No Compromise

Neil Ducoff, founder of Strategies, preaches "no compromise leadership." That doesn't mean that we become maniacal tyrants who always have to be right. It means we don't ever compromise what matters most - our values.

At my salon we value client service, so we will not compromise on things like absenteism and lateness. Of course, we try to coach people if they slip up, but if there is an on-going issue we cut them loose. Unfortunately I had to practice my no compromise leadership this week and let our new stylist go. It was an expensive decision to make -she had just completed the training program. Keeping her, though, would have cost us more in client dissastisfaction and the morale issues that arise in a salon when someone is not carrying their weight.

One of my colleagues in our Strategies class goes by the mantra "Hire slowly, Fire quickly." Well, we do generally hire slowly and that should lead to a better match, but this time we made the wrong call. Live and learn...