Ultimate Strategies to Being a Great Team Leader
The beauty industry is forever evolving, so there’s no running away from the fact that your Salon must evolve with it, in order to achieve success.
This means there will be changes within your team, constantly!
Now I know from experience that playing it safe and doing things the same way on repeat can be easy - but this just can’t happen if you really want to take your Salon to that next level.
So how do you manage changes within your team? Well, here are two quick strategies to implement when leading a forever evolving team!
#1 ‘Why’ not ‘How’
When handing over new tasks to your team, it can be super easy to tell them how to do it and send them on their way.
Like, what else could they possibly need? In reality, doing this will actually rob your team of something pretty important - the BIGGER picture!
Instead of just explaining ‘how’ to do something, it's so important as a leader to also teach the ‘why’.
WHY do they need to do this task a certain way? WHY does it add to the salon's growth?
If they can understand this, it will allow for 2 things to happen:
A. They feel a sense of purpose
If you explain the ‘why’ when assigning a team member their task, it makes it more than just another 'to-do'. It proves that the task actually holds significance to the Salon’s success.
So instead of just being a ‘cog in the machine’, the team member is shown that they are valued enough to be trusted with important contributions to the salon.
B. It invites the opportunity for tweaks to be made
Let's face it... as leaders, we aren't perfect! We are human, and naturally, miss things every now and again.
If you explain ‘why’ a task is done a certain way, or 'why' you have a process in place, it allows the opportunity for your team member to recognise anything which could potentially improve the process.
Perhaps their input could make the task more effective in achieving the overall goal. More brains are better than 1, so remember to always welcome contributions from your team.
#2 ‘Ask’ don't ‘Tell’
Along with growth, will come roll changes within your team. Again, it’s easier to just try and make someone do something without opening the door for feedback. But as a leader, this is actually the last thing you want to do.
Putting your team in a box and expecting them to master whatever role you give them just isn’t realistic. Instead, ask your team for their thoughts.
Is it something they see themselves doing? Does the new role fit their skills? Is the change even necessary?
Utilising this approach will bring about these 3 results within your team:
A. They feel that they are valued and not just someone who comes under authority
B. Their time is treated preciously
C. Their opinion matters to you and is taken into consideration
At the end of the day, we want to be the best leaders we can be for the benefit of our team, right?
If you can achieve this, then your Salon will grow into the success you desire! There is a quote that I love, it says that: “Coming together is a beginning, staying together is a process, and working together is a success.”
Basically, your team is everything... and without them, you won’t be able to achieve the bigger goals that you have for your Salon. So if you take care of them and value them, you will be well on your way to building a true rockstar team.
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About the author, Larissa
Business Coach & Marketing Strategist: After 20 years of salon business I worked in online marketing & technology development, Business Development Manager at Timely Salon Software and co-founded HAIRshare app for Stylist.
I love helping stylists & salons with marketing strategies, the latest technology and working smarter, not harder in salon business.
Salon Owners Collective is an online community with the mission of inspiring and empowering Salon Owners from around the globe to grow beyond owner operator. Turn your ideas into a reality, build successful businesses and live with clarity and purpose.