By Scott Nichols

If you’ve been following this column for a while, you’re probably picking up on a theme I’ve been trying to convey. In many of my articles, I’m trying to get you to take control of your decision-making. You have a lot more control over what happens than you think…well at least the opportunity to have more control. In this article, I want to go through three scenarios that I think most tanning business employees can relate to.

The first scenario is a manager position is open and you didn’t get the job. I know what you’re thinking: “It wasn’t up to me if I got the job or not – it was up to my boss.” Wrong! You did have control over the situation; you just didn’t realize it. First, the interview for the position started happening on your first day of work. If you don’t think your boss or your boss’s boss is watching you from day one, then you’re oblivious to it. They’re going to be looking at your past work experience, reliability, sales, cleaning, and how well you work with other co-workers. The decision of getting the manager’s position didn’t happen with just one interview.

Next, how well did you prepare for the interview? Did you have practice interviews? Did you research common questions asked? Did you talk to the old manager and ask him/her what she thought about the job and what the company might be looking for?

If you want to control the situation of becoming a manager, then you need to start working on what you can control today. There is a lot that can be done to slide the odds in your favor. None of this will guarantee you the job, but it can sure do a lot to help you.

The second scenario is the commission or bonus you make. You have the ability to choose if you are going to talk to customers or not. You will decide if you are going to talk about the weekend or a membership/lotion. You decide if you are going to look like you rolled out of bed or if you are going to look presentable. You decide if you are going to go out until the bar closes the night before or if you are going to get 7-8 hours of sleep. You decide if you are going to have a bad attitude about working a shift you don’t want to or be happy you have an opportunity to work and make more money.

The person who decides the latter on all of these will, probably 99% of the time, make more commission or bonus than the person who decides to do the opposite. If your pay is lower this past month due to your selling, then it’s time to look in the mirror to see who is to blame and then decide to do something about it. If you’re currently looking for a job that makes more money per hour, decide today, right now, and say I’m going to talk about the items that make me more money per hour. Do you really want to find another job and go through all the interviewing, training, and everything else it takes to hopefully like the job?

I will end this scenario with a question, “Why is it, when comparing employees (who work the same amount of hours), they make different commission or bonus?” I think you now know the answer.

This last scenario is about letting other people impact affect the way we think and act. I’ve found there is one word someone can say that can distract you from your goals. That word is “why.” Using the first scenario as an example, you might hear, “Why would you want to be a manager?” “Why would you want to work so hard?” “Why are you doing this?” And the “why” questions can carry on. On paper, those look like innocent questions, but in reality, depending on who is asking and the type of tone they use, they can have a severe effect on your focus and decision-making. The same goes for the second scenario. “Why don’t you want to go out tonight?” “Why do you care about lotion so much?” As you can see, simple questions can have a huge impact or at least make you start to question what you are trying to do.

So how do you manage and control these outside forces?  I found these few items have helped me in the past.

1. My friends don’t pay my bills – I do. So, my decisions should be based on what I need and want to accomplish, not on what my friends think, say, or do.
2. Start talking and meeting/hanging around people who have the same motivation. You’re probably not going to find them at the bar, but you will find them if you are looking for them.
3. I always found it was best to start sharing my dreams. The second you start telling people, it will start to become a reality. Of course, you will have people that think it’s a dumb idea – in these cases, I revert you back to number 2 above.
4. Stop caring what other people think. Stop it!
5. If you want it, then make it a priority. Priorities are what you work on. I have found that most people really have only 3-5 priorities (Warren Buffet said to only have 3). If you want to advance in your career, then it better be in your top 3-5.

Don’t be afraid to start taking control of your life because, once you do, you will go places you thought you never could go.