Choice and Change

Choice & Change

November 18, 2013Nina KovnerGROW

“Change almost never fails because it’s too early. It almost always fails because it’s too late.”

Seth Godin

 

Choice and Change
Here is the audio version of this post. Background music (snoring) compliments of Zen Louis Kovner. Thanks so much for listening.

I work with small business owners every day, myself included, and one of the themes that runs through nearly all I work with is the challenge of making the choice to make a change. Whether it be a change in systems, strategy, people, resources, planning, whatever. Sounds like a simple theory, but not so simple to commit to and ultimately execute.

One of my favorite Seth Godin quotes is… “You don’t run a punch press or haul iron ore. Your job is to make decisions.”

As a small business, whether it be one person or 10, in order to create awesome and achieve our dreams, we have to get really comfortable with making decisions. And that begins with a choice to do so in order to get the change we are seeking.

We are so good at over complicating things. But it really is as simple as making a choice. If we want to change the outcome of our efforts, we have to look objectively at what choices we are making, every single day.

There is so much freedom that comes when we accept the fact that we have a choice. It also totally freaks people out because when we accept that, all the responsibility for the outcome comes back to us. Ugh!

Here are a few examples I experience on a daily basis, do any of these sound familiar?

  1. You want to increase referrals and you are a service business? Create a referral program and embrace referral platforms such as YELP.

  2. You want to increase holiday traffic and reservations, try an inbox marketing campaign like my buddy Benjamin Jay did at the Hair Loft ltd (check out our Facebook chat about it from November 11th)

  3. You want to have a happy, healthy culture? Get rid of the bullies and tantrum throwers.

  4. You want to get out from the day-to-day and begin to work on your business vs. in your business? Begin making the decisions today that will allow you to transition from worker to leader.

  5. You want to build relevant social platforms? Wake up a half hour earlier, stay up a half hour later, or find someone in your world who is passionate about it and create meaningful content, and share it.

  6. You want more time to do the things you love? Make time. It’s a choice.

So I could go on and on, but I think you get the point. We all have the power to make choices. The key is in making the decision to choose the action that will ultimately get us to the result and change. I see it every day. It’s not easy, but it can completely change the way you lead and manage your business, and in the end, help you create more awesome.

(shared with LOVE from Nina)

Blame

The Blame Game

September 23, 2013Nina KovnerGROW

“Stop pointing fingers and placing blame on others. Your life can only change to the degree that you accept responsibility for it.”

Steve Maraboli

 

Blame(image via Google)

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

Many of us are guilty at one time or another of pointing the finger. I know I have.

The same energy that goes into blaming the world for our problems can also be used to take responsibility, make different choices and make a difference. Yes, I know, it seems a little tough love ish and it is.

As the awesome Jim Rohn famously said, “If you don’t like how things are, change it. You are not a tree.”

When we blame others, we give up our power. When we take responsibility & action, we become empowered.

If you do not have the clients you wish you had, instead of blaming the owner, the location, the manager, or the economy, use that energy to learn, build and grow.

If you are not happy with the performance of your team; educate them, inspire them, coach them, love them or remove them.

If you are not as profitable as you want to be, take the time to look at your P & L, your biz model, your marketing plan and your culture. Blaming the salon down the street, or even worse, the industry as a whole, is a waste of time and energy.

Blaming an industry, a company or a generation for your problems is not going to get you any closer to your dreams. Just as blaming your boss for your unhappiness or lack of clients is not going to bring you more clients or make you happier.

As the dreamy Don Draper (of Mad Men) said, “If you don’t like what’s being said, change the conversation.” Life becomes so much more awesome when we realize that we have the power to choose our realities.

We can choose to point the finger or create awesome. The best news of all, it’s a choice.

(shared with LOVE from Nina)

Leading With Love + Awesomeness

September 16, 2013Nina KovnerGROW

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.

Jim Rohn

 

Love Me(image via Redboy)

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.

(shared with LOVE from Nina)

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)

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)