By Melissa Verplank, CMG, Founder of ParagonPetSchool.com
The path of every successful bather, groomer or pet stylist is slightly different. However, there is a set of common threads that tie the most successful pet professionals together.
Here are seven common qualities that set top performers apart.
1. They are positive.
“You cannot have a positive life and a negative mind.”
A positive attitude helps you deal more easily with the daily affairs. It brings brightness into your life, making it easier to avoid worries and negative thinking. When you’re positive, you have a clear, calm mind that is open to possibilities and see opportunities where others see nothing.
And as a bonus, if your attitude is strong enough, it becomes contagious. Contagious to clients. To co-workers. To Pets. Everyone. It’s as if you radiate positive energy around you.
2. They are learners.
“Anyone who stops learning is old, whether at twenty or eighty. Anyone who keeps learning stays young. The greatest thing in life is to keep your mind young.”
~ Henry Ford
Wikipedia defines Lifelong learning as, “the ongoing, voluntary, and self-motivated pursuit of knowledge for either personal or professional reasons.”
It is the nonstop development of skills and knowledge of a pet professional, at any level. It occurs through experiences encountered in the course of a lifetime. These experiences could be formal (training, tutoring, mentorship, apprenticeship, etc.) or informal (experiences, situations, etc.)
Learning is the key to achieving a person’s full potential. Learn does not stop once you get out of school. Folks who continue to learn are able to transform their lives. They become more successful at home, more successful with their families, more successful at work and more successful within their salons and work environments.
3. They are always moving.
“Life is like riding a bicycle to keep your balance you must keep moving.”
-Albert Einstein
Successful pet professionals are achievers. You aren’t going to see successful pet grooming teams dragging around the shop. Nope. They are buzzing with activity. They are constantly on task, on schedule and looking for a way to shave moments off any task without sacrificing quality. Their hands and feet are never still.
They are constantly in motion. When I hear the term “occupational athletes,” highly successful team members in any grooming department typically fit that description well.
4. They are curious.
“Curiosity is one of the most permanent and certain characteristics of a vigorous intellect.”
~ Samuel Johnson
Curiosity might have killed the cat, but a new study by psychologists suggests that curiosity is very good for people. Do you want a rewarding career? Then be curious.
To have curiosity in your job can be a powerful tool. It does not matter which department you are in or if you wear all the hats in your business. If you can find different ways to stay hungry for knowledge and continue to be a lifelong learner, you will find your career to be much more rewarding.
The more curious you are, the more possibilities you will open throughout your lifetime. Open your eyes and look around.
5. They are persistent.
“Ambition is the path to success. Persistence is the vehicle you arrive in.”
-Unknown
Being persistent after it seems like everything has failed is one of the hardest things to do. You just want to give up. Give up on the dog. Give up technique. Give up on yourself.
When trying to be persistent, it is important that you have a goal in mind. Whether it’s getting that dog squeaky clean, the clipper work baby butt smooth, a velvet finish on a hand scissor dog or just trying to add an extra dog to your roster on a consistent basis, don’t’ give up. Even though you don’t see results immediately, keep trying. Keep pushing yourself. Having an end result in mind will keep you motivated, which builds persistence.
6. They are passionate.
To be successful, the first thing to do is fall in love with your work.
~Sister Mary Lauretta
If you want to be successful at your job and move up, you need to be passionate about your work. You need to be motivated and driven to be the best you can be regardless of your work. Passionate people love their work.
Passion, motivation, drive. Call it what you want it. Bottom line, it’s that self-driven attitude towards your job and your work that can help lead you down the path to success.
Passion is an emotion that comes from within you. It’s your enthusiasm. Your motivation. Your drive.
I promise you, others will be positively impacted by your personal passion towards pets. Passion does not go unnoticed. People will see how well you do your job and your attitude towards it. They will see even if a task is hard you don’t give in, you apply yourself even more to overcome it. They will notice your drive and your motivation and consider how you would do in another position.
Becoming stagnated in a career is boring. The work gets sloppy. Customer service goes down. The wonderful part of being involved with the pet industry, there is no limit as to your personal growth. I love being surrounded by people that have these six qualities firmly developed in their lives. They are energizing and refreshing to be around. Their energy is contagious!
How many of these six traits to you have? How many do you feel you could improve on?