A Partner in Business and in Life
At Janet St. Paul Studio for Hair and Beauty, Director of Operations Natasha McMillen helps bring her wife Janet St. Paul's vision to life, elevating every system from education to operations.
by Stacey Soble
Book Review: How Full is Your Bucket?
This book offers some of the best advice on how to have the right balance on a daily basis. Working in a positive environment is more motivating, and it can be very contagious. As owners, we create and drive our culture every day. How do we keep a constant positive atmosphere?
by Web Editor
July 10, 20113 min to read
Reviewed by Rowena Yeager, Studio Wish Salon and Colour Café in Streetsboro, Ohio
What is the book about?
Have you ever had a day where everything went right? You were complimented on all of your work in the salon. All of your employees told you how much they love their job. Every guest made a point to say, “This is the best salon in town.” How did that make you feel? Full and on top of the world, right? Well flip that around ... have you had a day when everything went wrong? The day was filled with constant complaints and negativity. How did that make you feel? Drained?
All day long we either fill the invisible buckets of people around us or we take away from them. This book offers some of the best advice on how to have the right balance on a daily basis. Working in a positive environment is more motivating, and it can be very contagious. As owners, we create and drive our culture every day. How do we keep a constant positive atmosphere?
What did you like about it?
This book has allowed me to really look at the words I use every day when I am speaking to our employees. Keeping in mind our employees are really our number one guests. Speaking nicely to a guest is instilled in us from day one in school with customer service, but how often is it focused on from a management or owner level? This book puts it in prospective.
What was the biggest takeaway message for you?
We are all responsible for the words that come out of our mouths, and if you want your bucket filled you sure as heck better be filling other buckets around you.
What idea did you implement into your professional or personal life?
The book offers the idea of writing out heartfelt compliments when you catch someone doing something right by giving them a “drop” for their bucket. We created what we call “I Spys.” “I Spy… You did something fantabulous!” Everyone in the salon is encouraged to use them. We have them plastered all over our walls in our break room. On the home front, for my husband and my two girls, I am always looking for what they did right and making sure they know I noticed.
Why would you recommend this book to other owners or your staff?
Many times in business we create an “us against them” atmosphere that has “ick” written all over it. We need to take a look at what we are dishing out verbally each day to those around us because ultimately you get what you give. If you are in need of a bucket filling, this book can give you the tools you need to never be empty again.
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