# Ep 299 - Learned Helplessness Is Killing Your Desk

Page: https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-lone-recruiter-6417373/ep-299-learned-helplessness-is-killing-your-desk
Text version: https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-lone-recruiter-6417373/ep-299-learned-helplessness-is-killing-your-desk.md
Podcast: [The Lone Recruiter](https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-lone-recruiter-6417373)
Published: 2026-04-12T22:30:00+00:00
Episode link: https://hellob8h.podbean.com/e/ep-299-learned-helplessness/
Audio file: https://mcdn.podbean.com/mf/web/zxwjswr37rham2ps/Ep_299_-_Learned_Helplessness6jgyq.mp3
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JSON: https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/the-lone-recruiter-6417373/episodes/ep-299-learned-helplessness-is-killing-your-desk
Duration seconds: 472

## Resource

Ever caught yourself saying… “that doesn’t work”? Cold calls don’t work. Ads don’t work. That client will never use us. That candidate will never respond. Or is that just learned helplessness talking? In today’s ep, I break down one of the most dangerous (and common) patterns I see in recruitment — giving up on things that didn’t work before, instead of adjusting and going again. Because the truth is, most of the time it’s not that it doesn’t work… it’s that you stopped too early. Tune in for: 👉 What learned helplessness actually is (and why it’s killing performance) 👉 How it shows up in client development, sourcing, and ads 👉 Why recruiters give up too quickly on high-value opportunities 👉 Simple ways to revisit and rework what “isn’t working” 👉 How to shift from “this doesn’t work” to “how do I make this work?” If you want to improve consistency, open up more opportunities, and stop leaving results on the table then this one’s for you.

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## Transcript

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