Great leaders don’t grow in isolation—they learn from each other and embrace new perspectives.
Bee Lalli founded Classy Claws, a nail studio in Vancouver that specializes in a luxurious experience while delivering detailed nail artistry. Last year Classy Claws, as a part of The Georgia Straights Best of Vancouver awards, was voted Vancouver’s Best Nail Salon. It was the first year that Best Nail Salon was a category for the awards and Lalli and her team were voted top shop out of nearly 700 nail shops.
Through her entrepreneurship, she has learned a lot about becoming the leader she needs to be in the moment. Taking the leap from doing nail art full time to managing a business and growing a team has pushed her to embrace new mindsets and skill sets. “You have to evolve as a person, and your business is only going to grow as much as you do,” says Lalli, “so different parts of your business and different stages of your business require different stages of you as a human.”
Here are four of Lalli’s top leadership lessons that she shared with Cadence.
Lesson 1: Celebrate your wins.
Winning a Best of Vancouver award is a major achievement for any business in Vancouver, but even so, when Lalli learned of the win she had to stop and remind herself to celebrate.
“I’ve always struggled with celebrating wins,” says Lalli, “I’ve always been on to the next thing [so I’ve] never really let myself sit in a win. And this one, I tried really hard to let myself sit in it and be excited about it because that’s huge.”
When we’re climbing to new goals, it’s easy to forget to take some time and enjoy the view from our newest summit. Without doing it intentionally, we’ll immediately look for the next mountain we want to scale instead. However, celebrating our wins is an important part of the journey. It’s part of building confidence as a leader and boosting morale. When you’ve worked hard to achieve something, celebrate your successes.
Lesson 2: The secret to your growth lies in the work you’re avoiding.
Get started. Sounds simple right? But it’s what stops so many people from going for what they want. Whether you want to own your own business or earn a promotion, you’ve got to make the decision to try. Waiting around for someone to give you permission won’t get you where you want to be. “Just do it. Just start,” says Lalli, “Just put one foot in front of the other.”
Being successful requires hard work, but if you don’t give it a shot, you’ll never know what you’re capable of. Avoiding work hasn’t ever gotten anyone what they want.
“There comes a point where you have to push yourself and do the work that makes you anxious, and the growth is hidden in that spot,” says Lalli, “You have to tackle that work in order to see your business and yourself to the next level.”
Lesson 3: Evolve to thrive.
“The growth of your business and your personal growth go hand in hand,” says Lalli about her experience growing Classy Claws. This lesson is something all of us, whether we’re at the beginning of our careers or leading a large team or business, should remember. Personal and professional development is a continuous project worth investing in. By progressing as people and building our skill sets, we can better rise to the challenges that business presents.
If you’re struggling to get to the next level, it’s worth taking a moment to reflect on what you’re doing to grow personally. How are you approaching your challenges? Are there any changes you can make to your approach that would make you more effective? Growing as a leader requires self-awareness and self-reflection.
Lesson 4: Feedback and criticism aren’t the same thing.
“Criticism and feedback are two different things, so don’t ever shy away from feedback that will help grow your business,” says Lalli, “It’s not the same thing as criticism. [You’re] just one conversation away from a real breakthrough.”
Sometimes in your leadership journey you’ll receive some feedback that is hard to hear. You’ll want to dismiss what’s been said or get defensive. Instead, when you encounter challenging feedback, give yourself some time to process and consider it. Are they being critical for the sake of being critical? Or is there something you can learn from?
Not every opinion is helpful, but listening and considering other people’s perspectives is part of every successful leader’s journey. Take what’s helpful and let go of the rest.
Conclusion
Leadership isn’t something that is developed in a vacuum. It’s shaped by our experiences, lessons learned, and constructive feedback. During your career, and especially when you start a business, you’ll have to take risks. To do this, you’ll need to learn how to trust yourself while still creating space to listen to feedback and evolve your approach.
We hope these leadership lessons from Bee Lalli have been helpful. You can learn more about Bee and Classy Claws here.
