Author: Fabio S

I hope you are enjoying the last days of summer and hopefully you and/or your stylists are over booked with major corrective colour work, total make-over’s and back to school rush.

I want to share with you my favourite topic...

I have personally spent a lifetime admiring and appreciating true examples of leadership especially in our industry. Believe you me I’ve come across many great leaders throughout my life beginning with my father. I’ve also seen a few fakes who mistake their ego or their wallet as being important to lead. We’ve all seen the ones who have built something out of nothing on pure drive and charm or the kind who have that steely nerve to make the tough calls. I’ve also known the strong quiet leaders who have been successful. I spoke of my father earlier but he died when i was 9 yrs old and it was the beautiful women in my family beginning with my mom who was widowed at 35 and my sisters who were older than I that i looked up to and are my early mentors.

Friends the pressure to perform is high in our industry and for some the financial risks are huge so being a leader or working with a leader is almost crucial. Moreover hard work will always be at the core of success and simple rules such as: show up on time, work hard and say yes to opportunities when it may interrupt your weekend. I believe Leaders are found throughout all walks of life, ages and financial status with the difference being positive and constructive encouragement. My personal belief, leadership is not about age instead it’s about your attitude and generosity plus it’s best done from the front!!!

Over the last 5 years I’ve been compiling a list of traits, actions and philosophy true leaders have demonstrated.

Leadership is the ability to.....

Demonstrating the ability to influence others to act in a particular way
Helping others achieve THEIR next level of greatness
Translating a vision into reality
Begins and ends with people

Some traits of Leadership are.....

Drive and Desire to succeed
Honesty, moral character
Self-confidence
Intelligence
Mastery in relevant knowledge

Leadership Qualities

Restraint
Generosity
Vision

The Do’s

Be a leader, create a vision and plan your path to success
Over communicate
Make it a point to truly get to know your team members
TRUST your teams ability and celebrate their strengths
Respect the diversity of your team
Once you have alignment on your direction, work hard on achieving it and hold your folks accountable
Support each other, help each other attain success as a team
Your manger is there to help guide, inspire and manage performance….support this individual.
Have integrity, be honest
Be positive, pay it forward and remain agile. Your team is counting on you to be ready!

The Don’ts

Don’t forget to be a leader
Do not undermine your teammates and their respective roles
Do not disrespect the diversity of your teammates
Under Communicate/Confusing
Do not sabotage the creative process even if it’s not what you envision
Do not capitalize on others’ mistakes because everyone will have some ups and downs
Don’t create cliques within your team (dangerous)
Be negative or destructive to the team
Don’t forget to practice, practice what you preach