Lots Of Success

I’m a member of a Facebook Group where business owners post questions asking for help about business matters in the Beauty & Hair industry.

Now and again some salon owners post messages that are nothing more than a rant, about this difficult staff member or that unpleasant client. It would seem that nobody gains anything from it,…well certainly not the readers, but it’s invaluable to the ranter.

This is an industry that naturally attracts high ‘S’s, people who care about helping others. As you know the high ‘S’ is very emotional, influenced by how other people (staff or clients) treat them, but these emotions are kept under control. In your businesses these are the staff members (the high ‘S’s) who hand their notice in when you had no idea anything was amiss.

When you are the salon owner however, a Facebook rant allows these built-up emotions to be released without confrontation with the client or staff member. As well, they allow time to think through, regain calm before dealing with the issue face to face.

When did you last have a rant?

Wishing you Lots of Success

Beverly

A client needed to appoint an office administrator to replace someone who had left. The job was a high ‘C’ role. After the initial group interview process, two candidates seemed to have the skills needed and the attention to detail required.

Both candidates, let’s call them Diane and Susan, were DISC profiled. Both had high ‘C’ profiles, around 90% in fact. So which one do we choose? The difference was in their scores for the other behavioural styles.

Diane also had a ‘D’ score of 50%, with the other two styles lower. Susan had ‘S’ at 80% while her ‘D’ was 20%. We looked at the characteristics of these scores and the implications to the job.

Although Diane can work independently, she is more ambitious so there is a risk she might leave if there aren’t enough new challenges. While Susan’s profile indicates she will be a steady loyal worker but will require clear guidelines and frequent reassurance.

The candidate you would choose does depend on your specific requirements. In this case the person needed to be able to work independently so Diane was offered the job and accepted the position. In a different office with more “hands-on” management Susan would have been a good choice.

If you have any case studies or queries about recruitment please drop me an email.

Wishing you Lots of Success

Beverly

Over the next few weeks we’ll look at the function of DISC Behavioural Profiling in Recruitment.

Do you hire based on Skills or on Behaviour?

How often do we hear of a situation where a new employee starts with great enthusiasm but after a few weeks the exuberance wanes? This results in a performance which is very “average”, followed by a further deterioration in effectiveness.

Many recruiters focus on the sets of skills required for a position. Obviously a certain level of skill is important in any job, but provided the person selected has a behavioural style that suits a specific role, they can be educated for that task.

Some research completed by the Stanford Research Institute and Harvard University showed that 85% of the reason people get a job, keep that job and move ahead in that job is to do with their people skills and people knowledge, which is based on understanding behavioural styles.

So it’s not so much about finding people with the right experience but more about hiring people with the right mindset. Hire for attitude and train for skill.

An easy to read book about DISC “DISCovering the Ultimate Tool” can be purchased direct from me by replying to this email
Or from the publisher http://www.lulu.com/content/paperback-book/discovering-the-ultimate-tool/8922122

wishing you Lots of Success

Beverly

Thoughtful individuals plan their words and actions carefully and never act on impulse. This is because they have High Steadiness combined with Low Influence.

In the workplace they do find deadlines and other time constraints difficult to deal with but their advantage to you is their reliability and steadiness.

And the opposite?  High Influence combined with Low Steadiness can produce thoughtlessness because the individual is so enthusiastic they are not aware of the feelings of others.

Get all your staff profiled so you can understand them all and get the best from them – just email me.

Wishing you Lots of Success

Beverly

A Case Study today…..
A coach has a client with a profile where ‘D’, ‘S’ and ‘C’ were all around the 60% mark while the ‘I’ was at 20%. In the External Profile the ‘I’ dropped to 10%. This is an example of the type of profile where we need to look at the effect of the very low point when usually we study the high points.

What are the characteristics of a low ‘I’?
A person who is happy with and prefers their own company
They don’t trust others and come across as aloof
They don’t show enthusiasm and appear to have a pessimistic attitude

This client had had a career change, purchased a restaurant and was in control of a team for the first time. Obviously, to improve relationships with the customers and the staff the owner needs to raise their ‘I’ to create a more congenial atmosphere.

So why does he lower his ‘I’?
Quite often people who are not used to managing others feel the need to be less friendly and sociable in order to gain control and the respect of others. They lower their ‘I’ when it would probably be better to raise their ‘D’.

Get your profile updated and have a complimentary phone consultation…just email me.

wishing you Lots of Success

Beverly

Thank you to my reader who shared this observation…

“Having recently sold our house and bought another one, it was interesting to note the different presentation styles of the various houses we viewed. Some were clinically clear of clutter, some looked very “lived in” and some were tidy but with everything shoved in a cupboard. Also the varying styles and standards of decor inside and even the gardens reflected the behavioural styles of the owners. Well, it made us smile!!”

You’ll also observe much the same thing if you look at how people treat their cars, particularly the insides and how tidy or cluttered it is.

And ladies…does your handbag and contents reveal anything about your DISC behavioural style?

Get your profile updated and have a complimentary phone consultation…just email me.

Wishing you Lots of Success

Beverly

One of my readers sent in this interesting observation of career choice.

“At a macro level we see that ‘S’ and ‘C’s typically gravitate to careers in the Public sector  where there is less perceived risk, while ‘D’ and ‘I’s go into Private sector.

As a result, the Public sector suffers from a lack of decision makers, so there are lots of committees, processes, tenders etc and things take a long time to get done. Then we end up paying big money for the services of decision makers from the Private sector.

However those in the Private sector do things first and think second – hence the lack of structure, systems and conservative, planned growth.”

This observation is a great illustration of the importance of all 4 styles to a productive working environment.

wishing you Lots of Success
Beverly

Many people responded to last week’s email about coping with grief. Thank you for sharing your experiences with me. It was a similar story for all……raising the ‘C’ to keep busy and lowering the ‘I’ and withdrawing from others.

The spin off from this is the changes that the people who love and care for the griever go through. Often this involves raising their ‘D’ so they take control of the current situation and make any necessary decisions. Or they may need to raise their own ‘I’ to compensate for the less social behaviour of the griever.

As with any major stress in your life your profile can change, sometimes temporarily sometimes it’s more lasting. This happens, not only with the loss of a loved one, but also with divorce, buying & selling your home and worry about money issues.

Do you want your DISC profile updated and a complimentary phone discussion? Just email me beverly@lots-of-success.com

Wishing you Lots of Success

Beverly