The great military strategist Sun Tzu once said: All wars are won or lost before they are ever fought.

Recruiting is not war, but it does feel like a battle.

If you don’t have a plan, you will lose.

However, not all plans are created equal.

Successful recruiters spend time and effort creating and refining an effective strategy that plays to their unique strengths and increases their likelihood of success.

The second way to fail is inconsistent execution.

A plan that you suspend during difficult times isn’t really a plan—it’s just a good intention.

And many hiring managers don’t follow through on their good intentions when things get chaotic.

For example, they set time blocks for proactive recruiting activities, but let them be overrun by the urgency of agents who demand their attention.

I heard this sage advice years ago: You have to be smart enough to develop a plan and stupid enough to follow it.