Building a dream team

I am so excited and humbled to share this topic with you because I have learned all of my lessons through the school of experience. I have found building a dream team is not only a construction plan, but more importantly, it’s also a maintenance and constant redecorating plan.

The first aspect of building a dream team is to solidify and understand your reason “why.” What you are going to accomplish will always pale in comparison to why you are doing it. This “why” will prove to be the single most important component of all that you do. It will be the North Star to bring everything back into perspective when the seas get rough (and they will). Spend some time asking “why” you are doing what you are doing. Think of this as an investment in time that will pay great dividends in the future. This must be the first step as you cannot go back and lay the foundation of a house once you have constructed the rest.

When you have zeroed in on your reason “why” you can get specific about the people you are looking for to build your dream team. 

When you are making your selections, I suggest doing it as you would a sports team. With this approach, you will hire based on positions that are needed, and thus create a team that serves different functions. My pops taught me to surround myself with people who are smarter than me. This theory is a surefire way to find people who complement each other with their strengths. Lastly, build the people as opposed to trying to find superstars. Look for the great in people and build on it, raise them up in your culture, ingrain your reason why and allow them to own the vision to accomplish their dreams.

I heard once from my contractor Randy (who is the best in the business bar none), that I should set aside 10% of my original buildout costs per year to do maintenance on our location. At first I thought he was crazy, but as always, he has proved to be a genius! This concept also needs to be applied to the maintenance of our dream team. Invest in them. Set funds, time and other resources aside to maintain the happiness of this amazing crew. We do “ditch days” where we close each location for a day during the summer and hang out. Sometimes it’s at the beach, lake, a pool or whatever. The place isn’t as important as the time spent together. You will be amazed at the magic that is created. This is just one idea to create inspiration for your individual needs. The most important thing here is to make sure that you and your team understand the importance and existence of this maintenance. This way, your dream team feels valued!

Finally, constant redecorating keeps things fresh. Life is all about perspective, right? As the leaders of our teams, we must constantly be refreshing our team’s perspective on how much of an impact our reason “why” is having on people. Reporting the news is one of the greatest ways to do this. It can be through email or blogs, while the most effective way is my personal preference: to do it in person. When we report the activity and results of community involvement, industry impact and education, it will solidify the fact that they are making a difference. Never take for granted the impact that you can have by simply telling the stories of their success.

It’s only fitting that I tell you some stories of our team’s success ….

My first one is about Eli Atkins. He is the head of our graphics department and handles reservations in Las Vegas. Eli is constantly coming up with amazing and innovative ways to make the lives of our stylists, assistants and reservationists simpler. Above the procedures that he has revolutionized, his delivery is his greatest attribute. He leads with his heart and helps people know that he cares, and thus, has created a following of people who are ready and willing to carry out what he asks of them.

Selena Arreguin is the Director of Personal Development for our company and her impact is felt in all areas of our organization. Just recently she set up our “ditch day” and had her boyfriend take the day off of work to cook to make sure our whole crew was taken care of. The day was perfect, and we didn’t need to worry about anything. While Selena helps people reach their goals in the salon, she also has recognized that connecting with them outside of work and exposing her heart helps gain the most traction!

Building a winning team is a lifelong process and we should enjoy every aspect. Remember, to identify your reason “why,” create a maintenance plan and get excited about redecorating before you start construction. Oh yeah, and remember to enjoy the ride!