Yay team!

August 3, 2011 by

Just because a group of people work at the same place doesn’t mean that they’re working “together,” toward the same goals. Successful businesses have strong teams. That’s true whether it’s a department store, your favorite restaurant or a salon/spa. When groups work together, the path is easier and the results are impressive.

There’s more to working as a team than sharing a business address or uniform. Start with these tips, and start reaping the rewards of teamwork:

  1. Everyone’s on the team. You can’t have a team if 80 percent of the staff is on board and a few people aren’t. This isn’t voluntary. The whole staff plays by the same rules. No exceptions. It means that everyone enjoys the good times, too.
  2. All team members have an important role to play. When we start thinking in terms of “star” employees and “everybody else,” we send a message about who’s important to the business. Which employees could your business operate without? The person who handles front-desk and administrative duties? Stylists? Massage therapists? Team members may not play the same functions, but each has a significant role to play. A drummer may not get the same recognition as the lead singer, but the show doesn’t go on until everyone’s on stage. Don’t play favorites.
  3. Great teams have great leaders. The owner and manager are the coach and captain. They must be an example to the team and a source of encouragement and support. Let’s face it, it’s challenging to own and manage a business. Your staff, your team, looks to you for how to act and react, and for how to respond to challenging situations. Make sure you’re giving the right messages, every time.
  4. No team can survive without communication. All you have to do is watch a pitcher and catcher in a baseball game to see how important communication is! You may not have such a complicated set of signs, but constant communication is a must, every day, both formally and casually. Don’t assume your team already knows something – tell them, and tell them again. There’s a reason a coach has locker-room meetings with the team before the game and again at halftime (and that’s in addition to all the communication during the game)! It’s really difficult to over-communicate.
  5. Team members take care of each other. It’s corny, but there truly is no “I” in team. While personal successes and growth should be encouraged, the team should always be shooting for mutual goals. Staff members should be helping one another out and looking for ways to make things go more smoothly for the team. Share concrete examples of how this happens at your business with your staff, and make sure you praise this behavior. Have team goals and be sure to celebrate when they’re met.

Fostering a culture of teamwork is not an simple task. When you do, everything about running your business should be easier and more enjoyable. And that’s a worthwhile goal for everyone.

Filed Under: Business Builders Tagged With: , , , , , , , ,

Leadership and Happiness

August 1, 2011 by

Along with being the leader of a company comes a whirlwind of feelings, and somewhere intertwined in those feelings is happiness. By happiness, I’m referring to the joy one experiences serving as the leader of a company or organization. And the reason I’m focusing on happiness is simple. In the daily process of leadership, happiness can easily get relegated to a “wish I had it” rather than “I gotta have it” feeling. Why be a leader if it doesn’t make you happy? Why put yourself into situations that cause stress, and even extreme distress? Why subject yourself to criticism from those who don’t agree with how you lead?

So where exactly is the happiness part of leadership? The answer is basic: It’s all around you. You’re just too caught up in the decisions, frustrations, challenges, misfires and backfires to see it. You may be questioning your own leadership abilities, or style of leadership, or battling your own leadership blockages, such as fear of confrontation, or the all-time favorite – procrastination. Yes, it’s hard to find happiness in leadership with all this stuff going on around you and inside you.

You’re probably thinking of asking the business gods, “Please send me some leadership happiness – now.” Remember what I wrote earlier – happiness is all around you; you just can’t see it.

Here are some no-compromise leadership strategies to find happiness in the crazy, stressful and wacky world of leadership:

  • It’s really about people:- Numbers just measure your effectiveness as a leader. If your company culture has toxic waste building up, or if it’s in the fiery pits of hell, your numbers will reflect it. Leaders are the keepers and protectors of the company vision. Leaders inspire others to reach their full potential. If you want to find happiness, make paying attention to your people your top priority. Lift your team up and show them the path to that elusive next level that you want to get to. Flip your mental switches to “positive” and sparks of happiness will begin to appear.
  • Celebrate the good: It’s so easy to become consumed with all that’s wrong with your company that it clouds all that’s good about it. Here’s one to start with: If you’re still in business today, your company is surviving in the worst economic times since the Great Depression. Even if your company is struggling, it is alive and functioning. It had a “win” somewhere. Did you celebrate it? An employee rose to the challenge. Did you celebrate it? You made a tough decision. Did you celebrate it? It’s hard for people to step up and make a difference when the leader forgets how to give a high-five or shout out a “woo hoo.” There is happiness occurring all around you. Take the blinders off and celebrate every morsel of it.
  • Get it done: There is something about checking off “big items” on your to-do list. By “big items” I’m referring to those infamous tough decisions that you know must be made but that you avoid, ignore and procrastinate on. It’s hard to find happiness when you’re stressed and agonizing over a tough decision. It’s even worse when you’ve made the decision but refuse to hit the launch button. In almost every case, happiness resides on the other side of tough decisions. Fulfillment is derived from getting things done. Happiness is the glow of fulfillment. Get it done. Be happy.
  • Lighten up: The mood of the leader sets the tone of the entire company. I’ve seen leaders enter a room and instantly fill it with their funk. When you’re in a funk, you bring it with you wherever you go and get it all over everyone else. You can even spread your funk on the phone, in e-mails and in text messages. There are certainly times when leaders need to be serious. But as keeper of the company culture, you need to lighten up to lift your company up. No compromise.
Filed Under: Monday Morning Wake-Up Tagged With: , , , , , , , ,

Don’t get bogged down by poor staff relations!

April 18, 2011 by

Have you ever walked out of a business and felt covered with toxic ooze from the in-fighting among employees? Or by the way the owner clearly favored one staff member over others? Or there was so much gossip and negative chatter that you just wanted to put your hands over your ears and hum so you couldn’t hear it?

Whatever you see and hear in your company, customers are also witnessing. Profitable businesses need staffs where employees are held to equal standards, where gossip isn’t tolerated, and where owners and managers know when to step in to ensure a positive experience for clients.

  1. Be consistent. This is why it’s so important to have an employee handbook, explaining duties, breaks, etc. When it’s in writing, everybody knows what’s expected. Don’t play favorites. Enforce rules consistently.
  2. Keep it about business. Sure, there are employees you like more than others. That’s called human nature. Your employees aren’t necessarily your friends. Evaluate performance based on, well, performance. Whether you like someone’s car, boyfriend or music choices has nothing to do with how they do their job. Unless something personal is interfering with job performance, keep it out of the conversation.
  3. Don’t get dragged into gossip. Almost everybody likes to gossip. It bonds us together as we find common gripes. As the boss you must stay above this to keep your credibility. And when you talk about employees behind their backs, you are not only betraying trust, you are playing favorites. Rise above. When you hear employees gossiping – whether or not you are invited to join in – ask them to stop. Gossiping is a surefire way to breed negativity in your business.
  4. Handle situations as they arise. Yes, it’s easier to “let it slide, just this once.” When you do that, you’re setting a precedent, for that employee and for the rest of the staff. “If I was late last week and it wasn’t a problem, why should it be an issue today?” “If Mary didn’t empty the trash, why are you upset that I’m not doing it?” If you see it and it violates the rules or isn’t up to your standards, say something. Let employees know where they stand.
  5. Know when enough is enough. When you’ve spoken to an employee about rules violations, given written warnings and offered suggestions for improvement, it may be time to consider a separation of employment. Don’t go it alone. Check with an attorney to ensure you’re doing it by-the-book. That’s usually not an easy choice to make. Once it’s done, frequently, the whole staff will breathe a sigh of relief – and you will, too, when you’ve moved on.

A client’s experience is based on more than just the quality of the specific services received. Do everything you can to ensure that the atmosphere in your company is inviting, friendly and welcoming. Difficult conversations should not be held in front of clients. Visiting the salon/spa/medspa is a respite for your customers – give them the peace they desire and deserve by keeping the drama out of your business.

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Put time on your side

March 8, 2011 by

“There are never enough hours in the day.” That’s a thought that most of us have had at one point or another.

Some people never seem to have enough time. They’re always running late, acting as though they’re drowning in mountains of paper or talking about how much they have to do with so little time to do it.

The problem is often managing one’s time. With Facebook, Twitter, the Internet and cell phone plans with limitless minutes, it’s easier than ever to waste time, even while grumbling about being oh-so-busy.

Start taking control of the hours in your day with these time-management tips:

  1. Track your time. Yes, it’s tedious, but for one week write down everything you do in 15-minute increments. Be honest! It’s better to know that Facebook takes up two hours a day, than to wonder where the morning went. Just being aware of how you spend your time is the first step in getting your day more organized – and getting more done with less angst.
  2. Prioritize. Now that you know what you do and how long it takes you to do it, it’s time to decide what’s most important to do. That’s going to be different for everyone, and will vary day to day. Some tasks are urgent and must be completed by a certain date or time. They need to go to the top of the priority list. Others may be delegated to a staff member. And you might even find yourself deleting some items from your to-do list altogether.
  3. Make a list of goals you want to accomplish each day. Just as you would add extra time for a home-improvement project, make sure you schedule a bit more time than you think you need for each task. Things usually take longer than we anticipate. When we are truthful about how long things could take, it is much easier to stay on schedule. You won’t feel behind from the first task.
  4. Plan for the unexpected. Be sure to leave some open space for the unforeseen, such as staff questions or an appointment that runs long. And schedule in a break or two – it’s vital to clear your head, so go for a walk, have lunch, run out for a coffee. You’ll find yourself more focused when you do.
  5. Remember, it’s a process. When you lose track of time or are struggling to finish things up at 10 p.m., it’s easy to give up. Instead, review your day and try to figure out what happened. Maybe you didn’t allow enough time for a job or perhaps a genuine crisis threw your day out of whack. Whatever the cause, don’t beat yourself up. Just keep working on it – tomorrow is another day.
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