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Had a Tough Day Today? You’re the boss, Get Over it!
It’s 4:55am. I awake 5 minutes
before the alarm is due to go off. As I
stagger through the house getting ready
for work, my mind fills with thoughts of
what needs to be done today, what was
not done yesterday, what went wrong
yesterday, and ways to make today a
better day than yesterday. I’m not
attempting to paint a “gloom and doom,
the sky is falling” image, but rather
illustrate the start of how a typical
shop owner begins their day.
People start a business because they
want to make a difference. Because they
feel that their contribution to society
will in some way make a small change for
the better and maybe, just maybe, their
legacy will be noticed and remembered.
But sometimes those around you do not
share your dreams and goals. One of the
most difficult jobs as the owner of the
business is, to hire the right people
that share in your dreams and
aspirations. Equally difficult is,
maintaining a positive attitude, when it
feels as if things around are out of
control. The truth is that being the
“Boss” means you have responsibility to
not only you and your family, but to
your employees and the families of those
employed in you company. Not to mention
your customers. Talk about pressure!
Employees are the single most important
assets of your business, followed by
your customers. Employees represent your
company and emulate your attitude. If
the boss is negative and lacks morale,
the employees will follow that lead.
This undesirable mood will no doubt have
an affect on how your people deal with
customers. Your customers will pick up
on this and the result is poor customer
service. The kiss of death for any
business is when poor customer service
is the result of low morale and
indifference from the employees. Nothing
else in business matters more than this
fact: a great work environment with
happy employees results in great
customer service.
As the boss, you are the leader.
Everything about your business is your
responsibility. This may seem hard to
accept at times, given the amount of
mental punishment you take on a daily
basis. Believe me, as a shop owner for
more than 27 years, I sometimes question
why I went into business in the first
place. I remind myself that I made the
choice, and I am not about to give up
now. I have learned that my actions set
the mood of my shop. My attitude,
whether negative or positive, will
trickle down to everyone in my company.
If I run around complaining about the
day, focusing on the negative, my people
will follow. A shop owner must remain
strong. A shop owner must be positive
during the toughest times and look for
answers, not excuses for why things went
wrong or look to assign blame to
someone.
Your responsibility as the boss means
you are a mentor and a coach. You need
to constantly recognize the good that
your people do. Focus on the great work
they do. Praise your people constantly.
Talk to your people. Find out what is
important to them. Let them know that
you are behind them. Let them know that
they are appreciated. When things go
wrong it’s ok to tell them, but let it
go. Never let anger grow. Don’t let a
bad circumstance turn into a worse
situation by hanging on to your
emotions. Never let your emotions take
control over your actions. Decisions
made out of anger can have detrimental
consequences. Help your people and train
them to become the best they can be.
I realize this is not easy and that
dealing with all the personalities in
your company is frustrating. I also
realize that your people at times may
disappoint you, that things will go
wrong even after you have tried over and
over to correct a problem. And
sometimes, you may have no choice but to
let someone go. But just remember this,
mistakes will continue to happen and
every day will bring a new set of
problems and challenges. If you throw
you hands up in frustration, my advice
is to get over it. You’re stronger than
that. Look for ways to get your people
involved, by finding solutions to the
problem, not alienating yourself by
putting up an emotional wall. It’s not
you against your employees. You need to
put a practice in place, where you and
your people will work as a team, and be
driven with common goals. This practice
will result in a happier, positive work
environment, and will remove a lot a
stress from everyone’s shoulders.
Remember, it’s lonely at the top…but it
doesn’t have to be that way.
Joe Marconi
Osceola Garage, New York
www.osceolagarage.com
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