Niche: sourcing special operations talent

In this episode, Jeffrey Scott sits down with Christian Ruf, founder of Uncommon Elite and former Night Stalker helicopter pilot with the elite 160th SOAR, to break down one of the most impressive first years in recruiting you’ll hear about — 78 placements in 12 months, serving construction, home services, HVAC, fencing, foundation repair, and more. Christian pulls back the curtain on why special operations veterans outperform conventional hires in blue-collar leadership roles, how he’s built a headhunting firm that completes placements in days instead of months, and the lessons that surprised him most about working with small business owners. From defining outcome-based scorecards before you even post a job, to using military-style case studies as a pre-hire screening tool, this episode is a masterclass in hiring for keeps — not just filling a seat. Whether you’re a $5M landscaping company or a multi-location HVAC operator, if you’ve ever struggled to find a strong operations manager, GM, or sales leader, this conversation is exactly what you need to hear.

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