Engagement header

6 Thoughts On Engagement

March 16, 2015Nina KovnerENGAGE, GROW

The leaders who get the most out of their people are the leaders who care most about their people.  – Simon Sinek

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

I got an awesome question from an awesome human on the Passion Squared Facebook page and it inspired this post. Thanks so much Nate for inspiring me to share my thoughts on the topic of engagement.*

In working with my clients, whether it’s my one on one clients or my awesome A School group, this is often a topic of discussion. And as one who has developed and lead teams as well as grown communities on social platforms, I am passionate about this topic as well.

Why? Because I believe many of us have challenges when it comes to engagement of people, teams or even social platforms and we know we can do better.

First, lets define engage:

Engage (verb aka action word)
to get and keep (someone’s attention, interest, etc.)

Now how in the heck do we do that? Get and keep someone’s attention and interest?

Listen
Ahhhhh, the old listening trick, works every time if we actually do it. And I mean really listen. Not with the intent to respond, but to show me, through your actions, that you are really listening and I am really being heard.

Be Honest
Having loving, courageous conversations are tough for many. But without them, we cannot nurture and grow ourselves or expect to nurture, grow and engage others.

Understand Me
As the great Stephen Covey taught us in 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, “Seek first to understand.”

Be Human
Authenticity is the old, new and future black. If you want me to be engaged, than I want you to be real. I can see right through your “status quo” verbiage.

Show Up
Trust is possibly one of the most important elements of an engaged team or community. And trust is bread through promises kept. We must never get so “busy” in the mundane day to day that we forget an important part of leadership: showing up and being fully present.

Care
Like really really care. I know, we all say we care. But humans can tell if that is true or not. From our words, actions, promises kept, all of it. Just like Simon Sinek shares in the opening quote.

Choosing to lead a team, a community or a company is an awesome responsibility that takes a huge, selfless commitment. And it’s not for everybody.

If you are feeling challenged by your team, your community or your social platforms and not feeling they are engaged, take a look at this list, and in the mirror.

Lastly, two of my go to people on leadership are Simon Sinek and Marcus Buckingham. My go to humans on engagement are Brian Solis and Gary Vaynerchuk. All of these awesome, passionate and smart humans have tons of content online from books, to talks to blogs and more. I highly recommend them.

Love + Awesomeness-

Nina

*Edited blog post, originally published 3/16/15

The Wake Up Call

October 6, 2014Nina KovnerENGAGE, GROW

The Universe is not short on wake up calls. We are just quick to hit the snooze button.   -Brene Brown

 

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

Many of us have had them. Some of us don’t know we have. And some of us just hit the snooze button when they happen.

Wake up calls happen all the time, in business and in life. The opportunity for us is to listen for them and to them, if we want to create an awesome biz + life.

Wake Up Call #1
A few team members are asking for raises all within a few days of each other. To me, that is a sign of something deeper. Meaning, it’s time to connect with those team members to see where they are in their career and life. Something is behind the desire for a raise. What is it?

 Wake Up Call #2
A slew of social posts about a particular company seem to be gaining momentum and people are just not happy. Will that be a wake up call, or is that company not even listening?

Wake Up Call #3
People begin not showing up to meetings, or come in late to work. Do we build resentment or decide to dig deeper into why that is.

Wake Up Call #4
Sales begin to slowly drop, less new clients are coming in, and staff is leaving. Do we see that as a wake up call or do we hit the snooze button and blame the month, season, weather or staff member.

Wake Up Call #5
A series of not so awesome YELP reviews are posted about a business. All saying similar things. The front desk staff is not nice, nobody answers the phone, the bathrooms are dirty. A wake up call? You bet. But only if the business is listening.

Wake Up Call #6
A feeling of stress and overwhelm continue to fill our bodies. Is this a wake up call? You bet it is. It’s time to look at our lives and begin to create space to breathe and get to the source of the stress and overwhelm so it can be fixed.

Awareness is the key in listening for wake up calls. It is so much easier to hit the snooze button versus dealing with issues, problems or wake up calls. It takes a ton of courage to listen for them and deal with them. And until we do, be prepared for that alarm to keep ringing.

Do you have any wake up calls you have ignored only to have them come back bigger and louder? I would love to hear your thoughts. I’m listening.

(shared with LOVE from Nina)

Word of Mouth

The Multiplier Effect

January 28, 2013Nina KovnerENGAGE, GROW

“Learn to make customers really, really happy. It doesn’t take much more than that.”

 Andy Sernovitz

Word of mouth.  The foundation of every successful business and most definitely the foundation of a salons success.  It’s almost such a common phrase and concept that we forget the power of it.

Check out our fave biz guru Gary Vaynerchuk on what he calls The Multiplier Effect of the social web, in other words, the POWER of the social + digital web to ignite word of mouth.  It’s short, so press play and we will review after.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xY1skOtCSBs

Simple concept? Yes. Easy to execute and make happen? Not so much.

Here is what it takes:
1. Caring
2. Listening
3. Engaging

If you only did those 3 things, there is no doubt in our minds that you will begin to see how the social + digital web can super charge your word of mouth and in turn, your business.

Give it a try.

If you are serious about super charging your word of mouth both online and off, we offer one-on-one mentoring to help you craft the ultimate plan.  To learn more about Passion Squared Mentoring, click here.  We look forward to helping you ignite your passion and live your dream.

(shared with LOVE from your passionistas Nina + Gordon)

the social era

Are You Listening?

January 9, 2013Nina KovnerENGAGE, GROW

“Brands are either part of the conversation or they’re not and as a result, they’re either part of the decision-making cycle or they’re absent from the heart, mind, and actions of the connected customer.”

Brian Solis, author of Engage and The End of Business As Usual

As many of you know, I spend a ridiculous amount of time on the web. I have a healthy obsession with engaging and listening because I care about you and want to help you and your business.

Recently, I have seen a lot of chatter on Facebook about the ROI (return on investment) of engaging on the social web, and how it really is just a big waste of time. What that tells me is there is still a BIG misunderstanding of these platforms and how important they are to the future of business, both big and small.

Engage.
These online platforms are no different than our offline platforms (i.e. the salon) when it comes to business. They are designed to allow us to engage with current and future customers in a meaningful way. To listen, to have two-way conversations, to solve problems, to build relationships, to create and deliver value. How in the world can someone not see the ROI in that? SMH.

Listen.
I overheard a conversation a while back from a business saying “If we have a business Facebook page, then customers will want to talk to us and ask us questions, and that is a lot of work.”  My response was simple: What could possibly be more important than engaging with and listening to your customers? How awesome is it that they care enough to engage with your business and buy something from you? Think about it.

Care.
I love this infographic that illustrates the trend of the connected customer when it comes to expecting customer care via social platforms. By 2014, refusing to communicate with customers via social channels will be as harmful as ignoring phone calls and emails. WOW. Take a moment and let that sink in.

the social era (infographic discovered on Google courtesy of Bluewolf)

Erik Qualman, author of Socialnomics said it best…”The ROI of social media is that your business will still be around in 5 years.” I could not have said it any better.

So remember. Engage. Listen. Care. Three simple yet powerful words to remember, both online and off.

If you ever have any questions for me regarding my blog posts, feel free to post questions to Facebook or email me by clicking here. I will always respond, both online and off. Because I care.

(shared with LOVE from your passionista Nina)

Can You Keep a Secret?

May 4, 2012Nina KovnerENGAGE, GIVE BACK

“Secrets can take many forms. They can be shocking or silly or soulful. They can connect us with our deepest humanity.”

Frank Warren, PostSecret.com

Who hears more ‘secrets’ than hairdressers? It’s part of the unique bond you share with clients. It’s a reinforcement of the important role you play in the lives of many – often unknowingly. As this Ted Talk  highlights, people have a need to share their deepest secrets. Doing so can be empowering. Never underestimate the power to do good by sometimes simply listening.

“Ted Talk featuring Frank Warren, the founder of PostSecret.com, who shares some of the half-million secrets that strangers have mailed him on postcards.”

(shared with LOVE from your passionistas Nina + Gordon)