Planning for Your Best Year Ever in 2026
The ‘Atomic’ Approach
–A Six Part Series–
Part Five
by
Bob Marshall
December 23rd, 2025
The Central Theme Behind What We Do
At TBMG, International, we live by a simple philosophy: the classics of recruitment success never change. They may evolve with the times, but the core principles remain. If you share that belief, you’ll fit right in.
We follow the Golden Circle:
We treat this business as a Process, not a Series of Events
Why we do what we do:
We believe timeless recruitment principles drive consistent results. Those who embrace these principles achieve more, and we encourage you to do the same.
How we do what we do:
We repeat and reinforce these classic principles regularly until they become second nature for the recruiters we coach.
What we do:
We provide expert, affordable coaching, training, and proven recruitment tools—and we make sure our recruiters know how to use them consistently.
We believe in the Partnership Approach:
We focus on the Knowledge Deficiencies
You focus on the Execution Deficiencies
Part Five – A S.M.A.R.T. Way to Write Goals & Objectives
Great recruiters don’t drift into big years.
They design them.
One of the most reliable tools we have for turning intention into execution is S.M.A.R.T. goal setting. While it’s not new, it remains as relevant today as ever—especially in a profession where activity, focus, and follow-through determine who bills and who burns out.
Where SMART Came From (and Why It Still Matters)
The SMART acronym first appeared in the November 1981 issue of Management Review in an article titled:
“There’s a S.M.A.R.T. way to write management goals and objectives.”
The authors—George Doran, Arthur Miller, and James Cunningham—weren’t writing for recruiters specifically, but their framework fits our business perfectly. Recruiting is measurable. It’s deadline-driven. And success depends on clarity, not wishful thinking.
Over forty years later, SMART remains powerful because it forces discipline—something many recruiters say they want, but few consistently apply.
Let’s break it down through a recruiter’s lens.
S – Specific
Vague goals produce vague results.
“Have a good year,” “do more searches,” or “make more calls” are not goals—they’re hopes.
Specific means being exact:
- What exactly do you want to achieve?
- In what market?
- With which type of client?
- Doing what activities?
Instead of:
❌ “Increase my billings”
Try:
✅ “Bill $500,000 in retained executive search fees in the manufacturing sector.”
Clarity sharpens focus. Focus drives behavior.
M – Measurable
If you can’t measure it, you can’t manage it—or improve it.
Recruiting is a numbers business, whether we like it or not. Calls made. Conversations held. Job orders secured. Candidates submitted. Placements closed.
Breaking goals into measurable components does two things:
- It makes progress visible.
- It removes emotion from performance.
Charts, scorecards, and daily activity sheets aren’t punishment—they’re feedback. And feedback is how professionals get better.
A – Attainable
Stretch goals are healthy. Fantasy goals are destructive.
Attainable doesn’t mean “easy.” It means possible given:
- Your experience
- Your market
- Your desk structure
- Your available time and resources
A first-year recruiter setting a $1 million billing goal without the activity base to support it isn’t being ambitious—they’re setting themselves up for frustration.
The best goals push you slightly beyond your comfort zone, not into denial.
R – Relevant
This is the most overlooked letter in SMART.
Ask yourself: Why does this goal matter?
- Does it align with the life you want?
- Does it support your long-term professional objectives?
- Does it move the needle—or just keep you busy?
Busy recruiters confuse motion with progress. Relevant goals force you to prioritize what actually produces fees, not what merely fills the day.
If a goal doesn’t support your “why,” it won’t survive pressure.
T – Timely
Goals without deadlines quietly die.
Timely means installing realistic but firm timeframes:
- Daily
- Weekly
- Monthly
- Quarterly
- Yearly
Deadlines create urgency. Urgency creates action.
That said, flexibility matters. Markets shift. Searches stall. Clients delay. The deadline may move—but the goal remains in view.
Professional recruiters manage time instead of letting time manage them.
A Short Story from the Desk
Years ago, I coached a recruiter who insisted his goal was to “work harder this year.”
We rewrote it.
Instead, he committed to:
- 40 targeted marketing calls per day
- 10 hiring manager conversations per week
- 2 new job orders per month
- With a clear 12-month billing target tied to those activities
Nothing magical happened overnight.
But six months in, he looked at his numbers and said something I’ve heard many times since:
“For the first time, I can see exactly why I’m winning—or losing—each week.”
That year, he didn’t just work harder.
He worked smarter.
And he billed more than he ever had before.
That’s the power of SMART goals when they’re taken seriously.
Next Week: Part Six – The Yearly 6 Essentials
Pointed in Approach. Precise in Delivery.
Bob Marshall began his recruiting career over 45 years ago at MR in Reno, NV. In 1986 he established The Bob Marshall Group, International, where he has trained recruiters throughout the United States and also in the United Kingdom, Malta and Cyprus. With a dedication to executive recruiting, he continues to offer his proven training systems to individuals, firms, and private corporations both domestic and in select international territories. To learn more about his activities and descriptions of his products and services, contact him directly @770-898-5550/470-456-0386(m); bob@themarshallplan.org; or visit his website @ www.TheMarshallPlan.org.