Sales Strategy
Mindfulness At Work: Four Keys To Wellbeing—And Good Employees | October 26, 2016 (1 comment)
Miami, FL—I can remember when Joe and I first got married. He would say “Retail Jewelry is so much fun—if only I didn’t need employees!”
I said, “What?!” I was taken aback since I mainly worked with my mother and father at the time. I did not understand his statement or his frustration. Now, since I have become more involved in the day-to-day workings of retail instead of only merchandise, I understand what he was saying. That was 15 years ago! Our world has changed so much since then. Now when hiring, owner operators are learning about the need for potential employees to have a sense of wellbeing before hiring.
Here are some characteristics to look for in hiring employees for optimum success.
1) Resilience. Resilience is the rapidity with which we recover from adversity. Some people recover slowly and other people recover more quickly. We know that individuals who show a more rapid recovery have higher levels of wellbeing. These great hires are protected in many ways from the adverse consequences of life’s slings and arrows. By hiring this type of associate you will be more likely to avoid employee “drama.”
2) Outlook. The second key to wellbeing is in many ways the flip side of resilience. Outlook is the ability to see the positive in others, the ability to savor positive experiences, the ability to see another human being as a human being who has innate basic goodness.
3) Attention. Did you know that most people spend an average of 47 percent of their waking life not paying attention to what they’re doing! Forty-seven percent of the time! Can you imagine a world where that number goes down by even 5 percent? Imagine what impact that might have on productivity, on showing up, on being present with another person and deeply listening.
4) Generosity. There is now a plethora of data showing that when individuals engage in generous behavior, they actually activate circuits in the brain that are key to creating wellbeing. These circuits get activated in a way that is more enduring than the way we respond to other positive incentives, such as winning a game or earning a prize. When we engage in practices that are designed to cultivate kindness and compassion it only helps to strengthen and nurture this quality for everyone in your store.
In closing, a sales associate who can connect with a consumer and help them have a positive emotional experience in your store, is a person whose quality of generosity will prove successful for everyone in your organization.
The key to any success is happiness. It starts with you, within yourself. --Andie
Andie Weinman, president and CEO of Preferred Jewelers International / Continental Buying Group Inc., was born with the “Jewelry Gene” working in the jewelry industry since she was only ten years old. Her first job was as a cashier in the opening of a catalog showroom doing a fantastic job even at that tender age. Andie holds a B.A. in musical theatre and a B.S. in marine biology from The University of Tampa. When she realized that seawater and marine biology were not good on her hair and she wasn’t quite good enough to make it on Broadway, the jewelry business beckoned. Andie has picked diamonds, sorted color stones, shot waxes and performed a multitude of jobs in the manufacturing of jewelry. Her negotiating experience and prowess has given her the reputation as being tough but fair in her dealings with vendors. In 2012 the Indian Diamond and Color Association awarded Andie the Prestigious Doyenne Award of the Year.