BLOG SPOT. By Brodie-Lee Tsiknaris

EMBRACING CHANGE

CHANGE [ NOUN ] An act or process which something becomes different

Change can be one of many things in life and I think we would all agree since the beginning of the pandemic there has been plenty of changes. Some changes can be scary. For many of us the fear of change in business is scary. For staff, the change in a salon can also be scary but what if we embrace changes in our business with gratitude and blessings and we remain open the idea that when change happens it can be magical.

You see the pandemic has taught us lots of lessons. But things do happen, Change is inevitable and can happen regularly; we never know what lies around the corner and sadly it often takes pain and suffering to remind us how lucky we are. You see the pandemic brought a lot of media attention to the pain of a business owner and employees, but sadly these things can happen at any time, and happen to businesses every day. The media have just brought light to it because of Covid. Unfortunately, there are many sad stories in life and business. You could become ill suddenly and need months or years off work, you could have a major team member leave, you could have a main staff member with an illness or injured; a fire, a death of a loved one, or pretty much any curve ball thrown at you. I truly hope that none of these ever happen to you, but I believe that it’s not the cards we are dealt in life but how we play them. What we can learn from these situations is that you, as a business owner, should always plan for anything, welcome change and don’t dwell on it.

So with that in mind, I would like to share my own recent ‘Learnings.’

Gratitude:

How lucky are we to be in Australia compared to our hairdressing friends overseas. What are you grateful for everyday? Find the good in every bad. Everything Is fixable.

Loyalty:

Well, without a doubt, when pressure is evident, you see people’s true colours. The pandemic has certainly shown this and what an incredible way to see the values of those that we do business with, whether it be our teams, clients, or partnering companies. I know for sure I will never forget the acts of kindness of some of my team members and the values of those we deal with day to day. What a beautiful time to decide who you want on your team and to know that their core values match yours.

Reassess:

We should never ever become complacent. You should understand your business and every cent of it. Never take it for granted, Get up every day and work on it. Whether you work in your business or not, look at it from the outside in. Do you understand your P&L, do you know your numbers? Stock levels? Docket averages? Staff costs? Do you save for a rainy day? Do you put GST and Holidays away in a separate account, so it’s never touched until needed? If at any time things aren’t looking like they are going the way you want them too, take a deep breath and reassess. Write a new business plan. If you don’t know where to start, that’s ok, find someone to help you; a business coach and/or your accountant are a great place to start. Look at every dollar, every service and invest wisely.

Strategy:

What is your team strategy? Do you have a plan B in place if for some reason something happens? Will your team be ok? For me I run my business as Richard Branson once famously said, “Take care of your employees, and they’ll take care of your business”. This is always my priority. Are my team members happy? Do they want to work for me? Do they feel inspired? Do they feel supported? Trust me I don’t always get it right and I am learning every day I also know you can’t please everyone and sometimes you will burn out trying to please the wrong ones but I have also learnt its best to trust your gut and free those that are taking the energy away from you and your business.

There is a famous parable of brick layers. In the parable, a man came upon two bricklayers. He asked both, “How do you like your job?” The first brick layer responded, “It’s terrible. My back aches and my hands are worn raw: they bleed on the mortar. The sun beats down on me all day so that my shoulders burn and blister. All I do is lay brick after brick.“

The man felt deep compassion for the first brick layer. Then the second brick layer responded… “I love my job. I’m building a great cathedral.”

Attitude is important my friends, what a wonderful example of the difference it can make to our mental health. But ,in the parable, attitude isn’t the only factor. The main difference highlighted between the two bricklayers is their attitude towards what they do. One responds with the “what” of their occupation, the other responds with the “why”. One sees the task before them and the other sees the purpose behind the task.

Find your why, Embrace change and Lead with Heart not with Power and …Kindness always.

Brodie xx