What does it mean to bleed orange? If you still aren’t sure you should meet Mark Morris, a recruiter-turned-coach who has made BIG plays on our team during his 2 years at Kinetix. Mark brings a unique pop of flavor to the Kinetix Kool-Aid every day by flipping the script on old-school recruiting practices. We sat down with him to hear more about how he takes our Passion & Innovation factor to a whole new level on his team.
What does passion mean to you and how do you apply that definition in your interactions with candidates, clients, and coworkers?
“My favorite definition of passion comes from the Urban Dictionary, which says ‘Passion is pouring more energy into something than required.’ Passion is about more than just enthusiasm or excitement – it’s when ambition manifests itself as an action so that you can pour as much of your heart, mind, soul, and body into something as possible. By that definition, I am very passionate about recruiting, coaching, and, most importantly, Kinetix.”
You were recently promoted after only working at Kinetix for a short time – can you tell me about your new role and how you use your invaluable talents to direct your team?
“I was recently promoted to the recruiting coach role where I get to lead a team of 8 awesome recruiters. Our team is so bright and collaborative that we call ourselves the ‘A-Team.’ But the leader-as-coach model we practice at Kinetix is one of the many things that drew me to the company. Changing the title from manager to coach creates a major mind-shift that changes the team dynamic from a one-way communication to an open, two-way, conversation.
In my Pre- K or before Kinetix days, the company that I worked for sent me to a year-long training program that focused on Organization and Relationship Systems Coaching (ORSC). I combine what I learned during that experience and the skills that I gain every day at Kinetix to help me be the best recruiting coach I can be for my team.”
So, what’s your secret Mark – how do you bring innovation to the recruiting process every day?
“I believe that innovation is finding new ways to do things. This doesn’t mean that it has to be a large idea, it could just be a small tweak to something we already do. I stay innovative by embracing an open mind and using my natural sense of curiosity to question the status-quo. Those two attributes drive my constant need to find new and better ways to do things. Another driving factor is that I’m not afraid to try new things and eliminate processes that aren’t moving us forward.”
If you had a superpower, what would it be?
“My superpower would be the ability to build commitment and excitement around a common vision, while also showing people how their work contributes to that unified purpose. In reality, I like to think that I’m uniting my passion for the industry and that specific superpower to help my team and I step into the best versions of ourselves throughout every interaction we have – whether it’s with each other, our peers, our candidates, or our clients.”