Fulfill Your Staff's Dreams While You Fulfill Yours!

I just returned from the International Salon & Spa Expo in Long Beach, CA. As always, we had fun, the energy was great and people took action to improve their businesses!

As I was presenting my seminar I lead a discussion about how to lead your staff versus manage them and asked a pertinent couple of questions; “How many of you know exactly how much more money each person on your staff wants to make in 2010 from past years and what would they do with that money?’

I was met with an amazing response. No one raised their hand!

It makes sense!  Most of us are so busy working hard and working with clients and don’t have systems in place to understand where the business is - so we just run around reacting to things as they happen. Fundamentally, it becomes all about us, the owner or manager, getting what we need and telling the staff what they have to do. No fault to us, but this is what happens. No wonder no one raised their hand.

The funny thing is, if you want to grow your business, make more profits, have more stability, you need to do this on the shoulders of the people who work "with" you, NOT for you! Get it? This means it is time to adjust your priorities. Take the time to find out what’s important to the people that work for you. What roll can your salon or spa play in helping them to achieve what they want?

In the practice of Dharma, even if one specifically looks to the benefit of other beings, the results that are most assured are those that arise within oneself. Thus it is said that by helping oneself one helps others, and by helping others one helps oneself.

There is an analogy regarding this related by the Buddha in the story of the two acrobats. One form of acrobatics performed in the Buddha's time involved the use of a long bamboo pole, which was balanced on the head and shoulders of one acrobat, while another acrobat balanced himself on top of the pole. They would perform various tricks and balancing acts in this way. Two of these acrobats, master and apprentice, were traveling around the country performing their art.

One day the master said, "Now you keep your eye on me, and I'll keep my eye on you and so keep you from falling off."

The apprentice replied, "Oh, no, master. You should look after yourself while I look after myself. In this way we can perform our act and earn a living in safety."

Thus it is said that looking after ourselves we look after others, and when looking after others we look after ourselves. The practice of Dharma is co-productive in that its effects extend to all beings. When you make it your number one priority to do this you will have a business that thrives and an environment that is magical!!