Being Happy Doesn’t Mean that Everything is Perfect Today I churned through the many topics in my mind and in the end I decided to just write without thinking, letting the words flow with my thoughts. So here you go… First off, I want to pay my respects to our gifted ‘laughter angel’ Robin Williams. I happened to be in LA when he passed and his death really touched me. It made me realise how delusional we can be about people around us in our everyday lives. Robin was the master of creating happiness for others and never in a million years would any of us have thought his reality fraught with pain. I am sure we have all at times, for whatever reason, “acted” the performance of a lifetime, when our reality wasn’t as it seemed. Why is it as humans we feel the need to appear happy and strong? Regardless of what we are experiencing or what challenges we are facing, when our inner-demons lead us to darkness, we tend to insist on shining bright. Has society really become so much of a Pleasantville that sadness, loneliness and depression seem like a weakness? Are we as salon owners or managers taking responsibility for ensuring we do our best to provide an environment where our team members can all be truly happy? I remember many years ago working for someone who made me feel like nothing I did was ever good enough. My day often ended in tears and I questioned if I would make it as a qualified hairdresser. At the time I didn’t realise they only treated people badly because of their own insecurities. I am guessing they thought if they kept everyone around them down, they would feel powerful. Control is not power! Learning to let go of being in control is the most empowering feeling in the world. Thanks to them for treating me so badly I strive to be the best employer I can possibly be. I learned that to get the best from someone, they need my support and encouragement. When people feel part of something bigger they often rise to the occasion and become the best they can. As a business mentor I often listen to salon owners and managers complaining about their staff and telling me how lucky I am to have such a great team. They describe how negative their team is when they should just be grateful to even have a job. Luck has nothing to do with it!!! In that brief moment of them sharing their negative energy with me, I always think to myself… Thank God I don’t work for YOU! Secondly to anyone who believes that about their staff? Did you realise there is a shortage of senior hairdressers in New Zealand and your staff can choose to work wherever they like? You may want to consider this if you want to continue to be in business for the next few years. So back to my point… We should do our best to ensure that any part we play in someone else’s life is as happy and positive as it can be. If we are responsible for leading a team of people, we need to “give to give.” That means not expecting anything in return. Help others grow because growth itself contains the germ of happiness. I want to take this opportunity to thank my team at Sutherland Todd for being the best team in the world and working hard to maintain an environment we all love being a part of. The most special thing about happiness is it is contagious. Being happy doesn’t mean that everything is perfect. It means we decided to look beyond the imperfections and just do our best. X Shar Sutherland Todd
Posted on: Sun, 31 Aug 2014 06:05:53 +0000