The challenge of leadership is to be strong, but not rude; be kind, but not weak; be bold, but not bully; be thoughtful, but not lazy; be humble, but not timid; be proud, but not arrogant; have humor, but without folly.
Here is the audio version of the post. Thanks so much for listening. Enjoy.
My religion is love. My life is love. My passion is love. And this does not mean that I do not get worked up, angry or grumpy. I am all of those things at times, but choose to focus on what’s good.
So what gets my blood boiling? Glad you asked. Lame leadership. Here’s the deal. Not everyone is meant to be a leader. And that is OK. We need followers too. Followers are very important, without them, we cannot create awesome in our business.
I continue to see frustrated owners, resentful team members and turnover continues to be a huge challenge in the salon biz. One of the reasons for this is leadership. And before you get all worked up, I am not saying team members cannot be jerks, they can, we all can. But at the end of the day, as a leader, its your job to create an environment for growth, to hire the right people and more importantly, to fire the right people.
If you are unhappy with your culture, the energy in your business or a team member, look in the mirror first, then begin to determine who you want on your bus. If you have a team member who is holding you hostage, you have a choice. If you have a team member who is not up to par technically, you have a choice. So it all comes back to you, the leader, and the choices you make.
How do you lead with love + awesomeness?
1. Love Yourself
One of the biggest challenges I see in leaders is their deep insecurities and ego driven leadership style. Guess what guys, this may have worked for you in the past, but in today’s world, it just wont cut it anymore. Love begins with us. Love is an inside job. If you want to be an effective leader, it starts with you. Do the work.
2. Care
OK, so this one may be obvious, but I am talking about really caring. Not just saying you care, but showing it in your actions. If you are not a people lover, you are not a leader. You know the old saying, actions speak louder than words.
3. A Servant’s Heart
The role of a leader is to create an environment for growth. To get the best out of your team. To provide the tools they need to create awesome. And the best way to do this is to have a servant’s heart. Your job is to be of service to your team.
4. Show Up
This one is big. And by showing up, I don’t just mean physically. Be present, be aware, be available, return calls, texts and emails. Spend quality time with your team. They chose you as their leader. Are you showing up for them?
5. Courage
It takes a ton of courage to take responsibility for the lives and careers of others. It takes courage to be able to take ownership of mistakes. It takes courage to have those super tough discussions with people, you know the ones I am talking about. It takes courage to be honest. But all of these things are part of leading with love + awesomeness.
How do you lead with love + awesomeness? I would love to hear your thoughts in the comments or click here to share them with me privately, I’m listening.
(image via Redboy)