Joel Bouzaid

“We’re all working together; that’s the secret” Sam Walton

If you’d like some help stepping into your leadership confidence, empowering your people and moving your business forward & through this tough tough time, message me: TOGETHER 😊

Don’t know the day, the date or even the year…But I’m in exactly the right place 💛

Wow…… the last 51 have been wild.

Such a growth year 💪

So much hustle 🤪

So much grinding 😝

So many wins ☝️

So many lessons 🤔

So many incompletes 🤣

And even a few goals, got 🎯

Just so happy to be……

Love my clients
Love my mahi
Love my friends
Love my family

And just can’t wait to flick the switch 💯 starting now 🙏

So grateful for 2021 😅

Sending out huge love to everyone, Merry Christmas Eve and may your festive season be full of peace & joy ❤️

Teams aren’t fixed. You don’t figure them out. They aren’t a sudoku puzzle or a crossword.

Teams are individuals that forge together because of the culture and leadership you relentlessly stand for.

Or they are not a team....

Perhaps they are more of a group.

Like on Facebook. Similar interests. Similar strengths.

A group of individuals that struggle through confusion, friction, clock watching and underperformance. Great people. But not a team.

a Motivated Team, Leverage your Time & Do the Work you Were Born to do.

2022 - the best yet 💪🎉❣️

What I am about to say should in no way detract from the self discipline and self respect we must all embrace in life…

If life was only moment after moment of joy, and comfort, there would be no demand for the courage and bravery that exists inside YOU.

I know it’s tough out there. I know it’s hard work, sleepless nights, subtle anxiety and relentless unpredictability.

I get it.

That’s the norm now.

Question is; how do you respond?

Today is another opportunity to rise up and live into your potential.

Be brave my friends and in the words of Inky Johnson “play the hand you’ve been dealt, like it’s the one you always wanted”

Big love,

Joel

Leadership isn’t a role. It’s a choice!

How do you increase the passion in your team?

You know it was never ever a problem for me leading teams, that their passion dwindled or started to fade. Or maybe my staff just hide it from me 🤣🤣🤣

Regardless, in 2021, I am hearing every single week from owners & leaders.... how do we keep our people passionate? Not just about their jobs, but about the industry also.

And right there in the question, is the problem.

So many owners and leaders see staff passion as an external problem or issue. It's them. It's their thing. They are the ones who lost it and so they are the ones who need to bring it back. Or that the passion is actually got something to do with an industry? or the job....

The industry or the job might have been what got them into hair, beauty, services, retail etc but like a great relationship, passion requires intentionality.

It requires ongoing attention.

It requires effort... creativity... optimism.

And the chances are, your people are often so busy DOING THE MAHI, that they don't feel they have space or even the awareness to act.

So.... increasing staff passion..... thats something you have to (at least) ignite!

Here are some ideas you can start to play with to bring the passion back into your team, your people and eventually your business.

1. Create a 'There is No Failure Only Feedback' Culture (it drives psychological safety)

2. Candidly over-communicate important stuff so everyone is on the same page (it drives inclusion)

3. Show up energetically - which requires you to live well (it drives personal standards & inspires)

4. Create a connection cadence with your team meetings. Sometimes you will educate. Other times it will be strictly about clarity. But don't forget that coming together as a group is one of the most valuable things we can do, when we are apart of a team. Don't miss the opportunity to connect your people together. The more they know, like and trust the people to the left and right of them, the more passionate they will be!

How do you keep the passion UP in your team?

Learn fast how to motivate your team and empower your people OR

Don’t.

It’s really just a choice ❤️

You can’t just serve clients!

When I first started leading teams I had one principle to lean on….

Lead by example.

That’s all I knew. And to me it meant…

“Joel…. Do whatever you want your team to do. Do it at level 11 and do it with grace”.

Eventually my staff disengaged
Eventually my staff stopped giving me constructive feedback
Eventually it became the Joel show (which was great for my ego 🙄 but hopeless for our team, and therefore culture, business & clients).

I still believe that Leading By Example is a powerful and useful principle however I have learnt it can’t stand alone…

If it does, you’ll produce results, but the team won’t own them
If it does, you’ll feel like you‘ve got better but the team won’t have grown
If it does stand alone, you’ll think you’re doing the best thing, but the team see it as another Joel show.

So if there is something above and beyond leading by example then what is it?

I reckon what goes thoughtfully alongside someone passionate about leading by example, is someone who has developed the skill to empower others.

You know….
Bring out their best
Expand their confidence
Help them perform well
Help them lead well
Lean fully into their strengths
Goal set & goal get

And to Help them to see the unlimited potential within so that they unlock themselves from the fear of failure and begin the greatest journey they never knew existed.

The journey of serving others.

So what kind of leader are you? Follow my lead or empower others or a bit of both?

Where are you running to?

One of my clients has the vision to support the most joyous, most fulfilled, unstoppable team. She is running fast in a great direction. Makes me pretty excited to work with her!

Another one of my clients doesn’t have a vision right now. She is stuck, procrastinating and unsure of how to tackle a particular situation. She is searching for the right next move. Running fast around in circles.

When you have a vision for something, a vision that is exciting for you, I have found that you tend to focus for longer.

You tend to go after that vision with a bit more commitment and passion.

And then it starts to show up in your priorities, decisions and expectations.

Vision is kind of like a magnet.

Time has a magical way of compounding our choices and so before too long, vision becomes the experience.

I'm not too sure where you’re at right now…. if I could make a guess you (like my clients) are somewhere on the spectrum of progress... either making it happen or waiting for it to happen.

Instead of getting down on yourself about waiting for it to happen. Instead of beating yourself up for procrastinating… instead, take some time to create a compelling vision of your future; whether it's business, health, service, contribution, impact, adventure, family or finances….. everyone can cast a vision!

Make it something that excites you. After all, what’s the point in running if you’re not chasing something exciting!

From nothing to something 🎯

Clear vision + cohesive team + hard work = progress 🙏 remove one of these elements and the progress will slow or stall.

Keep working hard 💯
With people who support you 🔥
And your clear compelling vision ✅

Just booked our end of year travel, holiday and adventure plans back out toward this little gem ❤️

Right now in NZ it’s lockdown. Maybe we’ll all be out soon, maybe we won’t?

But for damn sure ain’t no external circumstances going to stop me from dreaming, believing and holding vision for an exciting tomorrow.

What exciting adventure, plans or goals have you got coming in the future?

See that person far left?

That’s the most important person.

What you can’t see is that that person decided to look back and check on their whole team.

What you can’t see is that this person came up with the plan the others are implementing.

What you can’t see is the fast strengths assessment that went on in their minds to decide what role each person plays.

What you can’t see is the encouragement that is going on at this very moment, reinforcing the great effort that is going on.

The role of the leader isn’t always glamorous. It isn’t always in the limelight. In fact it’s often doing the few things that glue a great team together.

For bringing out the best in your team during adversity:

1. Create positive headspace and time to write down decisions to be made and decision up and coming.

2. Develop a plan and deliver it with calm authentic confidence.

3. Utilize your people. Lockdown is not chill time. It’s lead time. It’s rise up time.

4. Encourage your people. For no other reason than, they’re your people. And every one needs someone who CARES a little bit about them, in order for them to initiate stored potential, motivation and action.

Leadership is hard. It means going first, often without knowing the outcome. And so for that, I say….

Thanks for leading 🙏

How to Live Into a Future You Cannot See

Whether its a million dollar salon, getting yourself & your team through lockdown or holding things together at home, sometimes, when we are IN IT, it's hard to see anything beyond the pain you're feeling.

I understand first hand that leading a team of 9 (2yrs) 12 (8yrs) and 25 (10yrs) even on good days is a huge 'weight'.

Add the lockdown, un passionate staff or even an ambitious dream into the mix and its hard to see how you'll ever get beyond current circumstances.

And that is why we must....

Control the Controllables.

I was once sitting in a room listening to the High Performance Coach of one of the most successful sporting teams in the world and he drew a line down the middle of a large A1 Flip charts and labelled one side Controllables and the other side Uncontrollables.

Then he got us to talk about in the context of player welfare, whats controllable and whats uncontrollable. We broke out into groups and you could SENSE the energy lift. As people began to (unconsciously) define where they will focus their attention going forward.

I swear this exercise is POWR INDUCING but here is the key..... you cant be the facilitator and trainer at the same time.

So jump on zoom with your team, if you are not in lockdown call an urgent 9min Team Training this week and make sure your team are crystal clear TODAY about whats controllable and whats uncontrollable.

Joel 'Control is Critical' Bouzaid

Who you are is HOW you lead...

We don't get what we want in life, we get who we are...

In most matters work on the who...

Work on YOU!

What does this mean?

It means be selective with what you listen to, watch and where you spend your time (environment), for these things influence and drive our behaviours so so much and almost always more than our intentions do.

In our Salon it means hire, train and lead your people towards the best version of themselves so the culture is so beautiful that it continuously prompts excellence & positivity.

The 2 Conversations ….

Communication can be pretty hit and miss. Leading a team or even communicating what we need at home sometimes, although seemingly simple, is often hard.

Have you ever made an absolutely meal out of your communication about something super simple 🙋‍♀️ I have. Often.

There are two conversations we want to master or at least consider honing and practicing. Once you have some skill and attitude around these I reckon conversations start to really pick up some value and momentum.

The two conversation to get better at are 1) clarity conversations and 2) connection conversations.

How much time & energy could one save if we got better at holding conversations that connect us and clarify something 🤔

Keep leading,

Culture is what happens when you’re not there!

I think often we overcomplicate what culture is yet undervalue what it means for our business (and team).

Every leader knows that the real measure of there work, is the quality of the leaders they produce.

And if when you’re away, for the afternoon, the day, the week, the month, things begin to wobble….. then we have clear evidence that your team culture is random.

Sure you have some great people.

Sure you might pay them well or incentivize certain business KPI’s….

but good-will does not translate to a culture of performance.

No!

What we need to advance our teams from good technicians to solid team players is a clear and compelling culture.

One that inspires the thinking (when you’re not there)

One that influences the behaviours (when you’re not there)

One that impacts the customers (when you’re not there)

So that when you are there, everyone, including yourself, can enjoy what you have created.

Unleash your people, distill your culture

As soon as possible!

Finishing touches going onto this keynote for tomorrow in

Speaking to nearly 300 16yr olds. 60mins.

What would you say that would of made a difference to you if you heard it back then?

LEADERS, HUGE MISTAKE

We systemise everything and in the process forget that people aren’t things.

Things are like…… light switches.

We are happy to pay for the value they produce, but other than that, its clock in, clock out. Use and abuse. Switch on, switch off.

People don’t like that 🤯

So before your next one on one, hard conversations or team meeting, remember, people aren’t things.

Use the system, be a person 😊

Is staff loyalty declining?

When you own and run a business, feeling that underlying support from your team is truly irreplaceable. It’s that feeling that often allows your confidence to soar, your courage to stretch and your very best to show up. Loyalty is like leadership fuel ✅

I know for sure if I still ran a big team, I’d want to make sure that my team members were loyal. 💯

By contrast, team members that aren’t loyal can foster a subtle egg shell tip toe vibe. Where owners never really know where they’re at, what they want, when they need support, challenge or something else.

It can get a bit messy when the loyalty isn’t there.

Lots of confusing comms 🤪

So do we have a choice?

400% we do.

Staff members don’t naturally show up loyal. Your leadership enables it.

Let me say that again, your LEADERSHIP ENABLES IT.

There are 9 critical moves all owners need to make to Lead Well and when it comes to staff loyalty, our job is to create a TRULY TRANSPARENT culture of performance.

Once that transparency is in place, and your people feel safe, supported and challenged, then you’ll see the loyalty lean in.

Until then it’s either blame your people for not being who you want them to be or pretend like loyalty is recruited (not nurtured).

If transparency starts tomorrow, loyalty will follow within the week.

Spent the last few days in working with one of if not the hardest hit industry since COVID 19 here in NZ.

Hard work, service & resilience...... these guys have some serious stories from the last 14 months and it’s far from over.

But they’re still here.

Grinding away, serving their clients beyond expectation.

Personally, they’re managing. And they’re struggling. It’s hard. So bloody hard. To see people give so so much at a time when there is little to no reciprocation.

Today was a great reminder for me.

That whilst many of us have not been affected financially. Whilst many of us have actually had an increase in business since lock down or whilst many of us still have jobs where payments never stopped, there are people out there that haven’t even had a lock down. And would so desperately love one.

Grateful to serve you today and grateful for what you do. Thank you thank you thank you 🙏