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Explore the world of driver recruiting with the Hire Truckers Podcast! Join us as we talk to recruiting experts, offering industry insights, marketing trends, and motivation to enhance your recruiting skills. Whether you're a seasoned recruiter or just starting, our podcast is here to help you level up your game in the trucking industry.
Welcome to the Hire Truckers podcast, where we interview experts in driver recruiting. We provide industry insights, marketing trends, and motivation to help you level up your recruiting game. Welcome to the Hire Truckers podcast. I'm your host, Aaron Craddock. And today, we have Ginger Craddock joining.
Aaron Craddock:She's on the Trucking Clicks and Hire Truckers team. I really appreciate you joining us today, Ginger.
Ginger Graddock:Thank you for having me, Aaron. I'm looking forward to our conversation.
Aaron Craddock:And for a little context, Ginger is also my mom. You know, a lot of people have noticed the last name. And, yeah, she joined our team kind of unexpectedly, like, 4 years ago. She kept asking, hey. How can I help?
Aaron Craddock:And, just kept on handing over different tasks. And one thing I've known, just having, her as a parent over the years is that anything she does, she does with excellence. And and so any role we put her in from client success to more an account executive role, to admin stuff early on, she's just done an incredible job. And, so she's not just on the team because she's family. She's on the team because she does things with excellence.
Aaron Craddock:And then embodies some of our core values like the growth mindset, the giving spirit, and things like that. So anyway, thank you so much for joining today, and I'm excited. We haven't done any shows like this, so far. This is kind of the first one where I'm interviewing someone on the team and then in a few months, we'll have someone on the team interview me. And and our goal today is still as it is any other time.
Aaron Craddock:Like how do we add as much value to fleet executives, owners of fleets, directors of recruiting, managers of recruiting, recruiters. And so that's really our goal today as we chat through things as as we drafted, the questions for this episode. And so really appreciate everybody joining in, and I hope that you all can write down just at least one takeaway from this. Just what's something you can apply, what's something new you learned, that can help in recruiting for your company. The first thing I'll ask Ginger is when did you join, Craddock Holdings and Trucking Clix?
Aaron Craddock:And, yeah, and just walk through, like, how how you got involved.
Ginger Graddock:Sure. Thank you. Thank you for asking, Erin. So I ran my own education business for 14 years. And, Aaron, I remember the first day, you know, we always thought you would be an entrepreneur because you talked about it from a young age.
Ginger Graddock:And so when you finally stepped out and began Craddock Holdings, I was so excited for you to just begin to see your vision come to life. And I know as a business owner how courageous that first step is and how my safety network, as I stepped out and started my business 14 years ago, was really key to my success. One of my most important intents with you was to be that support and encouragement that I felt like as a business owner that sometimes I didn't have. And so genuinely, like you said in the opening, Aaron, I would come to you and I'll go, what can I do to help? What do you need?
Ginger Graddock:How can I encourage you?
Aaron Craddock:Mhmm. Yeah. The, yeah, I thought jumping into the business was gonna be a lot easier than it has been. And, you know, we we've had we've experienced a lot of growth. However, it hasn't been without its challenges over the last last 4 years.
Aaron Craddock:Like, I thought, hey, I'm just gonna step right into this, and it's gonna be this big thing. And, yeah, it's just been been steady growth over the last, 5 years. And and since you've joined, you know, we've grown grown over a 1000%, since you joined 4 years ago. And yeah. And it's just cool to see, where we're headed and the potential, as we continue to grow.
Aaron Craddock:So Yeah. And one of one of the things I appreciate about having you on the team is just your joy and how you embody just one of the things you say is, like, find joy in the journey. And you just encourage people. And I think sometimes people think, like, is this even genuine? And and, you know, I know that it is genuine.
Aaron Craddock:And so with one of our core values being, like, the go giver mindset, I think that find your brand, find joy in the journey, that you've had really, really jives with that and and just our clients feel it and and our different partners. And so what is find joy in the journey, And, where does that kind of stem from?
Ginger Graddock:So early in my life, I just had a great childhood and was just super excited about life and just had great experiences and a great sense of security. And in my early teens, I was hit with a set of circumstances that rocked my world. Involved some health challenges with my dad having multiple sclerosis and realizing that I was gonna lose my dad at a young age. And he by far, is the most influential person in my life just as a young woman and even as an adult woman. And that rocked my world in ways that I couldn't explain.
Ginger Graddock:And then some other hardships unfolded after that, and I was trying to form my world view as a young teenager, as a young twenty something. And I realized life was smacking me down and it was a lot harder than I ever imagined. And so as I began to mature, it's like, how am I gonna find a way through when I feel like I wanna curl up on the ground and just quit? And there was you we're beginning to talk about mental health in this day and time, which was not talked about a lot when I was younger. And I remember I was actually pregnant with you, so I was 24.
Ginger Graddock:I was really young. You were my second child. And I remember thinking, I know this was after my brother was killed in a car wreck. So that sequence with my dad and my brother. And and I was like, I know why people commit suicide was just a thought that went through my head.
Ginger Graddock:And I had the wherewithal to understand how dangerous that was. I I would say just out of god's graciousness and compassion, he helped me understand how dangerous that thought was that flew through my head. And I was like, no. I wanna live. I wanna survive.
Ginger Graddock:I'm gonna find a way through. And so that's where find joy in the journey was birthed and, similarly, it came from my faith. There's a passage in the bible in Philippians. Philippians chapter 4 about joy and resilience just became the framework with how I determined as a 24 year old I was gonna find a way through in life. And so if you know me, you know that find joy in the journey is commingled with deep suffering.
Ginger Graddock:And it's something there's actually a sweetness in the suffering that vets the joy and makes the joy even richer. And, as my dad navigated the health crisis, as my mom navigated the health crisis, and then as they navigated what happened to their only son and we navigated it as a family, I saw the resilience of my mom and dad. And I saw my mom and dad in the struggles choose joy. And so we did that not only as individuals, but we did that as a family. And so my roots are strong and deep and that gave me the resilience as I've encountered things later in life.
Ginger Graddock:And so Find Joy in the Journey, Find Joy Ranch, all the things that I bring in that way, expanding the mountaintop. Like it's about bringing others along with us because life is really hard, but life is really, really good, and we can make life better for ourselves and better for others no matter what comes our way.
Aaron Craddock:Mhmm. Yeah. The the thing that I've learned just through your brand, like, find joy in the journey and is yeah. Just that the joy doesn't come without the hard things, you know, and all the hard things in our life, Like, help us experience that joy and, like, treasure the moment. And I even think to like, this morning, I had an opportunity to go on a hike with my oldest son and yeah.
Aaron Craddock:And and he's he's 4 right now. And, yeah, just seeing the joy that he finds and hitting trees with sticks and throwing rocks down the hill and, you know, the little like, I was feeling like, hey, this isn't a big enough adventure because we're going on the trail right by our house because we we do little adventures every week. But, yeah, just that time and and soaking in the moment. Because I think without those lessons from you and encouraging me and then experiencing my own hard things over the years, like, I wouldn't take the time. Because I was feeling like, have to get here, record this episode, get through different paperwork we're dealing with, like, onboard new business today and work on some presentations and pitches.
Aaron Craddock:And so I was like, I don't I was even thinking this morning, like, I don't have time. I'm like, I can take 30 minutes and find joy in the journey. And then also, you know, I was praying on the way over here just that I'll enjoy the podcast and just have fun because work, you know, doesn't doesn't have to be drudgery. Like, everything we do, there there can be joy in it, like, even the hard things. And so, yeah, I just really appreciate that, and and it just fits really well with, the Cradock Holdings and Trucking Clix just core values of just serving others and having that go giver mindset.
Aaron Craddock:Like like, how do we serve our peers in the industry, our competitors? Like, how do we encourage others, like, regardless of whether or not they can do business with us? And it and it's just cool, just the responses. Like, we even got a response from a from someone yesterday that we've we've had the pleasure of interacting with in the business. And, yeah, and she just said, like, how these interactions with our team are just have changed changed her life and and really impacted her in a big way.
Aaron Craddock:And and those are the things, like, when I wrote the vision for the company 4 years ago or or 3 years ago, the initial vision for Trucking Clicks, it was that we had thank you notes. And, you know, we may have only gotten a handful of handwritten thank you notes, but a lot of times they come in the form of an email or a LinkedIn message where we positively impacted someone, just with our messaging. And Now let's take a minute to thank today's sponsor. Do you hire truck drivers in hard fill areas, or do you need help creating efficiency in your recruiting department? You're not alone.
Aaron Craddock:With 50 plus years experience, Trucking Clix specializes in data driven strategies, industry leading customer experience, and custom solutions that'll get you to your goal. Trucking Clix is your go to place for high quality direct leads at scale. Visit trucking clicks.com or call 512-982-0816 today. So the next thing you mentioned was expand the mountaintop. You mentioned a little bit about that.
Aaron Craddock:I've seen you posting on that on social media. So what is expand the mountaintop?
Ginger Graddock:So it's the next iteration of find joy in the journey. So it's not only about finding a way forward individually, but also how can we bring as many people along as possible with us? And, there is that childhood game where back in the day, it was the kid that could get to the top of the mountain and stay there was the winner. It was kinda like king of the hill, king of the mountain. And then he would try to knock off whoever was at the top of the hill.
Ginger Graddock:Well, my philosophy and my perspective is the world is so much bigger than we imagine and every voice matters and every person has significant value. Please don't curl up on the floor and quit because it's hard. Because we need your voice. We need your talent. We need your expertise.
Ginger Graddock:We need you authentically. You. And so, when I think of climbing the mountain, I think about the people when I was in those early stages that reached a hand back to me. And actually, in every point of life, every point of your career, there are people if you're looking for who's ahead of you, they'll reach a hand back and they'll help you climb. And then there are those who are climbing with you along the way.
Ginger Graddock:And this can be in business. This can be in marriage. This can be in family and parenting. It can be in the community doing things in the world. And so there are those that are climbing right along side of us at the same time.
Ginger Graddock:We're encouraging them. They're encouraging us. And then what a privilege, no matter where you are in your climb or your growth, there's always somebody a step or 2 behind you that you can reach back and help them climb. Well, this concept of climbing with those that are ahead of us, those that are with us, and those that are behind us is for all of us to reach the top of the mountain. And as we reach the top of the mountain, the top of the mountain actually expands to make more room for more people.
Ginger Graddock:And so I find that to be true about joy. I find that to be true about leadership and development. And the more people we can bring along with us and be a part of that, the more joy we have and the more growth and expansion that we have. So I really believe the top of the mountain grows to accommodate those, that we're making the journey with.
Aaron Craddock:Mhmm. The, so specifically thinking just of our audience of of people in the industry and fleet executives and director of recruiting, like, what what is some tactical way they can find joy in the journey on a daily basis?
Ginger Graddock:So I think, practically, what has been super helpful to me is be careful, little eyes, what you see. Be careful, little ears, what you hear. I am intentional about what I watch. I am intentional about what I listen to. It has taken me more effort to be aware of what I'm feeling internally.
Ginger Graddock:And so, when I identify I'm sad or I'm struggling or I'm joyful, then strategically selecting what to watch and what to listen to and just what to what relationships to feed my spirit with. That's the most helpful thing that I could say to anyone in leadership, anyone in recruiting, any executives, it is the intention with, with the information that we digest.
Aaron Craddock:Mhmm. Yeah. I really like that. So the practical application is just being really intentional about what you consume. It's kinda ironic because I'm in marketing and advertising, on the driver recruitment side that I don't consume a lot of social media.
Aaron Craddock:I don't watch much television. I mean, very little. And I try to be a producer, not a consumer. And if I do consume, when I do consume, just, which sometimes I fall short on. But as much as much as possible, like, being very selective of is this encouraging, is this propelling me towards my goal, are the people I'm listening to, are they ahead of me in some area I'm aspiring to grow in?
Aaron Craddock:So, like, are they, you know, more mature in their faith, or are they healthier, or are they, you know, further along in business? And then how do I get around those people? And and because, you know, one thing you hear all the time is, like, you're the average of the 5 people that you're around. And so you're you're a product of what you consume, and then you're a product of who you're around because that's also consumption. Like, in hearing from them and whether or not they speak into your visions and your goals or or they say, well, you can't do that.
Aaron Craddock:So, yeah, I really like that tactical, advice.
Ginger Graddock:May I share another piece along that line?
Aaron Craddock:Uh-huh.
Ginger Graddock:In addition to what we consume, I have found that it's also been necessary to build in white space and quiet space. And so that intentionality does one of is one of the most helpful things for me to process challenges, problems, for me to renew, for me to be creative. It's interesting how silence and quiet you you mentioned a walk with your son, Aaron, a hike. Every single day, we live on a ranch. Carl and I live on a ranch.
Ginger Graddock:Ironically, it it not so ironically, but you will expect it. It's Fine Joy Ranch. Every morning, I have a ranch helper, especially when I travel. But every morning, I go and I muck the horse stalls. And just that practical, physical, manual labor.
Ginger Graddock:And it there's quiet, but then there's the sounds of nature around me. So that intentionality to do some physical labor actually vets and works out any tension or strain. It helps me sort out my thoughts. It helps me renew my heart and my emotions. And so, in addition to what we consume, I would say being intentional about creating quiet, quiet space and creating physical actions that are measurable.
Ginger Graddock:A lot of what we do as executives and as recruiters can be like the the spinning wheel. Are we really getting anywhere? And so the manual labor and that physical nature of that daily task just really helps renew my spirit and my heart. So I wonder what that is for each person out there. Would it be a walk with a child?
Ginger Graddock:Would it be a bike ride? Would it be reading a book quietly? So find your thing that kinda renews you in that quiet space.
Aaron Craddock:Mhmm. Yeah. And I think those two recommendations fit together. So it's like watch what you consume, therefore you can cut cut out some consumption. Just where where can I where am I mindlessly consuming content that may not be constructive for me?
Aaron Craddock:Whether that's TV, whether that's social media. And then when you cut that out, because you have to fill the time with something, like planning ahead of time, okay, I'm gonna cut out an hour of this, and then I'm gonna plan in quiet time or gym time or a hike or extra time with family, because, yeah, I have to have that as well. And so we we have a rest day every week. And so we we typically take Saturdays as a family, and we try not to go anywhere or do anything and just, yeah, spend time as a family, spend quiet time individually. Like, even our 4 year old will go in his room for 2 hours and spend quiet time and and just have that headspace, to think and reflect.
Aaron Craddock:And I remember when I first started that, because we we re reinstituted that maybe 6 months ago, and I felt like I was supposed to be doing stuff. I was like, what it like, what? I I need to be doing this. I need to be doing this. I need to be doing this.
Aaron Craddock:Just because I, you know, naturally can get in a pattern of where I'm wired from just task to task to task, meeting meeting to meeting. And so I think, yeah, marrying those two things together that you just mentioned of specifically the cutting out, like, what can you cut out and then what can you add in? Then that enables, you know, finding more of that joy. So specifically, what have you been growing in? Because growth growth mindset is one of the things we talk about in this podcast and encourage others in.
Aaron Craddock:And what's an area you've been growing in in the last year? What's something you're learning?
Ginger Graddock:Part of the demands in the role that I've stepped into have been outside of my comfort zone. And some personal development things for me have been that I speak with more directness, that I'm more clear and concise in my communication because I've spent most of my life with that warm, friendly, deep south banter that I love that's part of who I am. In business, sometimes that can be misread that I'm maybe unsure or not confident. And and so it's been interesting. The perception has been sometimes some feedback that I've gotten is that maybe I'm passive or I lack confidence.
Ginger Graddock:And so I that is not something that I would self identify that I would lack confidence or not be clear on where I'm going. And so just getting kind of a 360 degree perspective from those around me because the person that I look at in the mirror every day is the person that requires the most work. That's also the person that I'm most blind to. So it takes the input of those around me to help me continue to grow in the substantive ways that I wanna grow. And so out of that 360 degree feedback, it came that that insight, which I I didn't see that for myself that it was being interpreted that way.
Ginger Graddock:And so to be more clear, concise, and direct in my communication, and not give people an out, well, if you want to. Because that it just wasn't translating right in business.
Aaron Craddock:So continuing on that growth mindset trajectory and and on those around those concepts, one of the things I've heard you talk about, like, a story you told me when we were doing the pre call, planning was around, like, putting your face in the water. And so, yeah, explain that because I think that kinda touches on adversity that we face in in in the transportation industry. So what what is putting your face in the water?
Ginger Graddock:So, thank you for that question. So vision and adversity and turmoil in the market all go together. And the face in the water story is I had a vision and an aspiration to do a sprint triathlon. So started out with the running, almost quit, but kept going. How to you know, it was who you surround yourself with keeps you going.
Ginger Graddock:And so, I kept going, I got the run down, I got the cycling down, but my coach noticed that when we were training in the water, little fact, I didn't learn to swim properly as a kid. So, I'm 44 years old with other adults in the pool at 5 in the morning, and they're all doing laps. And the coach realizes after several sessions that I'm struggling to put my water my face in the water, and I'm spurtin' and sputtering. And he said, Hey Ginger, why don't you come over here in the deep end in the shallow end and get on your knees and just practice putting your face in the water until you get comfortable? Now, the amount of courage that that took and the amount of humility that that took is I so had a vision that I wanted to do a sprint triathlon.
Ginger Graddock:I was willing to be the adult woman that was 44 years old that went in the shallow end of the pool, and I practiced putting my face in the water like a child. And I literally would put my eyes and my mouth and my nose in, and I would instantly jerk back and spit and sputter. And it it took longer than you would expect for me to be able to relax and actually keep my face in the water and not spit and sputter. And, can I tell you, I've completed a handful of sprint triathlons and my swim is still ugly? I have a buddy that always swims with me.
Ginger Graddock:I know, I know I'm not going to drown. Like, I've never been afraid of drowning. I know I'm not going to drown. But I just don't put my face in the water really well. But, I do much better than I used to.
Ginger Graddock:And so, it's that incremental progress. And so, what learning to put my face in the water taught me, is that if you have a clear vision and you're committed to it, you will do whatever it takes to do the sprint triathlon, to climb the mountain. And all of that was done with these principles of, I had to first look in the mirror and go, what do I need to do? But remember that part where I shared with you, we don't see ourselves objectively? I knew I was spitting and sputtering, but I didn't know what step to take.
Ginger Graddock:But my coach, who was also a children's pastor, said, hey, Ginger. Come over here next to me and practice putting your face in the water. And then I had a friend who said, hey, Ginger. I'll swim with you and I won't leave you. She was the fastest female swimmer, and she said, hey, Ginger.
Ginger Graddock:For my race, I wanna swim next to you and I won't leave you. And I'll keep you on and and so she each of my sprint triathlon, she has swam next to me and encouraged me, and we have deepened our friendship and made the best memories imaginable. And she taught me a lot through that.
Aaron Craddock:Mhmm. That's good. Whenever you're bumping up against something and you're like, I keep struggling with this. I can't get it done. It's just put your face in the water.
Aaron Craddock:Get it done. Step into it. Little steps. It's not gonna be perfect. There's just so much gold there.
Aaron Craddock:Yeah. Well, thank you so much. We're getting near the end of our time. Is there anything else I should have asked that I didn't ask that you wanna share with our audience?
Ginger Graddock:I appreciate the conversation today. I think what I'd like to leave each one of you that are listening with is your voice matters. The vision that you have for yourself and for your family matters. Find whatever anchors you and propels you forward. And if you need encouragement, direct message me, reach out to me, whatever, because your story matters.
Ginger Graddock:And I wouldn't be where I am without the people that took the time to invest in me and continue to invest in me. And the greatest opportunity I have now is to help expand that mountain top and encourage others to climb and be successful and do the things that you're called to do. So so many good things going on in the world right now. And when I'm out in the real world, I see the good things. So turn off the yucky noise and turn up the volume on the good stuff.
Aaron Craddock:I love it. Well, thank you so much. Thank you so much, Ginger, for joining us today, and I hope everyone has a great week. Thank you for joining us today. Our goal with the Hire Truckers podcast is to provide industry insights, marketing trends, and motivation to level up your recruiting game.
Aaron Craddock:If we added value, take a few seconds to share this with your network. Have a great week.