7 Tips To Greatness From Mary Rector-Gable
When behindthechair.com Creative Director Mary Rector-Gable founded BTC 17 years ago, the road was not always easy, but from the very beginning, Mary had one goal in mind: greatness. She would be great, her team would be great, and therefore, behindthechair.com would be great.
Recently, when Mary spoke at the Matrix Elevate Me Training in Cancun, she provided Matrix educators with business advice, social media tips and inspiration all taken from her own journey founding behindthechair.com.
Watch her speech below, and get seven of her best tips for finding your own ticket to greatness.
1. Be Grateful
Having gratitude is invaluable. Being grateful is one of the biggest advantages you can give yourself in this business, no matter what role you play. “How many times have you met someone whom you helped get somewhere and then they forgot? I’ll never forget who got me to where I am today and I’ll never forget where I came from,” says Mary. This business is so much more than just the hair you create; you need to have the right attitude to propel yourself higher, too.
2. Be Open to Change
“It’s not the strongest of the species that survive, nor the most intelligent, but the one most responsive to change.” –Charles Darwin
A lot of people fear change, but in this industry, it can be detrimental to your career if you don’t embrace it—especially when it comes to social media. “You have to be on Instagram,” says Mary. “If you are a salon owner and you don’t want to participate in social media, you’re setting yourself up for failure, and if you’re not allowing your stylists to do it, you’re giving them a reason to leave.” You have to be open to it, it’s as simple as that.
3. Grow in The Chaos
Once you accept that things will always change is when you can truly grow as a stylist and in your personal life as well. “We are in a time right now that might be more chaotic than any other time I can recall in the last 20 years of this business,” Mary says. “Marketing is changing entirely, but what we need to remember is that we don’t learn in balance. It’s only when we are pushed outside of our comfort zone that we truly learn.” So force yourself to be open to the change, force yourself to grow in the chaos. Then level off, take a step back and look at all you’ve accomplished.
4. Life Isn’t Fair, Work Harder
There are a few philosophies Mary lives her life by, and this is one of them. “The second we tell ourselves or our stylists in the salon not to expect greatness, is the second we give ourselves and others the permission to fail or to fall short. Don’t give yourself or your stylists permission to fail,” says Mary. Life isn’t always fair, but complaining about life not being fair is always a waste of time.
5. Good Is the Enemy of Great
Give your salon a mantra. At behindthechair.com it’s this: If you want to be good, this is not the place for you, and if you want to be great, you’re in the right spot. Remember that great does what good is unwilling to do, and whether you’re hiring stylists at the salon or simply choosing whom to surround yourself with, be sure these people are like-minded to you and your goals. If you want to be great, they should want that, too.
6. Just Say Yes
It’s the simplest way to get ahead. Mary says, “If you want to be successful—just say yes. Can you come in early? Yes. Can you stay late? Yeah. It’s that easy.” There are so many people that just say no—and you don’t want those people on your team. And believe it or not, a lot of celebrity stylists get their break simply by showing up and saying yes.
7. Be A Leader
As an educator, salon owner or manager, it’s your job to seek out those who need an extra push. Use your own experiences, whether they are good or bad, to help the stylists in your salon succeed. “A lot of people in my life told me I shouldn’t tell my story about where I came from, and I completely disagree. I think it’s so important that when you are in a leadership role, that you let people know that your journey was not always easy, and that it is OK to come from nothing, because it means you’ll appreciate everything.”
