Many founders in the Staffing Sector have spent at least the last nine months in active, hands-on recruitment roles, personally generating revenue, often in healthy competition with their fellow consultants. It is as admirable as it is impressive, even if it is driven by tactical necessity - i.e. cash!

 As 2026 draws closer, these businesses may benefit from the leadership playing in a slightly different position in this last quarter. Now I love an analogy and for me, if I haven’t lost you already, when I think of this phenomenon, I always visualise, the “line of scrimmage” in American football; a game which is typically quite a drawn-out spectacle, littered with razzmatazz, but at times a thrilling derivative of rugby. At the start of each play, team members crouch next to each other, forming an “offensive line” across the pitch, facing the “defensive line” of the opposition. Now visualise the leader positioned front and centre in that line, shoulder to shoulder with their fellow team mates, leading from the front and inspiring those around them. While this might play to the strengths of the individual and leading from the front is the typical, instinctive default of natural leaders, the reality is that it will only generate progression of one or two yards down the pitch as the two lines of superhuman muscle collide in a crunching collapse of shoulder pads and testosterone.

 Time for the Quarterback to step up. The Quarterback’s role is to read the game and execute strategy for the benefit of the whole team. They take receipt of the ball in a move known as “the snap” and they immediately take three to five steps back from the action. This movement is crucial as it buys them critical seconds to assess the play and movement on the pitch before they are consumed by the rampaging, marauding defensive raiders. In that time, the Quarterback can observe their own “receivers” running elaborate lines to the left and right of the field and then execute the pass that could take their team at least 20, or 30 yards down the pitch. A far more rewarding progression and far better viewing!

 The highlight here is that the whole team benefits from the leadership periodically taking a purposeful and deliberate step back from the coalface, taking time to think objectively and assess the opportunities that will progress them all towards their collective “touchdown”. In our commercial world this “Quarterback” pivot does not have to be permanent and it’s certainly not a binary move, but Q4 presents a timely platform for the leadership to invest the time to assess objectively what’s worked, what hasn’t and uncover the prospects, the people, the catalysts and the investments that will advance the whole team down the pitch in the coming year and beyond.

 Recruiters for the most part have battled hard yards this year, as well as last. In the final quarter of the year, leaders can offer their team more of a contribution than purely a good personal billing month. Carve out some space in Q4, step back into it and invest the time with your key players designing some game changing plays for 2026 – it’s so close.

 In the image above, the good looking guy on the right is John Elway, one of the finest Quarterbacks of all time.