This is the second part of a conversation between 1957AD & Degree Barber.

Link to the first part: Part 1

With business in Ghana not being the easiest to navigate,1957AD asked Degree Barber to delve more into his operations and how it has been smooth sailing for Reflect Ghana, starting with his employees.

 “When it comes to employee compensation, most people immediately dive into the monetary aspect, but the subject goes beyond money, especially in the service industry. In the service industry, employees run the show. To be successful, you require the total concentration of employees when they are in the building. Managing people can be very dicey. I believe that to get the best out of your employees, it requires a couple of things;  reasonable salary, career development, good leadership and realistic & attainable organizational goals.“ Í will break it down;

• Salary 

When it comes to employees’ salaries in the service industry, managers need to consider employee expectations and measure against business performance. They must devise a salary structure that will bring a win-win situation, where both the business and employees are happy. The problem is,  the win-win situation is tough to come by. There are times where one has to sacrifice for the other looking at the bigger picture. In most cases, the managers are vision drivers, and their burning desire to achieve the organizational objective requires some calculated risks to be taken. From experience, I recommend a commission-based salary system as the best compensation method to grow the business. A commission-based system brings about strong teamwork towards the achievement of an organizational goal. Where business growth is at a slow pace, both parties suffer. Employees, at a point, will search for greener pastures. This thereby increases the rate of employee turnover. After these projections are made, the next option is to go for what I describe as a ‘salary floor.’ An arrangement where employee salary is not allowed to fall below a certain level even though they are on a commission-based payment system.

• Career Development 

I also think the development of employees’ careers plays a significant role in compensation. Employees should not feel static in their careers, and they must also grow with the business. There must be a considerable change in their skills. This can be achieved by continuously training employees on new trends and techniques. 

• Good Leadership

Where there is no proper leadership, there isn’t followership either. When employees believe in the driver of the vision, they are motivated to work towards achieving this vision.

 “I will tell you something; every organization has operational standards that help employees carry out routine operations. In my case, I set these standards before the first day of work so my workers can familiarize themselves with them early. Nonetheless, it is one thing to establish operational standards and a completely different thing to ensure it runs. Maintaining operational standards is a continuous process that starts from the vision driver, me. Employees grow to fit in these standards, and constant practice makes these standards a part of them.“ Godwin pauses to reflect a bit and then continues, “From the early stages, I had to be around to maintain these standards, translating into actions all the words that were written on a sheet of paper. It does not happen like magic; someone has to be there to make these rules work. There is always the tendency of people not complying, but it becomes a success when someone is consistently available to ensure it works. “

On whether he thinks people are drawn to him more as a person or to the services of the business, he was swift to say,  “Different people have different reasons for patronizing a business. Managers are expected to keep a tally of these various reasons to evaluate business performance. For example, suppose most people patronize a business because of individual admiration. In that case, managers are to probe into the pros and cons of resting the business’s survival on the shoulders of an individual. This informs an effective strategy to secure the business’s survival if the individual is no longer available. “ 

 “So yes, people were drawn more to me as an individual than to the business from the genesis with the reason that the business started with me as an individual. Fortunately, I am the vision driver of Reflect Ghana. This gives me the sole advantage of having direct contact with most of my clients so that I can address them appropriately in case of any grievances. Like I explained earlier, resting the whole business on the shoulders of one individual is dangerous even though it has some advantages. As the business keeps growing, my clients have come to expect specific standards. Hence, there is a need to tighten the system to work even when a particular individual is not around, and that is what I have been working towards over the past couple of months.“

We asked Degree Barber a hypothetical question based on a  business situation. Almost immediately, his face lights up with an answer, further displaying his knack for business and management. Supposing you have an extremely talented barber who has brought in about 50 customers. They are undoubtedly an asset. Now, he starts to feel big and struggles to take orders from you. What do you do?

“You know familiarity always breeds contempt. Given the unclear distinction between subordinate and boss in my organization, I believe it will be best to talk to the said employee in a very informal manner. I would take the person out for breakfast or lunch and let them know they are of great value to the organization. However, the organization has a hierarchy; no matter how blurred it may seem, that hierarchy needs to be respected, especially from the one calling the shots. They should do their best to respect their superiors and take orders from them. Make them understand that no one is bigger than the organization, and the organization will always come first on the scale of preference.“

“Further to that, organizations have a 3-tier approach to insubordination. These include; query, warning and dismissal. The lunch or breakfast date will be an example of an informal query in an organization like mine. The actions in the next tier will have to be undertaken should the breakfast date not yield desired results.“

When asked if he would use a time machine to correct any actions from the past, Degree Barber was rather emotional and said, “If I had a time machine, I would bring my brother back to life. I lost my elder brother on 29th October 2018. It was the saddest day on this planet. My brother was my motivation. He was the fuel that drove me to do more because he set a perfect example of hard work and perseverance. Until we meet again or have a time machine, I will always have him in my memory.“

On the ultimate goal of Reflect Ghana, Degree Barber, so full of positivity, said, “The ultimate goal is to become one of the best hair and grooming brands in Africa and own a cosmetology school that trains and preserves talents. As the saying goes “to conquer the world, you must first be known in your community”, we have become a household name in the community we operate in and are extending to neighbouring communities. We have also started training people in other areas to lay the blueprint for the fruition of our cosmetology school.“