by Janine Allis
The most destructive thing about a VERB mentality is that it places a person in a state of total powerlessness. Nothing is their fault; nothing is their responsibility; and they don't need to solve any problem because it's up to someone else to rescue them.
I don't want people who see themselves as victims — I don't want to hear ‘poor me', or ‘I will try'; I want to hear ‘can do' and ‘I will find a way'. In addition, there is no such thing as entitlement. I believe that people should be rewarded appropriately for what they do; I hate hearing someone say, ‘That's not my job' or ‘I don't get paid for that'. I also want people who find solutions rather than feel they need to be rescued. I want people to come to me with answers, not problems. Lastly, and this is a pet hate for me, I don't tolerate people who blame others. It's true we all do it at different times in our lives — and we wouldn't be human if we didn't — but don't be a serial offender.
The choice you can make is to instead use the SOAR approach, or Solutions, Ownership, Accountability and Responsibility. This approach is the opposite of VERB. If you use SOAR in everything you do, you will suddenly find things going your way.
You can find the solution to your problem; just stay with it. Take ownership of everything in your life and business, and soon you will see the power it gives you. Accountability is there to remind you to fix no-one else and, finally, take responsibility for everything you do — if everything is your responsibility, you can fix it. I challenge you to SOAR — and find staff who SOAR with you — and see the difference.
Ten characteristics of a dynamite businessperson
Spotting a winner is easy when you know what you're looking for, but how do you know what to look for? And how do you know if you have those characteristics? Before ditching your day job and going into business, it's important to be sure you have what it takes to be able to drive your venture and sustain it.
Integrity
These days, people talk a lot about ‘integrity' and ‘values'. They've become buzz words, used to impress — but do you know what integrity really means? It's true that if your company is known as being one of integrity, you will attract and keep like-minded people — honest, reliable, moral people. Yet ideals often seem to disappear if the bottom line is affected. The words ‘integrity' and ‘values' mean nothing if they're not backed up with solid hard work and the right decisions.
So, what is integrity? To me, integrity means always telling the truth and acting in a way that is right for the business, no matter how hard that may be and no matter what the cost. You can't please everyone all the time. Some people may believe you haven't acted with integrity — whether it's an employee you had to let go, or franchisees who think it's your fault they haven't made more money. You can't always help what other people think, but as long as you know you've done the right thing, you can feel at peace. Having true integrity has made Boost what it is today.
Let me give you an example that shows how important integrity is. We had a senior executive in the business who was an amazing talker. When he spoke, his words and tone instilled confidence, and he always seemed to have the answers to all the hard questions. However, this man lacked true integrity — it was all about his ego and making sure that he looked as good as he could. So he would often lie and just tell you what you wanted to hear.
As we came to discover, these can be the most dangerous types of people to have in your business, because it takes a long time to realise what they are really like and, in that time, they can do a lot of damage. By the time we uncovered what this man was doing, his area of responsibility was in a terrible condition and we had started to get a high level of resignations — and, worst of all, the culture of the business had changed. Your business's culture is just like fitness — it can take months to get your fitness level up and only weeks to completely lose it. We realised we had (admittedly unknowingly) gone against one of our biggest rules: only hire people with the utmost integrity. At the time this man was hired, we thought he had integrity but we were sadly mistaken. Often mistakes make the business better, and this is true in this case — we now have better systems in place to make sure this does not happen again.
Pro tips
Here's how to act with integrity and ensure it in those around you:
You can't create a workplace culture of high integrity without hiring people with high values. Be single-minded in seeking out the right staff.
Always aim to keep your word; if you have to change your mind, be honest about the reason. Be straightforward, accept that you are wrong and don't make excuses.
Seek consistency between what you think and what you say. People can see through lies, and you cannot fake sincerity.
Yes, it does sometimes cost money to do the honourable thing. Look at it as a short-term financial loss that can be absorbed. A loss of trust can never be regained.
Ramping up
Really emphasise your integrity by remembering the following:
Integrity breeds integrity. The holder of the values in any company or business is the CEO and/or owner. If you are a leader of high integrity, it will flow through to the rest of the staff. With that said, the leader should be surrounded by some ruthless minds to ensure balance.
The core leadership team of a business must be beyond reproach. The people who run a company set the cultural tone. If they maintain high standards on what's right and what's wrong, a culture of great integrity will develop. You need to be rigorous in your expectations of staff and make a hard call if someone lets you down. If you don't, you will lose the people who matter most.
Avoid people who have low standards of integrity, but don't judge someone on reputation alone. While a doubtful reputation always makes me cautious, I prefer to make up my own mind. Never ignore your gut instinct or intuition.
Always support your staff in front of people outside your business. If you don't agree with a colleague, have the discussion behind closed doors. Ensure that your staff and peers do the same for you.
Know your limitations and do not bluff; if you need expert help, get it.
Motivation
I have five words for you: move it or lose it. Unfortunately, I can't teach you how to find the will to do so but I can tell you that you need all the will in the world to get where you want to go. Motivation, inspiration — call it what you like — is different for each of us.
To succeed, you must unlock that deep personal energy. So, what motivates you? If you can't answer that question, it's time for you to find out. Without that knowledge, you'll never experience the total joy of achievement.
I can't give other people motivation, but I can provide a culture where their achievements are recognised and rewarded in a way that is meaningful to them. When it comes to motivating staff, I look for their ‘hot buttons'. For some people, a small gesture is enough — a metaphorical pat on the back when all seems lost. Others may take more convincing and may appreciate incentives, such as time off work or a small gift of appreciation.
I believe that motivation is born from working with great people and achieving great things together. The bigger your purpose, the more fulfilled you'll be at the end of every day.
Many things motivated me on my business journey, but the biggest one in the early years was fear. I had everything on the line: we had sold our family home, all of the cash was in the business and we were renting. Not to mention the home doubled as our office. At 34 years old and with three children, I truly did have everything to lose. There is nothing like putting yourself in this position to give you motivation! The business had to work no matter what so, one way or another, I had to find the solution to every problem.
Fear was there as an underlining factor on the journey but something else also popped up — and that was passion. I found that not only did I love the world of retail and business but also, to my surprise, I was actually quite good at it. My brain worked in systems and in high detail. Whenever something went wrong, my mind immediately went to solutions, and then to ways
of ensuring a problem of this type never happened again. Suddenly, the business didn't seem like work anymore — I loved it! And when you love something, motivation to continue is a by-product of the journey.
Pro tips
Keep yourself and others around you motivated with the following:
Remember to say thank you. My own son works in a cafe and he said to me once, ‘Truly nice people are nice to waiters. How hard is it to say thanks?' People work incredibly hard at Boost and I know how important it is to acknowledge that. The biggest complaint most people have in their workplace is that they are not appreciated for the work they do.
Always celebrate your successes. When you're incredibly busy, stopping to acknowledge success can seem like a chore. However, it shouldn't be optional, because it's vital for ongoing morale. Imagine if we hadn't allowed our staff to sit back and enjoy the fact that we'd launched bottled Boost Juice, or that we'd opened our first international store in Chile, or purchased a competitor and converted every single one of their stores to Boost stores in ten days. It's hard to find ongoing motivation if you feel like all your work is for nothing.
Keep going, even when others give up. Having the will to do so can serve you well at home and at work.
Great people thrive on working with great people. Continue to lift the bar and create a place to work where people strive.
Ramping up
Here's how to get yourself and your staff super motivated:
Initiate a structured reward program for staff. We reward our customers with a loyalty incentive, so why not do the same for staff members? This is one area where simple is best. For most people, the biggest motivators are ownership of tasks and acknowledgement of achievements; successful completion of tasks should be recognised and/or rewarded. For example, at Boost we have a monthly staff gathering with food and drink — a night of reward and recognition, where we celebrate achievements, milestones and being together.
It's difficult to be inspired if the company culture is negative. Provide a stimulating environment in which people can achieve personal goals, as well as great outcomes for the company.
Your key executives must be self-starters, problem-solvers and leaders. If motivation can be judged on a scale of one to ten, look for the elevens — those people who have shown high levels of achievement throughout their lives, in different areas. Give them an environment in which to thrive … and look out!
Passion
Having passion is the easiest way to make money, but the hardest thing to find. You can teach anything and train anyone, but you cannot instil passion in someone. Passionate people are few and far between. To me, they are like gold. They stand out. People are attracted to them and believe in them; people want to be them and invest in them. Do you have to be loud, extroverted and opinionated to be passionate? No. You can be quietly passionate. This may mean you're overlooked — but not for long. Along with integrity, commitment and a strong work ethic, passion is always recognised.
So what do I mean by a passionate person? Essentially, passion is tied up with loving what you do. To achieve a goal, you need to throw your heart and soul into it. If you don't, you're in trouble.
When we have a problem at Boost and Retail Zoo, everyone on the team is focused on the solution. Their eyes sparkle with the challenge; they will do whatever it takes to sort it out — whether it's getting on the next plane or working through the night. When Boost first began, the business took over our lives. My husband Jeff and I were surrounded by work 24 hours a day, seven days a week. That level of commitment gets tiring very quickly if you're not passionate about what you do. When you are passionate, it doesn't feel like ‘work'. To be passionate, you need to be doing something that means something to you. You can't fake it. If you do, you won't make it.
I have done an enormous number of media interviews over the past fifteen years, and the key thing that I'm often told afterwards is that I ooze passion. When people ask me about Boost, my eyes start to sparkle, my body gets taller and then I'm off — spouting all sorts of information about this business that has been so much a part of my life.
What I also have found is that passion is relatively rare — and so I'm lucky that Jeff has it in spades as well. Sometimes, I would say that a fine line exists between passion and obsession. (These days, when you ask my husband about a horse, his whole face lights up, and he can happily tell anyone who is listening the pedigree of any horse you care to mention.) But this energy and obsession is why others like passionate people and want to be around them — they're addictive and others want some of what they have.
Anyone who has achieved incredible goals has passion, without exception — whether they're a top sportsperson or an amazing musician, passion and commitment are the common bond.
Pro tips
Here's how to find your passion (and others') and act passionately:
What do you love to do? If you can identify your passion and make it your life's work, you can't fail. Passionate people love going to work because they love what they do. Can you imagine a better feeling than getting paid to do what you would do for free?
Don't overlook the quietly passionate. You don't need to make a lot of noise to get a lot done!
Ramping up
Increase your passion with these tips:
Passion is like a drug. When you achieve things that other people do not, passion grows. Like the endorphins created when you exercise, passion fills you as you meet goals — both big and small. What are you passionate about?
Find out everything you can about whatever you're passionate about. As you discover more and your knowledge grows, so too does your passion. Passion means that learning is no longer a chore but, instead, it becomes a joy and something that fulfils your soul. Passion and purpose are what we look for at Boost and Retail Zoo.
Confidence
Self-doubt is your greatest enemy. Confidence is everything. If you believe in yourself, others will believe in you too. Even if you have doubts, hide them! Your confidence is your shield — it will protect you and your team from that highly contagious disease known as defeat. (This is different from pretending you have all the answers when you don't — something I would never recommend.)
When Boost went from being very small in scale to a medium-sized concern, I found myself questioning whether I'd be able to manage the growth. I was worried that I'd had no formal business training or prior experience. The fact that the expansion happened practically overnight, because Jeff had secured 18 sites with Westfield, didn't help! How did I overcome my concerns? With common sense, a clear vision and by looking at the people who believed in me. I realised these people weren't stupid — and if they backed me all the way, who was I to question their judgement?
Sometimes, questioning your own ability makes you work that much harder; having great people around you is an invaluable safety net. And it turned out the keys to running a business were not as complicated as I thought. If you simplify everything, are sensible when making decisions and look for the solution that exists for every problem, you'll go far.
Don't think I'm kidding myself here — when I started Boost Juice, I certainly didn't have the confidence that I have today. In the early days, I used Jeff as a crutch and, if anything was too hard or too confrontational, I would turn to him. Jeff, of course, had no issues with telling someone how it was.
For example, early on I invested over $5000 in a cash register for the new store; however, I soon discovered that it was an absolute lemon. The salesman I'd dealt with was a pig and basically told me that it was my bad luck. We had hardly any money and the $5000 would not be easily replaced, so I went for my fallback response: calling in Jeff. He called the salesman, who again said he was not refunding the money. So Jeff told him that he was sending over a man and he expected him to give this man the refund in full.
Jeff hung up the phone and put on a dark suit, his shoes with the biggest heels and some sunglasses, and went to the showroom for the money. He introduced
himself as Jeff Jackson and said that he was there to collect. The salesman was clearly shaken and told Jeff he would have the money in 30 minutes. Jeff was waiting in his car when the phone rang — it was the salesman, who told Jeff that he was not impressed that he had sent in a thug to collect his money. Jeff calmly told him that Jeff Jackson was not leaving until he had the money in total. Needless to say, ‘Jeff Jackson' had a full refund returned to me that afternoon.
I was always conscious that I hadn't gone to university, and believed that most professional people who I came across would know more than me. However, one thing I did have was a curious mind — I wanted to know more and I wanted to not have to rely on anyone but myself. The other thing I came to realise was that no-one could know my business like I did, so I shouldn't follow advice blindly.
So I started asking more questions, not caring if the questions clearly showed how little I knew. I started questioning some of the documents and discovered that common sense and logic were really the main skills you needed in business. By asking questions, I also discovered how often so-called experts actually make mistakes, and that they didn't always know as much as I gave them credit for. Slowly, I weaned myself off Jeff and started to take on more of the difficult problems myself — even if, in my mind, I always had Jeff Jackson ‘on ice' for another day. However, I'm happy to say that we never had to use Jeff Jackson again. It was my money that I was using, so I became a tough negotiator, making sure I was always over-prepared for every meeting. I'm not sure exactly when the change took place, but I do remember Jeff commenting that I wasn't using him as much anymore — in fact, I think he was a bit put out that his services as the ‘tough guy' were no longer needed.