Ah, February. It’s the month of love and lavish. With our thoughts turned towards the l-word it’s a perfect time to talk about this strengthening value and the way it should play into every minute of our lives! Increasingly, and as it should, our focus has spread to be on more than just that significant other even during this holiday that we often identify with amore.

Overview

Sometimes you hear a quote and it engraves itself right into your heart. Ironically, that seems to be exactly how many people felt when Carl W. Buechner said,

“They may forget what you said, but they will never forget how you made them feel.�

Every day humans are interacting with one another. All ages and pages of life are filled with laughs and eyebrow raises and frowns all in response to the social happenings around us. And, wow, if relationship building isn’t one of the most fascinating and challenging obstacles to face. Often, when we hear think of love our thoughts go to those hours before 8 and after 5, to the people we live with or grab brunch with on Sundays. But even at work, love plays into our every move.

Love is the mortar that holds the foundations of our careers soundly in place.

Relationships with Authority

“Personal relationships are the fertile soil from which all advancement, all success, all achievement in real life grows.”

Ben Stein

Authority is a word that sparks a strong reaction in many minds. We know that building and maintaining a good relationship with our managers and bosses is invaluable, but we may find ourselves dreading that task. Part of this could just be the stigma that has been perpetrated to make us feel like our boss wants us to produce without any care towards our needs. Thankfully, this isn’t the case in most workplaces. The truth is workplaces are more efficient when employees are happy. Still, it can be easy to make our expectations a reality in any case. Consider that your superiors at work are human too, they want relationships that build them up and don’t add to the stress already in place in a workplace. Earlier in the series, we considered the effect of honesty. Remember that now. Be honest with your expectations, your boss and yourself.

Now, if you find that your relationship isn’t quite what you hope it could be or like you started off on the wrong foot with your higher up, don’t fret! There are many ways to make improvements that will refresh that standstill. First, start by thinking about your communication. Direct, clear communication is an excellent gateway to improvement. Consider asking to have a short, Use this time to discuss daunting deadlines, goals on both sides and don’t forget to inquire about how they are. If they are open to this arrangement, you are well on your way to building a happier, healthier connection.

Relationships with Co-workers

“Teamwork is the ability to work together toward a common vision. The ability to direct individual accomplishments toward organizational objectives. It is the fuel that allows common people to attain uncommon results.�

Andrew Carnegie

We spend around on average. That’s about thirty percent of our time on this earth. So, while we’re by the water cooler we should seriously consider the communication that we are fostering and the relationships we are developing from there. When Gallup did a , whether or not you have a “work best friend” is one of the twelve questions they presented each employee with. Maybe you feel like “best friend” is too strong a term but even so, having a connection with the people you are striving to achieve success with is necessary. Though we don’t get to choose who we work with, we do have a handle on how we treat them. Simply be good to people and you’ll find that it comes pouring back to you.

If you’re hoping to improve that interpersonal day to day with the people around you, but you aren’t sure where to start, give questions a try. Questions? Yes, ask and you shall receive. Show genuine interest in your peers and try to remember the facts that have been shared with you. The names of their children, their favorite football team. These little tidbits possess the power to elevate a relationship by displaying interest in the little things. Think about your friends at work now. See if you can recall what sparked that initial friendship. Doubtless, it was a conversation in which you discovered a shared goal or mindset. Humans are pretty fond of themselves, so if they feel like they can relate to you they are likely to stay with you in the daily trenches.

Relationships with Clients

“I believe that you can get everything in life you want if you will just help enough other people get what they want.”

Zig Ziglar

When your job allows you the privilege of working directly with clients an extra level of relationship responsibility slides into your department. Clients are, easily, the lifeblood of the beauty and barbering industry. As salon and shop professionals, cosmetologists, barbers, estheticians, and manicurists make it their work to help people love the way they look. What an awesome job description! But, it is not without its challenges. Product sales account for a healthy portion of income and having a solid conversation can be the difference between a re-book and a regret! You can have all the technical skills for beautiful braids or a fantastic fade and still struggle with bringing in business. Part of that is because, for better or for worse, people have pretty complicated relationships with the professionals providing them with the services they want.

So, how do you navigate this complicated minefield? Keep in mind that you are the expert on your field between the two of you. It’s vital to listen to the wants of the customer while still making sure your work is high quality. Holding effective consultations while you begin a process will never lead you astray. Listen to your heart when it comes to client conversations. Just caring about people only aids any given situation. Make a genuine effort to never be fake and you’ll make it. Finally, when it comes to product sales – do not hesitate. Many times guests do not know how to preserve the effect of the service they’ve just received. A facial is restorative, but without a consistent at home routine (like this Bioelements skincare I tried out) it is impossible to keep your face glowing the in that fresh-out-of-the-spa way! Be informed of your products and confident in your knowledge. That passion will bleed out into your clients as they become their best-feeling selves.

Conclusion

“Our rewards in life will always be in exact proportion to the amount of consideration we show toward others.”

Earl Nightingale

What we talk about when we talk about love is connection. Building positive relationships with authority, peers, and clients will make every day go more smoothly. When we can communicate our goals and be open about our reality with those around us, we are at our strongest. Most of all, when we pour out love into the world around us it comes flowing back to us in various forms. Good feelings, success, and smiles will fill into the corners of your life like sunshine that can be FELT. So this year, take love right out of February and put it into every month of the year.

The post What’s Felt : Connecting with Love appeared first on 51³Ô¹Ï.

translates as ‘coming together in common purpose to achieve an outcome’. In Rwandan culture, this means members of the community call upon their family, friends, and neighbors to help complete a challenging task. The last Saturday of each month the entire country closes down in the morning so that an individual from each family can complete an act of community service. Such a strong focus on community involvement inspires Rwandan people to carry out community projects more than once a month. As a resut, Umuganda has a whopping 91.3% participation rate. It’s no surprise that Rwandan people are dedicated to improving their and coming together for a larger purpose.

Community Impact

At 51³Ô¹Ï, we found this dedication to community inspiring. Can you imagine if this practice was adopted in the United States? Just think about every person from ages 18-65 participating in a few hours of community service; the impact would be incredible. Of course, the community would benefit immensely, but the sense of togetherness we feel would be life-changing. Simply knowing that once a month you get to be a part of a country-wide movement is exhilarating.

Our Umuganda

In 2013, 51³Ô¹Ï sponsored the creation of the Dream Beauty Academy in Kigali, Rwanda, Africa. During that trip, our owners and staff first learned of Umuganda. The team was struck by this beautiful tradition and knew immediately this practice needed to be a part of their campus culture. Each year at locations in both Springfield, Missouri and Austin, Texas the students and educators disperse into the community and do what they can to give back.

Read below to see how each school impacted their community.

Springfield

In Springfield, this included the Gardens, the Ozarks Food Harvest, the Dream Center, Quail Creek, Maples Nursing 51³Ô¹Ï, and Harmony House. Students from all programs offered up their skills. All throughout the community, we offered haircuts, styles, manicures, and makeup applications. Making our neighbors feel beautiful and confident in their own skin is invaluable.

Another group of students packaged enough food to provide over 6,000 Thanksgiving meals. Not only did students perform acts of service, they built relationships. In my own experience with volunteering, it is these relationships that have the strongest impacts. While the haircut might only last a few weeks, the personal connection and the feeling of togetherness can last a lifetime.

Austin

In Austin, the team worked in the Community First Village, SafePlace, Lifeworks, and Foundation Communities. Offering beauty and barbering services to those in need helps them to feel whole, to feel like they are a part of a community. When you do have regular access to these services, it’s easy to overlook the importance of having control over your image.

Each year we see success, both in literal accomplishment and the phenomenal effect of spreading positivity throughout the community. We hope that by beginning this tradition with our students, we can influence them to continue to live a life of service even after graduation.

Quick Question

Now that you know how we celebrate Umuganda, what do you think? Do you see the benefit of a national day of giving? Do you know how to give back? I would love to know your thoughts! You can reach me at bethany@aohd.com.

Sincerely,

Bethany

The post Local Students Connect to Community appeared first on 51³Ô¹Ï.

 Join contributing writer, Trevor Cobb, in this four-part series that peeks through the curtains and curriculum of AOHD to answer this simple question: what is left when we strip away the extras and examine the core elements that make us who we are?

Social media enables us to connect with alumni, spotlight students, share information, and hopefully make some people laugh. And, that is what social media is all about, isn’t it? Sharing passions with other people, connecting with like-minded individuals, and finding your voice among a larger community.

Alongside adding our voice, it is important to us that our students use social media to find their voice and cultivate their online network. That is why our educators and social media team show students how to promote themselves, their skills, and their work as part of a larger push to teach professional marketing tactics. And of course, beyond the business aspect, we encourage students to honor in social media because we know the benefits of an active online presence that connects us in meaningful ways.

At AOHD, we focus on providing innovative content that facilitates community and engagement. We ask our audience questions because we want to know what you think. We share our student’s work because we are incredibly proud of what they are doing. We post articles because we know sharing information and knowledge matters, and we are continually fascinated by the diversity of voices in the beauty community.

We love what we do so much that we want to share it with others, and that is the power of social media. With just a few clicks, we can share an impressive photo of nail art with salons in Springfield and magazines in New York City. We can connect with alumni in Alabama and Texas and Ohio. When you do what you love, you cannot do it quietly. No matter where we are posting or who we are telling, the motive is the same. We want to spread the love.

The fact is this: social media grows communities and larger communities lead to larger opportunities. We will continue building our beauty connections with salons, schools, and stylists to create an inclusive beauty network. When we strengthen our local communities in Springfield, Austin, and even Kigali, Rwanda, everywhere we touch flourishes. It is easy to see that we love what we do – And hopefully you will be inspired to believe in your passions and abilities, too.

Okay, so let’s get back to our original question: what is left when we strip away the extras and examine the core elements that make us who we are?

Underneath all the posts and the memes and the photos, this is what we want to leave you with: a love for our school, our industry, and our community. Social media allows us to love publicly, and we encourage you to do the same.

Remove all the jokes, photos, tweets, and articles, and you’ll see what’s left is love.

Want to check out other blog posts that discuss our core values? Easy, click here!

Want to know how to pick a school that values Love, Excellence, Fun, and Transformation? Easy, click here! 

Ready to invest in yourself and turn your passions into a paycheck? You know the drill, click here!

Trevor Cobb is a 2018 graduate of Drury University who majored in Writing, Spanish, and Graphic Design. He was a social media intern for 51³Ô¹Ï in 2017 and is currently the Digital Marketing Specialist for 360 Communities in Burnsville, Minnesota. He enjoys creative writing, design and finding beauty wherever he goes.

The post How Social Media Builds Community (And Why We Love It) appeared first on 51³Ô¹Ï.