The Difference Between Great Recruiters and Great Leaders | Lily Savage (EP 103)

What separates a great recruiter from a great leader?

In this episode of The 1% Better Recruitment Podcast, I'm joined by Lily Savage, Managing Director for Europe Perm Recruitment at Discover International.

Lily has spent the last 10 years at Discover, joining as employee number six and starting her recruitment career as a trainee before progressing through the ranks to become MD of the European Perm division. We discuss her journey from successful biller to leader, what separates great recruiters from great leaders, and how to build a high-performing recruitment team without losing individuality, culture or accountability.We also get into the changing world of recruitment, from the decline of cold calling and the rise of hybrid working to why picking up the phone and maintaining genuine human relationships could become even more important as technology and AI continue to develop.Topics Discussed:✅ The difference between great recruiters and great leaders✅ Making the transition from top biller to effective leader✅ Building a consistent recruitment process without taking away individuality✅ Why cold calling and human connection still matter in modern recruitment✅ Developing and motivating the next generation of recruiters✅ The mindset, discipline, and belief behind top billers✅ How recruitment leaders can build high-performing, accountable teams⏱️ Timestamps:00:00 – Introduction & welcome02:29 – Lily's 10-year journey at Discover International03:21 – Growing from employee #6 to 100+ people globally04:15 – What makes a great recruiter?06:21 – The transition from recruiter to leader08:33 – Great recruiter vs great leader10:10 – The mindset shift from biller to leader12:05 – Knowing when to get into the weeds14:45 – Managing friends and switching between different leadership hats16:08 – Why leadership intent matters18:16 – Creating a scalable recruitment process20:27 – Building a consistent operating model across different offices22:18 – Why Discover doesn't use scripts24:02 – Giving experienced recruiters freedom to try new things26:37 – Recruitment in 2016 vs 202627:22 – The changing expectations around remote working28:31 – Why cold calling still matters31:32 – Creating a phone-first recruitment culture33:17 – The importance of a high-energy sales floor36:37 – Getting new recruiters up and running38:08 – Keeping trainees motivated40:24 – Lily's first lunch club43:17 – How recruitment can change people's lives46:39 – The habits of top billers49:28 – The importance of belief49:50 – Can belief be developed?51:35 – Advice for new recruitment leaders52:18 – How to get 1% better in recruitment52:32 – Closing thoughts

🐋 Podcast Sponsor – SourceWhaleThis episode is sponsored by SourceWhale, the recruitment productivity platform I personally use and recommend to recruiters and founders.SourceWhale helps recruiters save time across outreach, sourcing, data enrichment, multi-step email and LinkedIn sequences, inbox management and call notes, giving recruiters more time to focus on the human side of recruitment.👉 Book a SourceWhale demo here:https://sourcewhale.com/book-demo/?utm_source=partner&utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign&utm_term=charles_kyriakou&utm_content=book_a_demoMention The 1% Better Recruitment Podcast or my name, Charles Kyriakou, when you book.Connect with Lily:💻 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lily-savage-b4a4b798/Connect with Me:💻 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/charleskyriakou1/📲 TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@charles.kyriakou🌐 Podcast Website: https://www.the1percentbetterrecruitmentpodcast.com/🤖 MILO – Tell Me More: https://ask-milo.com/