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If you meet an employee, regardless of rank, who has never experienced an ethical dilemma at work, then you might have encountered an individual without a strong aptitude for upward mobility or leadership. One of the defining qualities of a leader is the ability to navigate the uncertain waters of large and small ethical issues, while other employees might not see them at all.
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Defining a leader means asking some essential questions about your business or brand.
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- Who are you?
- Who are we?
- What do we do?
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As simple as these questions might be, there is great depth to be found in the answers, even for small business owners.
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Who are you? The answer to this question defines you as an owner, leader, manager or employee, and begs the thought experiment to explore what essential values guide your daily relationship with your work.
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Who are we? This speaks to the company mission statement, core values and alignment of daily work with those values. Owners, leaders and managers deeply influence the success of the company in fulfilling its mission and adhering to its core values. While some of you might think a mission statement is unnecessary, it is important to return to the core during times of turmoil or turnover. Maybe you think your business is too small for a mission statement or an employee discussion about company values; but every business is a living organism, no matter how small, and it needs proper nutrients to grow and thrive.
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What do we do? You can’t be all things to all people. In recent years, there has been a trend among salon owners toward rapid diversification and deviation from core business strategies into lesser known services. Some of these services have been revenue producers, others have fallen flat; and many are too recently introduced the industry to produce long-term results. However, it is important to remember the basic questions addressed here when looking at ancillary services. On the most basic level, do the decisions you are considering serve your purpose? Fulfill your mission?
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Whether your brand is healthy or struggling, there will be temptations to stretch it around new services with the allure of capturing new customers; however, always with the caveat of dilution of the brand mission and reputation. Leaders will always consider changes carefully and through the lens of the mission.
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Asking fundamental questions about the purpose of the business is important. Does a new employee, service, expansion or merger meet basic requirements for you as an individual? As a company? And finally, for your mission and customer base? Make it a habit to ask these basic questions every time a decision between two options is before you – even two seemingly good options – and see which one is more clearly aligned; this is, after all, what leaders are made of.
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Leaders will always consider changes carefully and through the lens of the mission.
