What If

The Other Shoe

August 26, 2013Nina KovnerGROW

“There is only one thing that makes a dream impossible to achieve: the fear of failure.”

Paulo Coelho

 

What If

Here is the audio version of this post. Thanks so much for listening. Enjoy.

You know the old saying “waiting for the other shoe to drop’? There are several explanations of the origins of this phrase but for the sake of this post, we will say it’s about waiting for something to happen, usually bad. As a person who battles (and wins more every day) with anxiety and panic disorder, I have lived most of my life waiting for the other shoe to drop, particularly when things are going awesome. So let’s just say I have lots of experience with this way of thinking.

Our minds are wonderful, powerful and crazy things you know. And we have the power to choose our thoughts, we had the power all along as we learned in The Wizard of Oz.

As Henri Matisse so famously said…”Creativity takes courage”, and I would add to that, so does creating awesome, starting a small business, running a small business and being a great leader.

What if…
I fail
It doesn’t work
They don’t like it
People hate me
I have a slow day
Nobody comes

What if…
I succeed
It does work
They love it
People love me
I have a busy day
People come

We can go about life, full of fear, waiting for the other shoe to drop or we can turn our fears into fuel, courage, creativity and create awesome. It’s a choice. Choose wisely.

(shared with LOVE from Nina)

One Size Does Not Fit All

August 19, 2013Nina KovnerENGAGE, GROW

The essence of strategy is choosing what not to do.  -Michael E. Porter

Here is the audio version of this post. Thanks so much for listening. Enjoy.

What is YOUR strategy? Sound like a loaded question? It’s not. It’s a question I believe we all need to take time to answer as brand and small biz owners if we are going to be awesomeness creators.

Here is one definition of strategy, and it includes the word ART which I love…
(noun) the art of devising or employing plans toward a goal

One of the important things we do as brand and biz owners is make decisions. And the best way to make good decisions is if we have a clear strategy. When we have clarity, the decisions become easier to make. We know our plan and are clear on the steps we need to take to get closer to our goals.

And strategy can be and needs to be very fluid. Things change, people change, markets change, opportunities change, and thus our strategy will continue to change over time.

So what does all this have to do with the topic, “One Size Does Not Fit All”?

In today’s hyper connected world, we have opportunities to engage and help our community in so many ways. If someone has a question, we all seem to have answers. Yet, there is a very big flaw. And that flaw is how can we really answer a persons question without knowing more about them, their biz and their strategy? You see, one size does not fit all.

Promotional Strategy
Someone asks a question in a Facebook group about Daily Deal platforms and if they are good…
Several people jump into the comments with their “personal” opinion, knowing nothing about the person or business asking the question. How could anyone really answer that question without understanding the goals or promotional strategy of the person asking the question?

Pricing Strategy
A healthy discussion begins about pricing of products and services…
Several people jump into the conversation adamant about what someone’s pricing strategy should be. Really? How can we be so sure without knowing more about the marketing strategy?

Online Marketing Strategy
An expert is at a hair show talking business and a several people ask the “expert” which social platforms they should be on. And the expert actually answers them, very specifically, knowing nothing about their marketing strategy. Really? How in the world does this expert know?

Referral Strategy
A group of small businesses get really mad at YELP and tells all their biz owner friends to avoid it. What an incredible disservice that is. YELP may or may not be important depending on the businesses strategy. And how in the world would that small group of businesses know that? SMH.

You see, one size does not fit all. We must begin to craft our own strategy, not just absorb other people’s.

Can we all learn from each other? OMG yes! One of the most awesome things about the social + digital web is that is has brought us so close together, to be able to help empower and support each other. But at the end of the day, awesome businesses have strategies unique to them. And strategy is an art, just like cutting and coloring hair.

When we have a strategy, making decisions becomes easier. We are clear on what to say yes to, and even more importantly, what to say no to. And that my friends, is where awesomeness creating and real marketing begins.

(shared with LOVE from Nina)

Promises In The Dark

August 12, 2013Nina KovnerENGAGE, GROW

Making promises and keeping them is a great way to build a brand.  -Seth Godin

Here is the audio version of this post. Thanks so much for listening. Enjoy.

Building a brand is no different from building a relationship or a business. So much of it is about trust and trust is born out of promises kept.

The Promises

  • A service and product promises a result.
  • A program promises an action.
  • A friend promises to show up on time, return a call, email or text.
  • A leader promises to lead.
  • A manager promises to manage.
  • A team member promises to do their best work and support the team and vision.

The Brands

  • Starbucks promises an experience.
  • Zappos promises to deliver happiness.
  • Nike promises to just do it.
  • Facebook promises connections.
  • Method promises to clean happy.
  • Passion Squared promises to empower awesome.

We all have so many choices today on which brands, products and services we can engage with. There are thousands of choices of where to eat, get our hair done, shampoo to buy, clothing to wear, TV to watch, website platforms to use, a coach or mentor to work with.

Many of us continue to search for the secret sauce that will magically make our brand, product or service better.

There is no secret sauce, but there is one thing we all can strive for. Having a clear promise and keeping it.

(shared with LOVE from Nina)

She Said. He Said

She Said. He Said.

August 5, 2013Nina KovnerGROW

“The single biggest problem in communication is the illusion that it has taken place.”

George Bernard Shaw

She Said. He Said(Image via Dark Roasted Blend)

Here is the audio version of this post. Thanks so much for listening. Enjoy.
She Said. He Said

One of the biggest opportunities I see for people and businesses to create awesome is communication and managing expectations. Whether it be with our teams, our clients, our partners or our vendors, so much angst and disappointment is caused by a simple lack of communication.

Why am I writing about this? Well, I am in home improvement hell, a place I am all too familiar with, and when I hit a wall, I always take a step back and figure out how things can work better. I am an analyst at heart; of people, of businesses, of systems and processes. I love this shit.

I was also inspired to write about this topic as a few of my clients have been having some bumps in the road with issues surrounding resentful team members, managing expectations and communication. And because my purpose it to help empower the people that I love, this is an area I am passionate about. You can have the best building, artistic techniques, marketing, Facebook page and brochure, but when communications fail and managing expectations goes sideways, so does the business or the relationship.

What does communication and managing expectations mean? Here is my take…

Communication
A two-way sharing of both verbal and non-verbal messages.

Now that sounds pretty easy, right? Well, it’s not. As the quote above says, “the illusion it has taken place.”

Scenario #1
Person One
“You don’t care about me.”

Person Two
“Yes I do.”

Is that communication? Nope. Why? Because Person Two did not really hear what Person One was saying.

Here is another take…
Person One
“You don’t care about me.”

Person Two
“Nina, what I hear you say is that I don’t care about you. And I make up that you are not feeling loved or appreciated by me. What can I do to show you I care?”

Now that my friends, is communication. Both people were heard, both are getting their needs met.

Managing Expectations
Ensuring that the expectations communicated are met. Having full clarity up front as to both parties expectations.

Scenario #1
Person One
“When I interviewed at your salon, you said there would be weekly team gatherings and quarterly education events, neither has happened.”

Person Two
“I never said that. I said sometimes we have team gatherings and education events. I am not sure where you got quarterly from, it’s just not true.”

Ouch!

Here is another take…
Person One
“When I interviewed at your salon, you said there would be weekly team gatherings and quarterly education events, neither has happened.”

Person Two
“What I hear you saying is that connecting weekly and on-going education is very important to you, as is knowing what will be happening consistently within our salon. I hear you, and would like to let you know that we have just put together a calendar that we will be posting in the team lounge. Thank you for sharing your thoughts with me.”

Can you see the difference? Can you feel the difference? I know I can.

When we think about managing expectations, we must remember that just because we think something, does not mean the other person has the same perspective or understanding.

Scenario #2
Person One
“I know you have been very good to me and care about your staff, but I need more flexibility in my schedule and the ability to earn more money.”

Person Two
“Yes, we all want more money. What about all the benefits we invest in and work tirelessly to give you. I am a bit disappointed in your attitude and lack of gratitude.”

Here is another take…
Person One
“I know you have been very good to me and care about your staff, but I need more flexibility in my schedule and the ability to earn more money.”

Person Two
“I hear that what is most important to you is schedule flexibility and making more money and that the benefits we provide are not as important. Does that sound about right?”

This little shift in dialog can open up a healthy, two-way communication that will resolve the issue, by managing expectations and being open, regardless if the team member decides to stay or not, both parties are clear.

One of the biggest mistakes we make is thinking we have communicated or thinking what is of value to us is of value to others. By simply getting clarity around expectations and communication, life (and home improvement projects) can be so much more awesome, for all parties involved.

Oh, and the home improvement debacle, I realized I did not communicate back what I heard my painter say and did not share my expectations clearly enough. I own it and am working to make it better, with the help of some really awesome friends I have. Am I still pissed off? Absolutely, but mostly at myself for not taking the above actions in the beginning of the project. We live. We learn. Awesome.

(shared with LOVE from Nina)