Vita's Tip in 10: You Are the Leader in the Room

Hello, hello, friend! Welcome to a new episode of Vita’s Tip In Ten. Today is all about firmly and unapologetically being the amazing and strong leader that you are. 

You are the leader in the room when you are on a job. Yes, you the window treatment professional. This statement may surprise you, because you may think that as a window treatment specialist, you don't have the rights or the privilege to lead the way and to tell others what to do.  

You may think, that as a shop-at-home pro, visiting a retail customer, it's really up to the customer. That it’s all about what she wants, that it is her house and she has to live with it, so she is in charge. You might think you’re just there to present the options to her.  

Or if you are a Window treatment specialist, servicing interior designers, you may think, Oh, I'm just one of the many trades that this designer has, and I am here strictly to support her.  

Or if you are a workroom, you may think your job is to strictly fabricate what has been requested, based on the measurements that you’ve been given and the fabric that you've received. You want to do the best job possible to give your client what they have requested.  

And even though you are correct in thinking all those thoughts, it is not 100% complete. It's only part of the bigger picture. There is another layer to this whole thought process. And that layer has to do with leadership and understanding and embracing the fact that even though somebody else is giving you direction, and is requesting your services, and ultimately has to live with the result, you have the choice and the privilege and the responsibility of leading that discussion in a way that produces best possible result.  

As a window treatment pro, when you are brought into the house onto the project, you by default, are given the leadership responsibilities to steward that project in the best possible direction. You are the leader in the room when it comes to those window treatments, or cushions, or anything else you are responsible for. 

This statement has been shared many times by our fearless leader LuAnn Nigara. The last time I heard her say it was during the recording of our unstable fabrics episode that she and I did for her A Well-Designed Business podcast.  

On the off chance that you have not heard that episode, it is a must. It's episode number 875 and just aired a few weeks ago. Please make sure to put that one into your queue. And so today I want to double down on what LuAnn is teaching us and give you a couple of examples from my own personal experience.  

A few months ago, I was shadowing my own window treatment specialist on an appointment for a new designer for us, someone that I have been courting for a long time. I'm following and being present at this appointment, with my window treatment specialist taking the lead on being the product knowledge expert, measuring, and showing samples.  

The designer asked a question as to where the rod should be mounted, and it was a situation where it wasn't a cut and dry decision. There were about 20 inches between the frame of the window and the ceiling, so we had options.  

One option was to mount right above the trim. Another option was to mount halfway between the trim and the ceiling. And a third option was to align it with the crown molding of cabinetry that was on a perpendicular wall. And yet another option was to take it all the way up to the ceiling.  

And so, the designer asked the question, which was a very fair question, and it's a dialogue producing question. And my window treatment specialist said initially that we should take it all the way up to the ceiling because it would elevate the eye all the way up, creating a bit more drama and a bit more length in the whole drapery installation, to which the designer had answered, “Hmm I see. But I was actually thinking of aligning the rod with the crown molding,” and she gave her reasons for that.  

To which my window treatment specialist right away answered, “Oh, okay, well if that's what you want, we'll do what you want.”  

In my mind, the answer to that response in that situation is no, no, and no. The designer asked you for an opinion, and brought you in for your expertise, your knowledge, and your experience because you have made these types of installations many times over. And so when we as managers and specialists are being asked for our opinion, we need to deliver it with conviction, strength, and assertiveness.  

If we just kind of falter and change our mind when another opinion is presented, that just creates an impression that maybe we don't know exactly what we're talking about, and that our opinion isn’t valuable in the future. The designer or client might start to think we are not as strong of a partner as they expected us to be.  

And so in this situation with my own customer, I jumped in and doubled down on my window treatment specialist’s initial recommendation of mounting at the ceiling, and gave additional reasons for why that would be a good idea. I wanted to convey the whole feeling and the concept that we know what we're doing. That we have done these before many times, there are reasons why we recommend what we recommend. There are also reasons why we don't recommend other options. And, most importantly, we feel strongly about it and we are standing strong in our conviction to do so.  

That, in my mind, is being the leader in the room. Our expertise is why our designers hire us. I want our interior designers to know they have a strong support partner so that they don't have to feel the pressure of having sole responsibility for something so technical, and potentially making a costly mistake. That is why I created Vitalia Inc Window Treatments, and this is part of our core values.  

Now, this may seem like a very strong statement to you. You may think, well she's the designer and if she wants to align it with crown molding, then let her do that. And you're not wrong in saying that, and I'm not saying that my way is the only way.  

What I'm saying is that I know what our core values are, and it is to be strong in our convictions. If that's not one of your core values, if you are there just to provide support in whatever the designer wants to do and execute their ideas, then it wouldn't make sense for you to convey your convictions that strongly.  

For me, it is one of our core values to be that leader for the interior designer, so they feel 100% confidence in their decision, they don’t question themselves, they don’t spend a second of mental energy, they don’t stress out about window treatments, and feel totally supported – ALL b/c they have a partner that is confident and strong.  

And the thing is my friend, there's nothing in the window treatment Bible that says that the rod needs to be mounted at the ceiling or aligned with the molding, or split in half or right above the window trim. It is really strictly our opinion. It is my opinion that it should have been at the ceiling. It was my window treatment specialist’s opinion that it should have been at the ceiling. It was the designer’s opinion that it should have been elsewhere. And if there were five other people in the room, they would have had their own opinions, too. 

The point here is not where the drapery rod should be mounted, but that once you state your recommendation you should stand by it, firmly and unapologetically. You don’t have to be overbearing or rude about it, just confident. You can be kind. You can be nice. You can be sensitive to the designer’s reasoning and her opinions. You should be a good listener. And you should have a good dialogue about it.  

And if reasoning has been presented that you hadn’t thought of, if special considerations or a detail in the design you weren’t aware of were shared, and you understand and agree that another opinion is the better option, by all means, go with it! I’m not saying you should be willfully obtuse or unwilling to see things from a different perspective. You absolutely have the prerogative to change your opinion when new information is presented. 

And at the end of the day, if the course of the conversation, you heard nothing else that would have made you change your initial recommendation, then stand strong with your opinion, don’t waiver in your recommendation. And in my 18 years of experience, I know for a fact that that is the reason why our clients hire us in the first place. As long as you continue in that leadership role, expressing your most educated and experienced opinion, in your best possible and kindest tone of voice, what you think will produce the best result for the project, you are doing both yourself and your client a favor. 

Stand strong, my friend.  Stand firm.  Stand confident.  

And if you need help developing this confidence, you know I’m here for you.  There are two ways in which I can help you:  through the LuAnn University and through the VIP experience.  You can check out both on my website and in the show notes. 

And in the meantime I’ll be looking forward to bringing you a new episode of Vita’s Tip in Ten next Thursday. See you next time!