|
|
Visionary Leadership
 Hi Everyone,
For the record, it’s not just the customer service department’s job to be nice. The employees who handle payroll and many other internal tasks can destroy company morale and damage the good feelings necessary to make a business function successfully. Every individual—from CEO to janitor, from accountant to salesperson—must heed the call to be nice. And it’s a lot easier to be nice when you’re part of a BE NICE culture and community.
That’s where visionary leadership comes in. Please remember that leadership is not a position; it’s a mind-set and an attitude. I’m sure you’ll agree that sometimes the brand-new employee who’s only worked at the company for a few months and is at the bottom of the totem pole can do more for building morale, teamwork, and niceness than people who’ve worked there for 20 years or more. If your mind-set and purpose are to be nice, then your position and title won’t matter, because you can provide more effective leadership than the big guy or gal in the big office. Everyone in a company, corporation, office building, store, or business must assume responsibility for its overall success. Here’s a great philosophy to live by: What’s good for the company is good for me.
If you hold the title of “leader” in your company, remember that visionary leadership is not an office job. Visionary leaders work and play side by side with their teams to inspire, motivate, coach, and cheerlead. Even if you do not hold the title of “leader,” you are not exempt from studying and implementing the information shared in this month’s newsletter, which is all about visionary leaders and the traits they possess.
Thanks for helping me live my fantasy of spreading this BE NICE message and giving nice people a voice!
XOXO, Winn
A BE NICE Story
Do you have a BE NICE story to share? Send it to editor@BeNiceOrElse.com. If it appears in the newsletter, you’ll receive a BE NICE T-shirt and CD!
 After speaking to a wonderful audience, I had the pleasure of meeting a visionary lady who was eager to help make changes in the company where she works. Danielle took our BE NICE suggestions to heart, with very exciting results!
Dear Winn,
After having the opportunity to hear you speak, I asked your advice on how to build a more positive morale at my company’s next staff meeting. You suggested that I buy your Be Nice (Or Else!) CD, print a copy of the Golden Rules poster, and have everyone pick their favorite rules.
Well, I bought your book and both of your CDs, shared them with my boss, and our meeting was AWESOME! A week before the meeting, my boss told everyone that he wanted their input on improving our company’s overall appearance, and they each had 10 minutes to present their ideas. He kicked off the meeting by celebrating everyone. After sharing some general business information, he turned the floor over to the staff. We couldn’t believe it, but our resident “resisters” were totally on board and sharing great ideas, such as a charity food drive, revamping our sales area, company info boards for employees, and advertising and sales strategies. To close, we posted the Golden Rules, paired up random associates, and gave them colored markers to mark their favorite rules. They pretty much marked everything! Then we did the “People Are …” exercise from the end of chapter 1 in your book. As everyone read their “I Am …” rewrites, it was both hilarious and sobering.
In the weeks since, we’ve implemented most of the ideas from our meeting and are making headway on the rest. The vibe and professionalism in our business has improved to the point that clients are commenting on it. I just wanted to share this with you and thank you so much for your advice.
Sincerely,
Danielle Downes
Old Bridge, New Jersey
BE NICE News
Winn Returns to Health and Harmony Radio:
"Balance Your Career and All That Other Stuff"
 Winn Claybaugh returned to Health and Harmony Radio to offer specific ideas and concrete steps for increasing happiness, improving relationships, and designing a life filled with bliss and purpose.
In “Balance Your Career and All That Other Stuff,” Winn tells how to design a vision for personal growth, find your passion, avoid burnout, and stay consistently motivated.
CLICK HERE and learn how you can succeed at your career and still enjoy your life.
 Behind the Bottle: Exclusive Interview with Winn Claybaugh
In this exclusive interview on Marketing Matters with M7, Millennials Incorporated author and host Lisa Orrell talks to Winn Claybaugh, dean and cofounder of Paul Mitchell Schools.
What’s “behind the bottle”? Winn tells Lisa all about the unique external marketing and branding strategies the schools have used (and currently use) to build their booming company. He also shares the unique internal branding methodologies that have created a corporate culture for building success (for their executive team, managers, instructors, and students).
Lisa says, “You will learn a ton from Winn’s business and marketing acumen.”
CLICK HERE to listen.
First “Green” Magazine Hits the Ground Recycling
 What’s even better than a company party? A party that makes a difference in the world!
At their September 2008 launch party, Boho magazine invited guests to bring a pair of gently worn shoes to donate to one of their favorite charities, Soles 4 Souls. As the first “green” fashion/lifestyle publication to be printed entirely on recycled paper with natural soy inks and no glossy finishes, Boho was just doing what comes naturally.
Dedicated to eco-conscious women everywhere, Boho spotlights eco-designers and covers such topics as green décor, fashion, beauty, travel, and lifestyle. Ten percent of Boho’s net proceeds will go to environmental and humanitarian charities, and the magazine plans to participate in charity events. Boho is available at newsstands, supermarkets, and retail chains, including select Whole Foods stores and all Borders and Barnes and Noble stores. Visit www.bohomag.com for more information.
Monthly Audio Message
John McCormack
 From a modest beginning as a New York City beat cop to a quick bout with success on Wall Street at age 25, John McCormack demonstrated that he has what it takes to be on top. Unfortunately, he soon learned that you can lose your first million as fast as you can make it. John’s next goal became elevating the status and income of all hairdressers, including his talented wife Maryanne. Faced with hundreds of skeptical bankers who balked at the idea of shopping mall hair salons as a legitimate business venture, John refused to give up. His persistence eventually paid off and, in October 1977, the first Visible Changes salon opened.
Visible Changes now has salons in major malls throughout Texas. The company was recognized in 1982 by Intercoiffure, an organization that extends membership to the finest hair designers in the world. Visible Changes was also listed twice as one of Inc. magazine’s fastest growing companies and, in 2006, the company won Salon Entrepreneur of the Year at the Global Salon Business Awards in Barcelona, Spain.
Turning yesterday’s dreams into today’s realities is what John McCormack is all about. Searching for ways to enhance the hairdresser’s earning ability, he developed product companies that increase customer service and a salon management software system that provides the information necessary to run a high-tech salon. A highly sought after speaker, McCormack contributes all the proceeds from his speaking engagements to the Visible Changes Educational Foundation, which provides scholarships to the children of Visible Changes employees and affiliates. His special medical school foundation has already provided full scholarships to three of his staff members’ children, in return for community service after they graduate.
CLICK HERE and discover how visionary leader John McCormack is making visible changes for his employees in their workplace and their lives.
If you enjoyed this month’s audio message, you’ll love our MASTERS Audio Club. CLICK HERE for more information.
People Profile
Paul Newman (1925–2008)
 With a film career spanning more than 50 years, Paul Newman was an award-winning actor, director, entrepreneur, and race car enthusiast as well as a generous humanitarian. In addition to personal donations to many organizations, his Newman’s Own product line donates all after-tax profits to education and charity, giving more than $250 million since 1982.
Much of the money from Newman’s Own goes to Hole in the Wall Gang Camps, where seriously ill children and their families receive free summer recreation and other supportive programs. With locations all over the world, the camps serve 13,000 children a year, free of charge, touching the lives of countless campers, parents, siblings, staff members, supporters, and volunteers.
One such volunteer is Ellen Bobrow, who learned about the camp years ago when someone made a donation in honor of her late brother-in-law. A regional vice president for the Paul Mitchell hair care company, Ellen developed a fundraiser for the Hole in the Wall Gang Camp in Ashford, Connecticut. With the support of Connecticut beauty salons selling Paul Mitchell products, they raised $250,000 over three years.
“I promised myself that when my son turned 18, I would do a volunteer give-back vacation,” Ellen recalls. In 2008, she kept that promise. “I spent a week giving back, but in return I got a priceless gift I could not have imagined. I was not home for five days before I signed up for two upcoming volunteer weekends,” she says. During one of those weekends, Paul Newman passed away. “At the end of camp, the families and campers talked about what Paul Newman and his family have done for their lives,” Ellen says. “They said the camp was a place where they could have fun and feel normal, not different.”
Visionary leaders like Paul Newman and Ellen Bobrow show that anyone can make a difference by donating to worthwhile causes, raising money, and volunteering. Even in everyday activities like choosing a Newman’s Own salad dressing so the proceeds can go to charity, we can choose to support companies that make the world a nicer place. Be a visionary leader and support nice businesses, celebrities, and organizations.
Corporate Corner
Visionary Leaders Put the Customer First
Visionary business owners, directors, and leaders understand how valuable their frontline people are for establishing customer loyalty. These customer-focused leaders never sit behind closed office doors, hiding from the day-to-day process of creating a healthy work environment. They make it their number one priority to cultivate a fun, happy workplace. They understand that their first role is to take care of the staff, make sure they’re happy, and provide them with resources to do their jobs with enjoyment and gratification. Customer-focused, visionary leaders know that a happy staff attracts and retains happy customers.
In consulting with a business owner a few years back, I inquired as to how he spent his day. He told me that he was in his office, doing paperwork most of the time. When I asked how much time he spent coaching, encouraging, and redirecting his people as they served customers all day, he said, “Oh, they can come back to my office and speak with me if they ever have a problem.” With that I replied, “So, the only time you spend with your people is when they have a problem? Your people could be having amazing victories every day, and you’re never a part of that experience to congratulate them and help them feel good about their investment in your customers and your company?”
In their book, In Search of Excellence, Tom Peters and Robert Waterman popularized a concept known as MBWA, or management by walking around. Developed in the 1970s by Hewlett-Packard, MBWA is part of the legendary “HP Way.” While some business leaders and managers claim that they don’t have time to wander around because they’re too busy doing paperwork, HP’s managers would probably respond: How do you find all that time to do paperwork? We’re too busy wandering around!
Bottom line: Happy customers come from happy employees. Happy employees come from happy managers. Happy managers come from happy owners. And happy owners must be nice!
CLICK HERE to download your free Visionary Leadership poster.
Do Something!
Host a Character Award Ceremony
Many companies give their employees awards for improving productivity, customer service, and profits. Bosses give out gold watches for time served or Employee of the Month acknowledgements. But if you really want to boost morale, teamwork, and an all-around great feeling at work, then host a Character Award ceremony.
Of course it’s valuable when the boss acknowledges and celebrates the employees’ successes, but a Character Award ceremony is about employees celebrating and acknowledging each other. These awards are not about who had the highest sales or customer service ratings. They’re about personality, character, heart, love, and the individual person.
Here’s how it works. Everyone on your team puts their name into a hat, and everyone draws a name. Each person takes time to research their honoree and create a personal, handmade award acknowledging how special and unique that person is. Plan a wonderful, first-class evening to host the award ceremony, during which each person gives a small presentation about their honoree.
CLICK HERE for a downloadable PDF that tells how to hold a Character Award ceremony filled with fun, laughter, tears, hugs, and celebration.
|
Quotes of the Month
“Excellence: Demanding it from ourselves, expecting it from each other, pursuing it as a team.”
— Luke Jacobellis
President of John Paul Mitchell Systems
“The first responsibility of a leader is to define reality. The last is to say thank you. In between, the leader is a servant and a debtor.”
— Max DePree, author of Leadership Is an Art
Winn Claybaugh’s Be Nice (Or Else!) The Newsletter!
Copyright © 2008 by Winn Claybaugh. All rights reserved.
Editor: Gail Fink
|
|
