’s your host live from the back of his garden in the UK David Ralph
David Ralph [0:21]
Yes. Hello there. Good morning, everybody. And welcome to join up dots Yes, this is I’ll tell you what, I’m all energized. today. I feel like I could take on the world Rocky Balboa could be put in a room with me wouldn’t stand a chance. My wife could be put in a room with me. Hang on, I might think about it. But I feel really energized. I feel ready to go. And I know that the guest on the other end of the line is the same way because he’s in Florida at the moment. How can you not love living in Florida? He’s just up the road from the mouse, I’m sure. And it’s it’s every day, every day is Adventure Time in each life. And he’s a man who was first introduced to me by a previous guest and friend of the show Ty Roxon and he said Hi David in his American voice. Of course, he said, You’ve got to have this guy on the show. I had him on the show and he had such great pieces of advice to give I’m certainly he’d make a great addition to yours. Well, how could I refuse such a connection? So let’s give you some background on who we’re going to be speaking to today. He’s the founder of the wind trip Consulting Group, a global consultancy in St. Petersburg, Florida, Florida, where his mission is to eliminate hiring delays so companies always have the talent they need instead of empty seats. Now during the past three decades, he’s helped thousands of organizations like Bank of America, Boeing, Procter and Gamble, and the Red Cross is what a small and mid market companies such as Kohl’s and Macko surgical to make the right decisions and this expert expertise is now being put into print and is now flying off the shelves with his latest book high velocity hiring, how to hire top talent in an instant being published by McGraw Hill and through Amazon. That isn’t impressive enough. And for five years in a row. He’s been named staffing 100 as one of the world’s hundred most influential staffing leaders also making recruiter magazine’s top 40, under 40 as one of the most influential executives under 40 years old. So when did you realize that getting bums on seats was a skill that he possessed and could build a business around? And what is the biggest mistake that people make when getting the talent that their companies deserve? Well, let’s find out as we bring them to the show to start join up dots with the one and only Mr. Scott wind trip. Good morning, Scott. How are you? Sir David
Scott Wintrip [2:33]
I am good. I’ve got some big shoes to fill. Given that introduction. I’m so thrilled to be here and so excited, your energy is absolutely infectious. And we’re going to have a great conversation. I coach me,
David Ralph [2:45]
that’s what he said. I tell you what, if you love every second of the day, well, not every second because there’s some boring things in life. But the majority of it and the boring stuff trying to make it fun, then it’s just not worth it is it? We’re only on this planet once and I think we should make the most of it, then you think scope.
Scott Wintrip [3:03]
I do I every moment I’ve been told I’m turning in for something I’m trading it every minute I have for something in life, and I better trade it for good. Just like I better spend my money prudently, I have to spend my time prudently. Because I’m not getting that time back. And I’ve got one shot at this moment. And then the next one. And that’s one of the lessons I’ve learned along the way. And so I cherish the moments even more than I cherish the money or the possessions
David Ralph [3:29]
and that I’ve never heard it said like that, but you actually feel like you’re trading. So if you’re doing something that you don’t like you’re missing out on something you could like, and vice versa, that’s probably worth thinking about it. And you always thought that way.
Scott Wintrip [3:42]
Of course, I’ve always been, you know, this, this much of a sage at know, I learned that the hard way I I first off watched my dad in a 30 year career that he didn’t like a career that ended with high stress and panic attacks and he was miserable. And then I watched the rest his life began. And it was a life of semi retired. And it really showed me how important it was that I love all aspects of my life, including my work. And so that informed me some of my own poor choices. And for me, and and now you know, for quite a long time, nearly 2025 years, I’ve loved most of what I do most of the time, because I made that choice.
David Ralph [4:21]
Yeah, I went through a big period I think most men do where we convince ourselves that we’re doing it for our family, our if you want to go to Disneyland, I’ve got to go out to work. And I’ve got to do this. And I’ve got to do that. And my sort of younger kids pretty much grew up without me. So I made a fixed decision when my last two came along, and my grandkids came along. But I would always be out of work at four o’clock in the afternoon. I wouldn’t do any extra time, all that kind of stuff. If it wasn’t going to occur in the core time, then it wasn’t going to happen. And to be honest, once I made that decision, Scott my life as it makes me realize that there was so much dead time I was wasting, justifying. I was in a building where actually if you focus and do the right things, then you can kind of have both. Yeah, you can have your cake and eat it.
Scott Wintrip [5:12]
No, I agree. I also think that the universe pays very close attention to what we say to ourselves and to others. And when I made the declaration a couple decades ago that I’m taking back my life, I’m not going to be a victim of life, as I watched some people in my life be the universe heard me and held me to the challenge. And one of the things that I discovered along the way is, you know, that didn’t mean that I was able to wipe the slate clean and everything is was perfect and wonderful. I might my first marriage ended about 11 years ago. And you might note that I said that, you know, I made this declaration or declaration about life 20 years ago, well, I kept learning some things along the way, the universe kept showing me different paths that I could take. And one of them was that that may wasn’t a good fit for me. And the blessing. And that was how kindly my ex wife and I ended that marriage, we have an now 20 year old son together. And I have another marriage is the marriage that I could have only dreamed of. So when we make these declarations to live the life we want to live, that doesn’t mean that everything is peachy keen. From that point forward, we have to then make a series of choices. And I certainly did to deal with life on life’s terms. And and a number of things have happened. I’ve learned along the way that some of the choices I’ve made, I’ve had to change, I’ve had to change direction. But you know what, when I hold true to my values, and the decision I made 20 years ago, that keeps me on the right path no matter what. And it keeps showing me what the next right choice to be, is going to be.
David Ralph [6:45]
Now that’s brilliant, because that ties into the join up dots metaphor totally that if you really listen to your gut, and you do what’s right for yourself, and you look in the mirror each morning, and you say whether this is right or wrong, this is what I think right. And so I’m going to work towards it. Yeah, generally not to fall off the right track. I spent years doing what I thought was right for other people before us finally went now Hang on, this is my life. And I’m going to sort of reclaim it back. But we do ignore that that feeling inside us that’s pointing away, don’t we,
Scott Wintrip [7:17]
we do it a great parallel. If we ignore that feeling, we’re going to head down the wrong Fork of the road. But if we pay attention, I think you’re right, we’re going to make the right choice most of the time, or we can make the choice we made right. And it goes back to a quote I heard probably 1213 years ago, and the quote was something along the lines of Don’t worry about making the right decision. Just make the decision, then make the decision, right. And I find that that’s that’s one of the most brilliant quotes that allows me to live the life I live is I sometimes I pause and go, Oh gosh, is this the right decision? But then I remember that quote, and I make it Have I always made the right decision the first time around? Of course not. Have I always found a way to make every decision I’ve made, right? Yes, because that’s a choice. And when you do that, I find that that’s how you live a life of no regrets because you’re not beating yourself up over the coulda, shoulda, woulda as you are making the best decisions, and then cleaning those up along the way of needed and not looking back with any kind of regret. You’re always looking forward making the next right choice.
David Ralph [8:26]
I’ll tell you what, we’ve started this show on a positive thing of I was just going to talk about recruitment. But do I want to go there? Do I want to go to recruitment? Of course I do. Because that’s why you’re here. So let’s just talk about that a bit. See? How did that come about? For you? How did you become this expert with the world’s sexiest under 40 recruitment person or whatever you was named? what it was. Now, how did that occur?
Scott Wintrip [8:50]
Well, I’m going with what you said, because I could see the magazine cover with my bald head and my earring. Because those are two things I sport as the world’s sexiest recruitment expert. Let’s go with that. So I want to tell you David it was all planned from the very beginning. And that that, of course, would be a brilliant lie. It was a complete accident. In in university, I was a music major. I was a double major of music, education and music theory. And as it comes out of my mouth, it sounds so drab and boring. And it kind of was you know, musics a wonderful thing. And I thought that’s what I wanted to do. But I discovered it wasn’t. And the way I got into recruitment is I walked into a staffing agency in the United States. And I was looking for a temporary job. And a friend of mine had one of these jobs, he was a warehouse worker. And the thing that I loved about his job wasn’t the work was the pay. And the pay wasn’t great. But it was the fact that he got paid every single week. And as a young college guy who cared more about beer money than anything else, to me, that was really, really good that I get paid every week, I get paid on a Friday. And I’d go and have the $5 pitcher and the $5 pizza. And, you know, when I walked into the store office, I had a very surprising experience, because the woman across the table from me, looked at me at one point and said, Hey, have you ever considered working in this industry, and I looked around because I didn’t see any industry. I didn’t know that, you know, putting people in jobs wasn’t industry. And I literally looked at her and said, what industry, I had no clue what she was talking about. But it planted a seed, I had no clue that there were these other options out there. And to me, you know, because employees are one of the most important assets in a company. And because the job is one of the most important things in people’s lives, I realized this is very noble work. And it just stuck with me. And and I wasn’t really liking closing myself up in a practice room for four hours a day. I’m a little too social for that. And so I chose to pursue this path shortly thereafter. And that has led to a 30 year career where as you put it, I’m helping organizations put the right bottoms in the right seats, and it’s a vital thing. You know, we we can’t connect our own dots very much. Well, to go with your metaphor. We don’t have the right people around us who can help us connect those dots, whether that’s in a company or in our lives. So for me, I think the work I do, and the work that anybody does when they’re involved in hiring is what allows us to be our best because we’ve got the best people around us.
David Ralph [11:18]
Now the question that I always kind of pose or at least I think about when you’re saying this, this this formative stage when you get this idea of Yeah, actually I can do this is how you actually been make that into a business? How you lay in bed with all those voices running around your head going? Go Scott, go, Scott, because more often than not, they’re going to be going, you can’t do this, this this, you know, this isn’t for you. You need to be working in Taco Bell. How did you sign and sounds voices.
Scott Wintrip [11:47]
Cash makes my stomach just turned when you said Taco Bell. And that was not a good kind of churning just say, you know? Well, so, you know, the good news for me was at that point in time the recruiting an industry was looking for people. So finding a job in recruitment was not difficult, and finding somebody who would harness my gift for gab and help me turn it into putting bottoms and seats was not a challenge. The biggest challenge, the one you’re referring to is later in my career, after I’d become a recruitment expert, I got involved in this back in the days when recruitment experts actually referred to themselves as headhunters and had a very good career in that and where I had the voices in my head is when those voices were challenging be to go do my own thing. And for my own consultancy, and this was 1998. And I got to take you back to 98. Because at that point in time, my son was one I was the sole breadwinner in a household. It was my previous marriage, my my then wife didn’t work outside the house, she was a stay at home mom, we had maybe about 60,000 US dollars in the bank and and I had this dream live literally lying in bed, I had this dream of a consultancy, that would take my recruitment expertise and how I’ve been eliminated hiring delays on the recruitment side of things into the corporations of the world. And I literally dreamed up the concept, the logo, everything in this dream. It was a Saturday afternoon my son was very colicky, so he didn’t sleep well. So I was catching sleep where I could. And I woke up from this dream, I sat bolt up right in bed and went, Oh my god, this is what I need to do. And it took me a year to put it together. And and the reason it worked is because I ignored the negative voices. I just I knew this is what I needed to do. I didn’t think it was just coincidence, I was having this dream. And part of it was ignorant bliss. I didn’t know what I didn’t know, I didn’t know, for example, that a recession was coming around the corner. I didn’t know how hard it was going to be to build a consulting practice. Because looking back now, in my ignorance about all the things I didn’t know about building the consultancy, were a good thing. You said it so well, at the beginning of the show is you know, when we’re our younger selves, we just dive in. And we do things because we have this belief. And I did and I had this unwavering belief, but I also believed in the work I was doing. And I think that’s the most important message that I have for anybody listening is if you can find work you’re deeply passionate about. It allows you to take risks and make them seem less risky. Because if you think about me at the time, I burned through that $60,000 very quickly, I was still the sole breadwinner, there were a number of days as I was driving to pick up the mail and my car I saw because I was terrified that my family was going to go hungry. But I believed in what I was doing. I believed in the work I believed in eliminating hiring delays. And now it’s almost 19 years later. So I know it worked out well. Because I do work that I’m passionate about I have a great book that’s coming out this has come out that’s doing well. And I have a life and work this was beyond anything I could have imagined all because I listened to the dream. On Saturday afternoon.
David Ralph [15:02]
Good for you, sir. Good for you. Because it is you know, I’ve been through the journey as well. And I’m still going through the journey now. And I’ve had moments when I’ve literally just been clinging on the bathroom sink, looking in the mirror going, it will work, it will work. And in the early days of join up dots it went off really quickly, really great and many died and not one person really was listening. And I was just churning it out churning out. Now I look back and I think to myself, thank God, they weren’t listening because I wasn’t very good at it really, you know, you get a lot better. And by just keep doing it, keep doing it. Little things start to occur. And now it’s just a ground swell. I couldn’t have got there. I don’t think if it was easy. I what I mean by that. I think if it was easy, I would have just breezed up and kind of done the bare minimum it would be like going into a gym and just lifting the same weights all the time and not really developing. But because it was for three times as hard as I expected. I actually develop the muscles to make it three times as easy going on. Does that make sense to you, Scott?
Scott Wintrip [16:09]
Oh, well, I’m going back to my divorce 11 years ago is it was the most gut wrenching Lee painful I’ve been through in my life. thing I’ve been through in my life up to this point. And you know, I’ve told people who’ve never been through divorce, that divorce is a form of insanity. And every single person who’s been through a divorce nods when I say this, you’re breaking apart lives, you’re breaking apart finances. It’s it’s usually for the right reasons I find most people who are ending marriages are in marriages that weren’t working. But I’m having to do this. Oh, yes. And I’m having to work at the same time. And and it was so incredibly painful. And work became my sanctuary. As I was going through this emotional turmoil. And while it was not a contentious divorce, we were splitting apart this family and I wasn’t going to see my son every day and it broke my heart. And I will tell you that I did some of the most outstanding work of my career during that divorce. And why did that happen? Well, it’s because that made me stronger. It showed me exactly what I was capable of It showed me the depth of my character, the depth of my will the depth of my passion for what I do it, it hones some of the edges of me and made me stronger and how I take stands for things and I look back at it now. And yes, you know that marriage was not a good fit. But everything I did was was part of my journey. I wouldn’t trade any of it all the pain, all the heartache, because it turned me into the person I am today. It’s It’s you, I’m sure you can picture this one day. But it’s, you know, if you you, you have the butterfly and the cocoon, if you cut the butterfly out, it dies because it’s not developing the muscles as you talked about them to get out and break through. It’s the same thing I wouldn’t be the person I am today had I had as a gentler journey, that harder journey made me stronger and gave me much more aware of with all
David Ralph [17:58]
really and I’m going to play some words, summarizing. And if you listen to join up dots enough, you know which words are coming, is rocky You,
Steve Jobs [18:04]
me and nobody is going to hit as hard as life. But ain’t about how hard you hit. It’s about how hard you can get hit and keep moving forward how much you can take a keep moving forward. That’s how we do this.
David Ralph [18:20]
What I love about that speech more than anything, is the sort of simplicity of it of just dust yourself down, get back up and keep moving forward. Because it is true that the only thing you can do is move forward in life. And if you sit in one spot, you stagnate. We’ve all seen ponds where the water isn’t vibrant anymore, and what happens to it. But in kind of life, we we always allow ourselves to do that more often than not we get into that stagnation. And we say we’ve arrived, this is where we should be. But of course, there’s always another step forward another step forward. And it excites me now. But I can’t possibly perceive what’s going to be happening in my life. A year later, or two years later, where 10 years ago, I was quite happy to just be plodding along getting my salary. But now I’ve seen the other side of the fence. Now with your business where it’s growing to Scott, is that something that still fuels you up with ambition when you wake up in the morning, or you kind of know. So I’ve got a book in Amazon, and I’m doing very well. And we have nice holidays and vacations. On a fire still there.
Scott Wintrip [19:27]
Oh, wow. Yeah, I’m actually in the process of planning the next book. And that’s a little bit top secret right now. But the fires are stoked and burning. Because I love what I do, it goes back to what we talked about early on is if you find something you’re deeply passionate about, that is the fuel that keeps adding the air and the fuel mixture to the fire. And writing my first book was was an amazing journey. It happened at a time in my life where my wife was going through a journey with cancer with breast cancer and having chemo and I was writing the book while all that was going on and being her caretaker. And it was an amazing, wonderful journey of again, another blessing where that was my sanctuary, away from what was going on in life. So I poured myself into it. And I had this amazing experience writing the book. And now the books out and I miss it I I want to get back in and start writing again. And I am I’m working on the proposals right now. So I find that as long as I stay on the path, and as long as I do, the work that I love, that literally feeds on itself and adds even more fuel to the fire in the fire doesn’t necessarily get bigger, but it gets hotter, and it gets more intense. And it makes me want to do it more because I’m in a job of service, I get to help organizations with that most important asset and people with them one of those most important aspects of their lives. And that comes with a high level responsibility. So continuing to do that just feeds the fire and keeps me Stoke here every single day. So how would
David Ralph [21:02]
somebody come along? Now there’s somebody out there who’s listening to this show, and they’re thinking, recruitment? I’d never thought of that. Is it something now that is even more valuable? Is it easier to create? Or have they have I missed the boat?
Scott Wintrip [21:17]
Oh, no, you know that I talked about this in high velocity I hiring quite a bit that the talent shortage is going to continue. We have gaps in skills, the middle skills, skill jobs that require at least a secondary school diploma, and less than a four year degree. There are not enough people to fill all of those jobs. So we’re going to have a deficit there. We also have a deficit at the highest levels as well, not enough talented people who have the skills who are ready for some of the higher level positions. And while companies have gotten better at the recruitment efforts, there’s still a shortfall, their recruitment, and they’re there. They’re experts in their business, but they’re not missing experts in recruitment, and the recruitment industry. And the associations that back it up are growing rapidly. Recruitment is one of the fastest growing professions in the world. And so there are tremendous opportunities, and that’s only going to continue as time goes on.
David Ralph [22:15]
So how would somebody do it, Scott, that they’ve got you in front of us, and you have been through the journey? Can they do they actually have to have a brick and mortar business? First of all, can they create something online?
Scott Wintrip [22:27]
I know, you know, so interesting about recruitment is you have recruitment professionals who are working from home, they’re working from offices, those who are working from either location or working in local markets, they’re also working across the globe. What I would say to people, first and foremost is if you’ve never been in recruitment, first off, they’ll get your recruitment education, it looks very simple. From the outside, you know that you’re going to place people in jobs, yet it is the hardest form of selling on the planet. And the reason it is, is you’re selling the only product that can stand up, you’re putting people in jobs, and those people have an opinion, and they’re your product. So they suddenly, you know, can say no, I’m not going to take that job. Well, if you sell a car, you sell the house houses and cars don’t suddenly say Nope, I’m not going with that person. So this adds a layer of complexity to the sale that makes it so much more difficult, making it the hardest form of selling. So anybody who’s interested in recruitment, it’s, it’s, it’s good to go cut your teeth in a recruitment agency first. And you may just find that a staffing agency here in the United States or recruitment firm in the UK or Australia, or somewhere in Europe, you may just find that that’s where your career takes off that you love working for an agency or if you want to do your own thing, if you go work in an agency, and you work with those professionals and learn the business learn to do this hardest sell, then you can make the choice to do this on your own if you like and you have incredible flexibility, I have a colleague by the name of Tommy who I used to work with Tommy works maybe about 32 hours a week, she took the path that I just described work in an agency before she did her own thing, working about 3032 hours a week, she brings in a couple hundred thousand US dollars a year, not a bad job working from her home, placing people in jobs doing work that she really loves. So that’s the way to do it is is to do it the right way, learn the right things and not assume that just because it looks simple, from the outside, that is truly simple. There’s a lot of finesse that’s required to it in this business and best to learn it from the pros. I was in banking for many, many years, and I was a sales manager and I could basically sell anything, any banking product that came in front of us, I could sell it. And when I decided to do my first kind of leap of faith when I was 30, I quit. And because of my sales background, I got a job in recruitment. And I was selling and I do that quote at business with my fingers because I wasn’t really setting
David Ralph [24:49]
legal secretaries for London law firms. And so secretaries would come in and I would need to have a certain amount of knowledge about legal procedures and stuff. And I hated it. Scott, I hated it so much because I couldn’t get across the fact that the the ladies were basically commodities, and I saw this recruitment consultant, basically sit down with one of these ladies who’d come in with her resume or CV. And he gave her all the big spiel and said, Look, I don’t want to just put you into a job, I want to get the right job for you leave it for a couple of weeks, it was all that kind of stuff. And when she walked out the room, he just threw a resume straight in the bin. And I thought that’s some of these dreams that somebody’s aspirations at some of these hopes, and I hated it. And I did about six weeks and I walked I walked out. Is that is that still? You know, is that commonplace? now though? Is it too big a question to actually ask.
Scott Wintrip [25:42]
Now, I think it’s the exact right question to ask, whether it is recruitment, or you had mentioned banking, we could look at any industry, we have people who are throwing things and bins, whether it’s somebody whose resume that they’re they’re saying they’re going to reference that that person, or it’s the resume internally of somebody who’s looking for a promotion, or it’s you know, the performance review that you’re supposed to be putting your heart into, and instead you’re throwing in a band, and you’ll get to it later. And you don’t put much effort into it. We have people who don’t show up every day and give their full selves and all professions. And that’s why you know, we’re blessed to have many recruitment agencies in the United States, there are over 20,000 in the UK, over 15,000 people have choices. I’m finding and I get to work with both corporations and recruitment firms that work with corporations to help them fill their jobs faster by putting in processes to do so. And I work with agencies to do better work. And I find that the best agencies out there the ones that I think are doing great work, treat people like stars if you think about it David the the stars of stage and screen have agents, those are the people who find them here next gig. I had a literary agent who found me my book deals and I got to choose one. The best recruitment professionals are talent agents, they are representing the careers of people. And I think anybody who goes out and is represented by a recruitment professional needs to ask hard questions needs to talk about how are you going to represent me? How am I going to be you know, positioned by you in the marketplace? When will I hear from you what kind of things can I expect. And if that doesn’t pan out quickly to be the case, you move on to somebody else. So just like in anything, find the good ones who will do great work for you, and stay away from the ones who will not?
David Ralph [27:36]
That’s great advice. That is great advice for everybody out there. Because one of the hardest things is trying to get through to your agent, after he’s taking your job. It’s very, very difficult to do that. So we now know that if somebody is thinking of going into recruitment, it’s best to cut their teeth and actually get involved in a soft consultancy basis, on any other avenues where somebody, for example, has been in consultancy for a while, and he’s now thinking of going it alone, but they’re not brave enough to fully go it alone is a sort of an interim step. But they can take
Scott Wintrip [28:12]
it that’s a great question. Because there are people out there who end up taking the easier softer way or so they think by not taking a risk. And they they continue to work in an agency or they work for a boss because that feels safer. And what they don’t realize until later on is that wasn’t the safe choice. That was the the the choice that kept them from living their dream. And so there’s a couple suggestions I can give. You know, first is you don’t have to go this alone, you can find a partner, I had a partnership I had another business about 1015 years ago was a global coaching business that I partner and I formed, it was wildly successful. And we licensed and franchise people to coach people around the world. When Jay and I got into that partnership. It taught me how to have a partnership. And we did something brilliant, I think we looked at each other because we were friends before we were partners. And we said we’re going to run an experiment. We’re going to work together for about eight weeks. And at the end of eight weeks, we’re going to reevaluate how this is going. And if it’s going well, we’re going to continue and if not, we’re going to part friends. And then we set expectations with one another about what that looked like. And 10 weeks went by before we realized that we past eight weeks. And we looked at each other and said, Well, we guess this is going well, we’re still going to look at those questions that we agreed to ask. But we continue the partnership. I believe that all partnerships are an experiment just like in dating, you know, we date somebody before we marry them. I think the same thing happens here is, you know, think about the people you work well with, find somebody that you can partner with and, and started out as an experiment. Now, a second path that people can take is if you really want to go it alone, don’t being alone, there are these co work facilities and executive suites and office setups where you can go work around other professionals who don’t necessarily do what you do. But you can have people that you can lean on and talk to. So those two paths can make it seem less risky, because you can have people around you who support you who are there to talk to who can be a friend and an ally and a sounding board, versus you just staying in the job, that that’s not your dream, you can go live your dream by doing it and not going it alone.
David Ralph [30:29]
I think that is brilliant advice. Because certainly in the very first stages of me creating my business, I didn’t have anyone to turn two, I just kind of made up as I went along. And some things I look back on. And I think thank God, I had no one to turn to because you know, I created different ways of doing it, where I might have just followed that the path that everybody else was dictated. But I like that that co working space because it can become quite lonely. to regard. I find its loneliest in my life at Christmas, at Christmas, my wife gets all these invites to go off to these Christmas parties and stuff. And I don’t get anything. And where when I was in a employment land, there was Christmas party all the time. So it can become very lonely. So that that shared working space is a great way to bridge that gap, isn’t it?
Scott Wintrip [31:15]
It is and since you’re talking about the Christmas holidays, I very strategically book client gigs in early to mid December, because inevitably they invite me to their parties. And you know, you’re right about that I that’s the piece I miss I felt a little left out. And it’s one of those ongoing lessons I’ve gotten in the past 18 years of having my own consultancy, is I have parties, I just go party with other people. And they’re so grateful to have me there. Because I’ve impacted their organization, I’ve either help them implement a process that lets them hire faster, or I’ve helped their recruitment firm, do better business. And so they’re very grateful. And I always get gifts that I always have good food, and I didn’t have to pay for any of it. It’s a brilliant thing. So you know, I find that being a lonely is a choice. And having solitude from time to time is something that is a blessing. And I can live those two things. When I’m very mindful about my needs. I have you know, I work from my home office, but I have a co work facility I go to when I need to be around people. And I strategically plan things ahead. Like I just talked about a Christmas time. So I’m not alone in times where I could feel lonely.
David Ralph [32:23]
So what could you go back? Could you go back Scott to working for the man, obviously now now, I could never do it?
Scott Wintrip [32:33]
Oh, the one question that you have to ask. And it’s the question that always makes me nauseous because every time I think about working for the man, and there it is, I get this just churning in the pit of my stomach kinda like when you mentioned Taco Bell. I, you know, I’ve been on my own for 18, almost 19 years, it’ll be 19 years in January. And the thought of working for somebody else literally makes me nauseous. And it’s not that other people are horrible to work with. It’s just I spent 18 years making the decisions, doing my own thing, having incredible flexibility. That would be very hard I, of course I could do it, I’d have to take a lot of Dramamine along the way so I wouldn’t be nauseous. And look, I’ve got the best of both worlds because I do work for other people. But I also get to move on and work with different people. You know, what I find is I’m undiagnosed a DD and I but I know I have it and I get bored very easily, I’m really good at what I do. So I get things done quickly, I do great work. And then I get to move on to either something different in that organization, or different project or different organization. And it keeps me you know, keeps my work interesting. versus if I were in the same organization doing the same thing, I would get bored. And that’s where the knowledge it comes from. It’s not about the people, it’s about the work itself. So I’m in something that’s well suited for me. So it keeps the nozzle way, it makes the dream of being completely optional.
David Ralph [34:02]
I could never go back, Scott, I could never go back. Even if they pay me a million pound and feel filled a room up with Katy Perry and loads of alcohol. It’s never gonna happen. I just couldn’t even it’s worse. And it has been rubbish at times. Even at its worst, I look back on it. And thing, I could take that. And I could take it double helpings because I know where it’s leading to more than what I had before. And I had a very comfortable job, I had a few personality clashes with people, due to the fact that I’m a bit flippant, a bit sort of entrepreneurial Maverick kind of character by one. But I could never go back even if I offered me that room, that room of all my dreams and my my flesh, passions all squeezed into one place.
Scott Wintrip [34:51]
Well, I need to point out something that I think you’re talking about, that I’m bringing up and that is Know thyself. I know that and like you, I am irreverent. I’m quirky. I don’t like to play by the rules, especially when there’s somebody else’s rules. And I know myself very well, I’m 50 years old, I turned 50 this year, and I know who I am, I know what I need, I know what I want, I know what does work, and I know what doesn’t. And so if I don’t honor that, I’m going to be miserable. And it goes back to what I described with my dad and the job he had, I would be that guy. And I’ve always vowed not to be that guy. Because I know myself, I know that doing the kind of work that I do in the way I do it works for me. And anything shy of that isn’t going to work. So I hear you describing the same thing day. But as you know yourself, you know your personality, you know what works. And you honor that, I think that’s the most important thing I want your listeners to hear is, is go on this journey and be really honest with yourself about what works and what does not. And it doesn’t mean you have to quit your job tomorrow and go on your own. It just couldn’t be needed, it needed a different job. But if you’re very clear on who you are and what you need, and what you value, you will make that next right choice. And if you don’t make the right choice, you can make the choice, right, as we talked about earlier in the show.
David Ralph [36:09]
But let’s play some words that perfectly summarize what we’re talking about on this stage of the conversation, said by Steve Jobs became the whole theme of join up dots here they are,
Steve Jobs [36:19]
of course, it was impossible to connect the dots looking forward when I was in college. But it was very, very clear looking backwards 10 years later. Again, you can’t connect the dots looking forward, you can only connect them looking backwards. So you have to trust that the dots will somehow connect in your future. You have to trust in something, your gut, destiny, life, karma, whatever. Because believing that the dots will connect down the road will give you the confidence to follow your heart, even when it leaves you off the well worn path. And that will make all the difference.
David Ralph [36:53]
Now when I first started listening to that speech, I used to think that you were you were believing or yourself trusting and this is me personally trusting in in God or intuition or whatever he was saying. But now I just kind of think now you trust yourself, as we said, What at the very beginning, trust yourself that it will work, and then go out and make it work. And when you listen to those words, do they sort of empower you like by still do me every single day?
Scott Wintrip [37:20]
Hmm, they do. I’ve heard that speech many times. It’s one of my favorite parts, the clip that you played of the speech. And, you know, the here’s the interesting thing that I think most people don’t think about, there’s one person in their life who has extreme credibility. In fact, you’ll believe what that person tells you every single time. And that person’s you, I will believe everything I tell myself good or bad. So I better be very mindful what I tell myself if I believe I can do something and tell myself that it will happen. If I tell myself I can’t I’ll be right every single time. So we have to listen very, very carefully to that inner voice. And I agree with you, whatever your belief system, it’s okay. And I honor that, that inner voice within you whether you think it comes from God or it comes from you pay very careful attention to what that voice is saying and what you’re saying to that voice because it’s going to help create your destiny.
David Ralph [38:15]
And it so blinks up the old Henry Ford doesn’t he doesn’t matter if you think you can or you think you can’t, you’re right. And speeches. They’re all built around troops. But you can’t hear him until you’re ready to hear him I suppose is what I’m saying. You know, you could listen to that speech, you could listen to join up dots every single day for months and months and months. And then one conversation, one episode suddenly hits home. And it for me it was when I was first given that Steve Jobs speech with bizarrely it was given me and I remember almost feeling like my life a change. I read this speech and I thought, yes, I’ve got to do something. I’m only here on this planet once let’s let’s go out and have funds. They young be 40 sure whatever he says,
Scott Wintrip [39:00]
Yeah, I completely agree this, that it goes back to what we started with David is, this is what I’m trading my life for each day, I’m create trading moments of my life for either doing good, valuable work, and things that fulfill me, or I’m trading them for something that’s going to disappoint me, I think I know which of the choices I’d rather make, I’d rather be fulfilled and satisfied versus disappointed in the investment I’m making each moment of the day.
David Ralph [39:26]
Okay, so before we sort of bring the show to an end, Scott, I’m going to give you a magic wand, I’m going to send it across by a power of Skype. And with this magic wand, it will give you a big wish. And you could wave it over the recruitment consultancy business and you could change it in whatever way you would, what would you do?
Scott Wintrip [39:50]
I would change the business model permanently that recruitment agencies like talent before organizations need it, and that they can fulfill jobs the instant they open. And I want that because it’s already happening, I want it to happen more, there’s no surprise the jobs are going to open. And when they do every moment, it’s open. It’s like an open wound to that organization. So I want agencies to have more of the talent when it’s needed. It’s why I wrote the book and tells them how to do that. But I also want corporations to do the same thing. There are internal recruitment mechanisms in HR, and talent acquisition, who can do the same thing. they too can cultivate talent before it’s needed. The hiring managers can play a role in it. Everybody can be lining up more talent, just like that product vendors lined up products before they’re needed, we can line up people before they’re needed as well. And if that happens, businesses can focus more on doing work versus filling jobs.
David Ralph [40:49]
Well, I’m going to want that bond back because I’m going to use it as well for the Katy Perry thing that I’ve got going on. So we can share it is okay.
Scott Wintrip [40:58]
Work Day especially be it’s a Katy Perry thing. How can I refuse David
David Ralph [41:02]
now? Absolutely. I mean, I you can’t refuse this either, because I’m going to send you on a journey. Now, that brings the show to an end. And this is the part of the show that we call the Sermon on the mic, when we send you back in time to have a one on one with your younger self. And if you could go back in time and speak to the young Scott Wintrip, what age would you choose? And what advice would you give? Well, we’re gonna find out because I’m going to play the music. And when it up, this is the Sermon on the mic.
Scott Wintrip [41:51]
Well, hello, Scott, it’s big Scott. And, you know, I’m 50 years old. And I’ve seen a lot, and I’ve got some advice for you today. Because you’re 11 years old, you got your whole life ahead of you. And I’ve noticed something I’ve noticed that you say things to yourself. And sometimes they’re positive. And sometimes they’re not. In fact, you’ve got, you’ve got some pretty negative people around you, you’ve got kids in school who pick on you because you’re more of the artistic kind of guy versus the athlete. And you know, that doesn’t float well in these schools that they look at the artists and they look at the the actors like you and the musicians. And that’s not cool. And so you tell yourself things, you tell yourself negative things. And sometimes you tell yourself positive things. And I’m here to tell you that at the age of 50, I know something, and I want you to I want you to take this to heart, I want you to be mindful of every single thing you tell yourself. Because what you tell yourself, it’s exactly what’s going to happen. See, when I told myself I could write a book, and I could land several deals. And and I could, you know, get a book deal and have a book published and have it be a best seller in a couple categories with a big publisher like McGraw Hill, that’s exactly what happened. When I told myself I could form a business and have it be successful. That happened when I told myself that I could serve companies across the globe, it happened. But also I’ve taught myself things that I couldn’t do. And I was right about those every single time. So I want you to tell yourself, you can because when you you do, you’re right. And be Be careful with the Kant’s. Because if you do that, you’ll be right about that as well. You are a powerful person, you and every other human being out there, you are here for a reason. And you just need to find that reason. And so make it a journey. You know, tell yourself you can do things, try out different things. And and start noticing what you’re passionate about. And and be mindful what you say what you say is what you become Scott Wintrip. And if you say positive things, positive things are going to happen. And you know what, here’s the other thing, it’s probably the most important thing I’m going to tell you. And that is I was told at one point, I’m not responsible for my first thought, but I am responsible for my next action. And at the age of 50, my thinking is stinking sometime. So my first thought is negative. It just happens. I think it’s human. Everybody I know does this. So know that you’re not responsible for the first thought you may tell yourself you can’t or you shouldn’t or you’re not worthy. You know what, you don’t have to stick with that thought you can actually change it. You can say, yeah, I’m not listening to that. I’m going to go do this, because I believe I can keep in mind you’re not responsible for the first thought you are responsible for your next action. And if you do that your life is going to turn out well, because mine sure has. And I’m glad I got that advice. And I’m really glad I can share it with you.
David Ralph [44:52]
I’ll tell you well, if I could send you back in time to have a word with my younger self as well. I think that is what I want to hear is so powerful and so many levels. Scott, what is the number one best way that our audience can connect with you, sir.
Scott Wintrip [45:05]
So if they go to my book, website, high velocity, hiring calm, people can learn about the book. It’s available now from all of your favorite booksellers across the globe. From there, I would encourage you click on the the upper part of the website to resources and there’s tons of resources. I’m an active blogger podcaster lots of videos more about to come out. And all of those resources are absolutely free.
David Ralph [45:28]
We will have all the links on the show notes to make it as easy as possible for everyone. But Scott Wintrip, thank you so much for spending time with us today and joining up those dots and please come back again when you’ve got more dots to join up because I do believe that by joining up the dots and connecting our past is the best way to build our futures Scott Wintrip. Thank you so much.
Scott Wintrip [45:46]
Thank you, David and thank you for this service that you give to the people who listen.
David Ralph [45:52]
Scott Wintrip from Florida recording as the hurricane was starting to come his way he wasn’t sure where it was going the hit him or pass by whatever. But of course we wish him all the safety everybody out there at the moment that’s struggling with the storms. Be safe, be safe, and don’t be stupid. And for all of you guys listening to these shows as well, you know, be be safe with your thinking. But don’t be too safe with your thinking. You know, as Scott Wintrip was saying, take risks and be creative and enjoy yourself. It’s it’s your life. I probably I do I cannot say the same thing every single episode. But that’s the whole vibe of join up dots the fact that one episode, you’re listening to one episode and it will hit home. And that will be the moment that’d be the key to the door. But we’ll start you thinking about actually, Am I safe being at work or am I safer going for it and you don’t have to go through it all overnight. You can just sort of work towards it, create some income and build up your competence and stuff but certainly it’s a much nicer life. Once you do. Thank you so much for listening to join up dots I really do appreciate everybody who contacts us leads ratings and reviews and everything that sort of helps grow the show. We couldn’t do it without you and until next time we’ll see you again
Outro [47:08]
David doesn’t want you to become a faded version of the brilliant self you are wants to become so he’s put together an amazing guide for you called the eight pieces of advice that every successful entrepreneur practices, including the two that changed his life. Head over to join up dots.com to download this amazing guide for free and we’ll see you tomorrow on join up dots.
