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 Leadership Is Not Just A Job Title 

At Recruitment Agency Expo London 2026, Greg Savage used his session, Failing my Way to Success: Part Two, to reflect on what recruitment leadership really involves. One of the clearest themes was the difference between managing recruiters and leading them. 

In many recruitment businesses, people move into management because they have been successful billers. They know how to win clients, manage candidates and deliver revenue. But leading a team requires a different set of skills. It means setting standards, giving feedback, dealing with difficult conversations and creating an environment where people know what is expected of them. 

Managing Activity Is Only Part Of The Role 

Recruitment managers often spend a lot of time looking at activity, numbers and performance. Those things matter, but Greg Savage made the point that leadership goes further than tracking output.  A manager can monitor calls, meetings and placements. A leader influences how people behave when pressure builds. 

That includes how consultants treat candidates, how they handle setbacks, how they respond to feedback and how they work with each other. 

Teams Watch What Leaders Do 

One of Greg Savage’s strongest points was that teams notice behaviour quickly. They notice what leaders tolerate. They notice who gets challenged and who does not. They notice whether standards apply to everyone or only to some people. This is why leadership consistency matters so much in recruitment. If poor behaviour is ignored because someone is billing well, the message to the wider team becomes very clear. Culture is shaped by daily decisions, not just formal values. 

Why Leadership Can Feel Uncomfortable 

Greg Savage also spoke honestly about how uncomfortable leadership can be, especially for people managing former peers or close colleagues. Recruitment teams are often social, competitive and fast-moving. It can be tempting for managers to avoid difficult conversations because they do not want to create tension. But avoiding those conversations can create bigger problems later. Standards slip, frustrations build and the team begins to lose clarity. Strong leadership is not about being harsh. It is about being clear, consistent and fair. 

Building Better Recruitment Leaders 

The session was a useful reminder that recruitment leadership has to be learned. Being a good recruiter does not automatically make someone a good leader. Agencies need to support managers with the skills to coach, challenge and communicate properly. For recruitment businesses looking to grow, leadership quality will continue to be one of the biggest differences between teams that perform consistently and teams that struggle under pressure.