Staying Up When It's Down

Even as an adult I love using my hands and feet to keep a balloon from touching the ground.

That’s what helping your colleagues is like when the market is down.

If you’re in recruitment long enough, this will end up being part of your reality.

So, how do we keep the team from becoming a bunch of deflated balloons?

Honestly, it starts with removing the bullshit and being straight up (no one’s ever been truly inspired by a picture of a mountain with the word Perseverance under it).

Being real, staying connected, just being there—that’s what works.

1. Start with Connection

We’re humans, not productivity machines.

If someone’s looking down or distracted, don’t assume they’ll snap out of it. Have a chat—an actual one, not a drive-by “How are you?” next time you see them.

I’ve lost count of the number of times I’ve heard “I’m fine” when they clearly aren’t.

If I’m genuinely concerned, I might throw in, “What’s been a highlight of your week so far?” That’s usually an easy way to start on a positive and help them open up.

Spoiler: the highlight was their kid hugging them or a TikTok they saw. Very rarely has it been work-related.

2. Wins Matter (Even the Small Ones)

The market’s tough, and some days feel like a never-ending loop of rejection emails and ghosting candidates. If we only celebrate the big wins, we’ll be waiting a while.

So, we call out the little wins too.

• Got a client to reply in under two weeks? That’s a win.
• Finally placed that candidate who’d been “thinking about it” for three months? That’s a win.
• Survived a 45-minute Zoom call with a client who still uses Internet Explorer? Massive win.

It’s not about lowering standards; it’s about keeping momentum. A win is a win, and if we ignore them, the team will stop seeing progress altogether.