Gallup has it right: There are four principle engagement levers that one must own to be fully engaged in what they do:

• Confidence: This comprises about 10% of total engagement. The ability to believe in yourself and do what you do well.
• Integrity: This comprises about 15% of total engagement. This is about showing respect, being a team player and constantly learning.
• Pride: This comprises about 30% of total engagement. This is about being an ambassador for the company you work for (and family), making great first impressions, being empowered and showing respect.
• Passion: This comprises about 40% of total engagement and is the most difficult of all to possess. This is about showing genuine appreciation for everything you do and those around you. When one has passion, you know it from their smile, their actions, the way they communicate and live their daily life.

These four tenants are part of our TNG credo and every TNG talent carries their credo card with them at all times. I got this idea from The Ritz Carlton who originated the credo card. We’ve been doing this for more than five years.

These values are what set apart amateurs from professionals. Pro’s must be fully engaged at all times to be their best. Constant learning, training, practice, competition and winning are part of their daily lives. You witness this in every profession (that’s why it’s called profession) such as sports, Texas Hold ‘Em, cooking (Chefs are the new big thing),  finance, and being a business owner.

It’s not easy being a fully engaged professional. That’s why some are better than others. You also have to have a natural talents. But in virtually every instance, pro’s always beat amateurs. Amateurs may possess confidence and integrity, but they have yet to acquire pride and passion.

Amateurs show their full colors when they compete with professionals. It isn’t pretty. That’s one reason why college football teams don’t play against NFL teams even in pre-season. It’s a totally different playing field.

Gallup has taught me many things over the years and the one lesson I always keep in the back of my mind is about passion. I’m passionate about the business and that’s why I’m not selling out. Our team is passionate about the business. Those in our industry that are passionate understand our purpose and mission.

Please visit gallup.com to learn more about engagement. In the meantime, let’s move forward doing the best that we can.

Happy Thursday!

OK, who knows where the term “millage” came from? Who knows the first millage that was voted for?

As you may know, millage is a tax and is collected with your annual property taxes. Millages are voted on and must be passed. You can figure for a $100,00 valued property, you are going to pay a minimum of $10 and upwards of $100 for every millage that passes.

Coming up Tuesday, August 3 is the primary vote for Governor and other political offices plus community millages. In Oakland county alone:

• Please vote for the OCC (Oakland Community College) renewal millage! Your added tax dollars are crucial in today’s economic climate to keep our 5 campuses operational. Without such funding, we will cry and our professors will have to resort to sack lunches. It’s only $81 per $100,000 and this state needs education!
• Please vote for Oakland parks. Parks are vital for kids, parents, animals and actually increase the value of your homes. We need the renewal millage to cut the grass, clean out the garbage cans and pay police to round up drunks. It’s only $21 per $100,000 and we need our parks!
• Please vote for the Ferndale library millage renewal. Without the renewal, we will not be able to subscribe to the most current magazines, pay access fees for Facebook or Twitter and certainly not afford free WIFI! It’s only $36 per $100,000 and our 79 year old librarian is not ready to retire!

No kidding, I think we pay well over $1000 in millages a year alone. I thought that what property taxes were to pay for. But it appears virtually everyone wants more money than they get from property taxes so they introduce a millage. And voters with kids are sympathetic and approve. And does any millage fade away? NO! Renewals are the course of the day.

I think about the Hospitality industry and they have to deal with reverse millages. I recently stayed at a hotel in New York. The rate was $199 per night. I ended up paying $296 per night.

• 9.5% state tax
• 6% city tax
• 3% convenience tax
• $10 city surcharge
• $4 garbage collection tax
• $3 no beggars in lobby tax
• $9 debt pay-off tax

Ever rent a car? There are more fees on the invoice and you thought you were paying $29.99 a day???

So it’s time for the Salon & Spa millage. We need our salons and spas. They employ tens of thousands and provide many kinds of services. Without them, what would America look like? And since so many women are doing their services at home, we need a boost. Come August 3, vote YES for the millage, it’s only $28 per $100,000. And if you vote yes, we might even toss in a free haircut!

Happy Monday!

I recently got educated on the difference between vinyl, latex, nitrile, powder-free, lightly-powdered, lightweight, heavyweight, medical grade, beauty grade, food grade and everything else in between disposable gloves.

Gloves are used virtually everywhere. TSA uses gloves; food service handlers use gloves; even supermarket cashiers are starting to wear gloves.

And then it dawned on me why glove use has become so pervasive. Think hand sanitizer. Everywhere you look there is a hand sanitizer station. More and more public bathrooms have them since people are too lazy to use soap and water.

Think handshakes. For some reason, it is still custom to handshake when you meet someone in a business setting. Last weekend at the beauty show I had to shake hands on multiple occasions. YIKES! What is worse when the other hand is wet, sweating, soft and not knowing where it was last? I am inventing the “handshake” glove.

But it already has been invented, sort of. The new “knuckle-to-knuckle” handshake is the best and I am using it more and more. Unfortunately it’s not approved for business use. So the handshake glove has a chance.

In the end, most people are unsanitary. I cannot tell you how many guys leave the stall and don’t wash their hands. Women’s stalls are an adventure and you wonder they still install toilet seats on the toilets since who would dare sit on one?

I am bypassing the handshake glove for the all-new “Permanent” glove. That’s right folks. From the moment you leave your house to the time you get home, this permanent glove will last all day long, protect you from all human contact, surfaces touched by humans (did you know escalator rubber rails have the most germs of all?) and take care of all the handshakes you need to make. And best of all, no one will know you are wearing it.

Happy Friday!

It’s so hot.

It’s so hot that:

• After running 6 miles and jumping into the pool, steam comes out
• Speaking of swimming, it’s like swimming in a whirlpool. In Florida, some resorts actually add ice cubes to cool down the pool
• Baskin-Robbins dropped ice cream cones and now sells milkshake cones
• A/C no matter how high you set it doesn’t get your bedroom below 70
• You don’t need a fire to roast marshmallows
• Dogs no longer stick their heads out of car windows
• You have to add ice cubes to beer to keep it cold
• You can cook hot dogs on your grill without firing it up
• LeBron James can’t take the heat. No bull. BTW: who is going to watch ESPN tonight? Brrrr.
• A cold winter January day in Detroit sounds good. Well, it’s not that hot.
• Happy Thursday!

In one conclusive study, a group of 100 adults were asked if their driving skills were below average, average or above average. Nearly 80% of the adults responded above average.

This study mirrors hundreds and thousands just like it. As a driver we know first hand that 80% of adult drivers are not above average.

The point is that most people think they are above average in everything they do. But that is impossible since the law of averages would be unfounded and it never will be. In any group, there is an average (median) where half the group is above and half the group is below.

Schools and colleges understand the law of averages when it comes to scoring exams. Sometime teachers/professors curve the averages or else more than half the class would fail. And we surely notice at graduation only a mere percentage are wearing special caps and gowns.

All of which brings me to my point that people do the damnest things. “The grass is greener on the other side” is an expression that is more true than not. People think that what other people do is easy, simple and no big deal. They think they can do it better and faster. Consequently, people move from one field to another only to fail miserly not understanding why. That is because they don’t know about the law of averages and they are not above average in everything they do.

Personal, family and business relationships all run into this on a daily basis. Carnival games play off this mentality by making their games look easy with big stuffed animals given away to the suckers. Above average people think they can sink the basketball or get the ring around the Coke bottles. Carnies know better.

Families test this law out each and every holiday when they get together. Invariably there are games, contests, and/or statements that are made that others disagree with or will compete against to make a point. No wonder there are more heated times at family events than good times.

And in business, the same is true. There are those that think I come into work each day, sit at my desk, stare at my computer, make a few calls, email and then go home. They think there is nothing to running a business and they can do it themselves and do it better.

Hey, I got nothing wrong with that thinking. Who knows how many people have left Google to start their own businesses. But in the world where law of averages always wins and small-minded people think they are above average, those people always lose. And lose hard.

What makes a great company isn’t the CEO/founder, it’s the people. When you have the best people, it doesn’t matter who leaves the company, there is always someone or some team to step in to get the job done. I have always said that if the President dropped dead at 3:00PM, Washington D.C. restaurants would still be packed at 6:00PM with people sipping martinis and eating steaks. The world goes on with or without you.

Luckily, the law of averages works at TNG. Most people leave on good terms, give two weeks or more notice, and move on to the next part of their life. That’s the way it should be. We respect that. But it’s those few that think the law of averages doesn’t apply to them and step out without respect and think the world owes them something.

Truth it, no one is owed anything.

Happy Tuesday!

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Do you remember when you were in the backseat with your brother or sister driving to a destination and you constantly asked “How much longer?”; “Are we there yet?” It seemed like it take forever.

They say as you get older, time goes by faster. You have more responsibilities, less free time and more demands on your life. They may be right.

In your 20’s, typical bedtime is 11PM or later.

In your 30’s, it’s 10PM or later.

And in your 40’s and 50’s, it’s 9PM or later.

Going to bed earlier may have something to do with it. But consider this. Do you find Monday-Friday goes by fast and Friday night to Monday morning goes by even faster?

Mind you, I have spoken to plenty of retired people who don’t work and they claim that the days and nights zip by. And they do nothing! Oh, if you call playing cards, golfing and reading something, excuse me.

You may have noticed I haven’t blogged in the past two days. No, it’s not because I was out of town, life became a blur. And while it still is, I decided to take a “time-out” to write this.

As a runner, I think I have the answer. It’s called being in the “zone.” Runners, swimmers, and bicyclists endure long periods of training by being in the zone. It’s a place where you don’t think about what you are doing, you don’t think about time and it allows your mind to wander without interference.

For me, the same thing occurs at work. Being in the zone, it’s lunchtime when it should be 10AM. It’s 6PM when it should be 3PM. And at the end of the day, you wonder where the time went.

Naturally, only some days are we in the zone. Surely working and retired folks are in the zone more often and it’s a good place to be. Being out of the zone or never in the zone can be stressful and cause negative emotions. It’s easy to understand why.

This entire week and the following week will be zone weeks. We are finishing up thebeautybook Fall edition, July/August edition of The Industry Source magazine, putting the final touches on our newest division and in the middle of planning a huge product release in the Fall. All good, all exciting, all in the zone.

Happy Wednesday!

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Working 20 years at any company is a feat these days. All too often when an accomplishment like this happens, the employee is not recognized or receives a pin and/or pen. That is why some 20 years ago I came up with a talent (employee) appreciation program to reward 10 and 20 year talent.

After being in business for 25 years, I am happy to say we have our very first 20 year talent! Mr. Gary Lincoln has not only become a master blog commentator, but has been able to relish in his role in our distribution centers. Congratulations to Gary and enjoy your one week Caribbean cruise!

What’s better than:

• A hot shower
• First cup of coffee
• Clean car
• Clear garage
• Full box of Kleenex
• First sip of cold beer
• Winning a game
• A full tank of gas
• Good pizza
• Hot fries and cold ketchup
• Peanuts
• A perfect game
• Being in love
• Making the last payment
• Friday at 5:00 (It’s 5:00 somewhere)
• A good night’s sleep
• A good book

What’s worse than:

• An empty toilet paper roll
• Being late
• A phone call at 3:00AM
• Taking out the garbage after a long day
• Cleaning the house after a party
• Getting an unexpected bill in the mail
• “Hello, this is the IRS”
• Blue lights flashing behind you
• Warm soup
• Women wearing bikinis and men wearing Speedo’s that shouldn’t
• Your doctor calling you back
• Any dental appointment
• Red lights when you are in a hurry
• Empty gas tank when it’s cold and blustery
• No A/C on a 90 degree day
• Forgetting to buy one ingredient when cooking
• Losing
• Political campaigns

Happy Friday!

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Another full service independent distributor bit the dust this past weekend, another major coup for L’Oreal. C.B. Sullivan operated in more than 20 states in the Northeast and serviced thousands of salons.

With the news out, what will those salons do differently? Shrug their shoulders and take care of another client. And that my friends is what companies such as L’Oreal, Sally Beauty Holdings (SBH) and Procter & Gamble (P&G) understand best.

L’Oreal didn’t become a $26 billion company because it is based in Paris. It didn’t get to where it’s at because of superior products although they have excellent products. In part, they got to where they are because they spend 30% of revenue on advertising. Most other consumer companies spend alike.

So what does that have to do with success? Quite simple. Global companies are truly successful because they are “people” experts. They employ psychiatrists, psychologists, human relation experts and subscribe to the best research in the world to learn and continue to learn how people think. Once they learn how people think, they employ the proper advertising to convince people to buy their products.

Pantene didn’t become a $3 billion brand because its shampoo, conditioner and styling product are superior although they have excellent products. Just think, the biggest brand in the professional industry is Matrix and they do $300 million a year, just 10% of Pantene. P&G are people experts.

And here is what else they know. P&G knows that even if they sell $3 billion worth of Pantene to consumers, they can sell Wella, Sebastian, Nioxin and Clairol to the salon industry because they know and understand people.

Walmart is the first company that demonstrated this principle. Walmart came into small towns, opened a store on the outskirts and we know what happened. At first, town folks were up in arms especially the downtown merchants. Their cry to the town folks was “you are not going to shop at Walmart, are you? We are independent, go to the same church and play cards together.” At first, the town folks were hesitant. But eventually, they succumbed. Downtowns for the most part shut down and Walmart became the largest company on the planet.

We saw this happen with bookstores. Do you remember independent bookstores? They had book readings, book fairs, book signings, yada-yada-yada. Then came Barnes & Nobles and then came Amazon. When was the last book reading, book fair or book signing Amazon held? Yet, virtually all the independents are gone.

Global companies win every time. But with our industry, many thought it would be different. After all, the customer is not the public but licensed independent professionals. Sure chains such as Regis and Hair Cuttery are in the game but control a small percentage of the business. With independent hairdressers as the customer, the thought was that they would support independent distributors who were the foundation of this industry since the 1920’s.

Alas, more flawed thinking. And it’s a shame. Sure, there will always be independents around that can make it work with the crumbs the global companies don’t care about.  And if a crumb ever gets to be too big, they will gobble that up too.

L’Oreal has won the game. SBH with their BSG/Cosmoprof division will be content with second place while P&G currently sits in third place. The game will continue until L’Oreal and SBH have no more big crumbs to buy. It was never about being a “people” business; it was about knowing how people think.

C.B. Sullivan is just another footnote. There will many more to follow.

Happy Thursday!

With so many things going on around the world, it is nice to turn off CNN, turn on Jimmy Buffett and take it easy on our first three day summer weekend.

Good news too is that it will be in the low 80’s and sunny with a slight chance of rain on Monday. Now if you are in Miami or Vegas, that might sound a bit cool but for us, it’s perfect weather.

I don’t know about you, but I hate going anywhere on summer weekends. Time goes by fast enough, it’s nice to stay home and chill out. Truthfully, there will be no chilling out since I am the grill chef and BUB is the kitchen chef and we stay very busy between shopping, prepping, cooking and cleaning.

But heck, that’s part of the fun.

And with all that’s been going on, we can all use a break and have a bit of fun in the sun.

Happy Thursday!

The barbeque gods did not pay attention to my request for a sunny day today. Hopefully the rain will hold off as we celebrate our first TNG barbeque of the season today, Cheeseburgers in Paradise. On the menu we have Black Angus burgers, salmon burgers, baked beans, BUB coleslaw, and our signature waffle cone station. If you are nearby between 12-1:00PM, stop on by!

As the stock market sinks below 10,000 again and the worries in Europe continue along with all the other lousy news, the possibility of a “double-dip” (not ice cream) has raised its ugly face. The thoughts of that happening are nauseating at best and in Michigan, devastating. The question is, what will turn everything around?

Can the news in Detroit be any worse? Even Mayor Bing stated the obvious yesterday, “We have no idea how to stop the violence.” What hope is there when your leader doesn’t have an answer?

CND’s new Shellac has proved to be a hit and good news for the nail industry. Seems everything is soak-off gels and acrylics are mostly dead. BTW: We have more Shellac on the way.

I don’t know about you, but does road construction this season seem more unbearable that usual? Telegraph is a disaster for 9 straight miles and you never see any crews working on all 9 miles at the same time. Perhaps it’s because the government is in charge.

Speaking of which, can you believe the Obama administration gave out a permit to BP for it’s leaking well (33rd day) without any verifications or tests? Heck, you have no idea what we need to go through with the city to get a sign 12” bigger than code.

It’s not really Memorial Day weekend next week, is it?

How did Smoothies get to be so hot?

Does anyone eat at Ponderosa?

Have you heard anything from anyone about the smoke-free ban since it was enacted on May 1? Not even a whisper.

Happy Friday!