If there was one personal characteristic you would attribute your success to, what would it be?
In the early 90’s I once had the pleasure to cut the hair of the founder of the Body Shop, the late Anita Roddick and I asked her that question.
After a little thought she said… “If I had to narrow it down to just one thing it would be that I never listened to the people who said, it can’t be done, and there were always plenty of them. In fact the more they said it couldn’t be done the more determined I was to do it and prove them wrong”
What a great philosophy to live by, and remembering that she went on to build a huge international brand and influence the way all cosmetic companies operate as well as championing many social, political and environmental causes in the world.
How would you answer that question?
What is the one thing that you would attribute your successes to in life? [Because while you and I may not be Anita Roddick we have both succeeded at many things].
And here’s a twist on the same question. “What is the one thing, [if there was only one] that stops you achieving more, what would it be?”
I think it was Henry Ford who amongst many famous quotes said “Whether you believe you can or believe you can’t, you’re probably right”
And I think there-in lies the answer to the question, “What is the one thing that is stopping both you and I from achieving more?”, ‘Self belief’.
I am lucky in that I get to work with hairdressers all over the world, and I am privy to what they manage to achieve on a daily and weekly basis in their salons.
Whether you’re talking about service and retail totals, or rebooking and request clients, or any other measure of productivity, the variance in the productivity levels amongst any group of hairdressers is nearly always the full range of results.
The justifications, blame game, and denial are usually all rooted in ‘beliefs’ about what is and isn’t possible, and what is and what isn’t their job.
Those who adopt limiting beliefs about ‘what is possible’, not only short change themselves and the business they work in, but often are also short changing the clients by not giving them the opportunity to choose.
So, whether you believe you can, or believe you can’t, you’re probably right. The achievers in every area of life are the ones that take ownership.
They understand that they are accountable for the results, and recognise it is their responsibility so they start off with those empowering beliefs.
Just like Anita Roddick, they believe they can!
So as a next step, I suggest you sit down with your team and brainstorm these 5 questions:
Thank you for watching…
Have a great week!