“Kind words can be short and easy to speak, but their echos are truly endless”
-Mother Teresa
As I travel throughout the United States and Canada, meeting thousands of hairdressers and salon owners, there seems to be a wide gap between hairdressers and salon owners understanding and communicating with each others business and educational needs.
Some of these complaints are justified, while others are not. The questions I’m always asked by salon owners are always the same, how do I combat salon gossip, negativity and pettiness. Why is it so hard to find outstanding hairdressers, how do I improve staff performance and productivity. How do I instill a team concept? How do I prevent and overcome staff turnover, the list goes on and on.
These are a few samples of questions often asked by hairdressers; my boss does not understand my educational needs, I’m not busy enough, our salon does not advertise enough, I’m not making enough money, my boss plays favorites, this list goes on and on as well.
Lack of communication and misunderstandings between staff and management is a major challenge that must be addressed. Many of the causes of this mind set can be prevented if both management and hairdressers communicate better. My upcoming success seminars in Las Vegas are designed to help bridge this gap between staff and management.
A house divided will never grow. A professional and positive salon environment benefits everyone.
Who’s to blame for this mindset? Salon owners, beauty schools, trade show producers, hairdressers, salon owners? I believe we all share the blame. It’s not important to signal out who to blame, what is important is to find a solution to these challenges.
One way of addressing this business challenge by salon owners is to seek feedback from your staff members from time to time. Let them know you invite feedback and even criticism.Create an environment that builds mutual trust and loyalty, not fear.
A better respect and dialogue between staff and management can be powerful.
Simply ask on one on one performance reviews periodically, how am I performing as your boss? Although it is easy to blame hairdressers for many our management challenges, I think as salon owners it would help if we sometimes examine our own management and leadership skills and look in the mirror. Excellence does start at top.
I do not believe hairdressers go to work every day saying I think I will fail today. Many of our hairdressers are victims of an industry that did not prepare them adequately for a changing and competitive job market.
As salon owners we must take responsibility for the success or failure of our team, after all we hired them. Let us use the following guidelines in an effort to combat and overcome this critical business challenge.
The following guidelines will help you bridge the gap between staff and management.
Hire the Right people — Do you have a staff development program in place? Will this new addition share your goals and visions? Will they be compatible with your other staff members? You may want to view my chapter on staff development, Click here
Train and Educate — do you have an employee training program available? As leader of your team it is your responsibility to take your team and your business to a higher level. Invest in your salon’s greatest profit potential — educate your team. Teach them how to be successful.
Monitor Their Performance — are they following your quality control standards? Do you monitor their customer return rate? Keep in mind that negative word of mouth advertising is the worst form of advertising.
Let Your Staff Know you Care — show your appreciation of their hard work by working hard to keep them busy. Their livelihoods depend on your ability to take your salon and staff to higher levels of excellence.
Provide Mentoring and Educational Guidance — as a fellow team member you will have to earn their trust and loyalty. Treat others the same way you would expect to be treated.
Provide Rewards for Exceeding Owner Expectations — Incentives, bonuses and sometimes just a little pat on the back for a job well done will do wonders.
Seek out Feedback from Your Staff –let them know your door is always open. Ask them to feel free to make suggestions. Invite them to offer their suggestions on how to improve their jobs.
Give them Permission to Criticize You — during your one on one meeting let them know you value their opinions. Don’t take their criticism personally.
Develop Your Leadership Skills – as coach and leader of your team, it is your responsibility to take your team to a higher level of excellence. My book on leadership will be very helpful. Click Here
I hope these tips will help you in your efforts in bridging the gap between staff and management.
I invite you to view my educational programs designed to help you take your salon and team to higher levels of excellence. Click here.