The extremely high stakes of recruiting can sometimes compromise the values that coaches profess to teach: honesty, integrity, and loyalty. As expectations continue to rise and job security decreases, coaches in recent years have been more susceptible to temptations of dishonesty and disloyalty to win recruiting battles and achieve success at all costs.
There is a line between ethical and unethical recruiting. Colleges have strict guidelines as to how often coaches can contact recruits. You should set yourself a standard for recruiting as well. It will help you maintain the integrity of your business in the face of the people.
Cheerleader A verbally committed to compete with her area’s top all-star gym after she had received a "text" during a competition. The top gym offered her a free uniform and a complimentary hotel pass for two competitions if she would leave her local gym. The local gym in turn upped the ante. She was promised a "flyer" position, front for the dance and front placement for the cheer segment. She also was to receive free tumbling class and her monthly gym fees were discounted by 50%.
As cheerleader A is promised an increase in chance of receiving an athletic scholarship or cheer scholarship money, increased chances of acceptance to different colleges, increased front row exposure, lower expenses and costs … after both gyms had nothing left to give, Cheerleader A had made a decision to not join either team to which she gave a verbal commitment. She went to a different gym entirely. She was not bound to either gym based on a verbal commitment. She was not pleased with the recruiting game. She was looking for a place to work hard, achieve on her own merit, make friends, have fun and trust the coaches and owners.
To give you an idea of the ethical vs. unethical boundaries in recruiting, there were more than a dozen college football head coaches fired either during or immediately after the 2007 season, including seven with winning records. How do you play a role in your recruiting process?
Honest recruiting is acceptable, underhanded practices and behind-the-back promises are not.
Recruit from your schools and support each other’s endeavors, recruit from your youth leagues and build the next elite athlete, but be ever so careful on your methods of recruiting from other businesses.
Ethical Recruiting Ideas:
- Send promotional postcards to your prospects homes – to draw attention to your facility and teams. There are dozens of advertising ways to attract athletes from other gyms.
- Limit your phone calls to their home. Script your content before you call.
- Make no promises.
- Make no special concessions, gym fees, tumbling fees, free uniforms etc. This will cause irreversible ill-will with your current loyal cheerleaders and parents.
Stay true to yourself, true to your employees and fellow coaches and you will have a winning organization!
