When to Have THE Conversation With Your Team Member…

Salon Owners

“I have a team member who has done 5 things wrong in the last 2 weeks… I might explode”

 

We’ve all been there before. 

 

A team member keeps doing things wrong but you’re dreading that awkward conversation of “when you did XYZ, it’s not ok”

 

And next thing you know, you have a three-page list of things they’ve done wrong and you’re starting to feel resentful. 

 

But you don’t have to be… you just need to know why it’s happening and how to talk to them.

 

Here is When to Have THE Conversation With Your Team Member…

How did we get here?

 

We’re all human and sometimes we make mistakes, but when mistakes happen over and over again we get… resentment!

 

We don’t want this! I know, sometimes when things keep going wrong we have this long list, three or four pages of challenges or things this team member has done wrong. Throw that list away. 

 

What’s keeping a list going to do? Resentment is going to keep building because you haven’t communicated with the team member (don’t worry, I’ve avoided this awkward conversation before too).  

 

Instead, you’re going to take a step back…

 

“What am I doing to contribute to this situation… how have we even got here in the first place”

 

I know, sometimes when someone keeps doing something wrong, we see red. But sometimes, there are things YOU can do to help this team member become a star player.  

 

Intent vs Impact

 

Team members don’t wake up in the morning and think…

 

 “How can I make things really hard for everyone else?”

 

This is where intent comes into play. Because team members don’t intend to be negative, they always have positive intent behind their actions. It’s your job as the Salon Owner to make them aware of their impact (starting to see the difference).

 

Sometimes people mean well, but they don’t realise the negative impact their actions are having… which is why we need to communicate with our teams. 

 

Have THE Conversation

 

They’ve now done the sixth thing wrong this fortnight but you’re still dreading the conversation. But it is time. 

 

Remember that long list I told you to throw out? It’s because when we clump scenarios together, we’re no longer judging their actions but them as a person. 

 

So you need to do two things…

  1. In your team meetings, you need to establish expectations and cultural values. That way, everyone knows what’s expected of them and they can start managing themselves and checking in with each other if someone crosses that line. 
  2. When a team member does cross the line, you’re going to have an awareness conversation with them that same day. It doesn’t need to be scary…

“Hey Jane, just wanted to let you know that when you did X, the impact was X. I’m sharing this with you because I don’t know if you know that, but I also want you to grow and develop”

It doesn’t need to be that exact script but you get the idea. 

 Having this conversation means that you nip things in the bud before they snowball into a three-page list of issues. Your team will also trust that you have their growth and development in mind. 

And there we go, now you know how to talk to your team if they cross the line… and it doesn’t need to be scary and awkward! 

 

Just a quick recap:

  • Let go of resentment because it doesn’t do anyone any good 
  • Understand intent vs impact
  • Have the conversation with them… straight away

 

Learn more about talking to your team and building trust by listening to our Salon Owners Collective Podcast episode - Does Your Team Actually Trust You? With Joel Bouzaid

 

 

Salon Owners are you ready to become a $1 Million+ Salon WITHOUT working more hours… did I mention you can also reach $1 Million+ by working LESS hours? 

I created The Salon Mastery Programme for Salon Owners, like you, to achieve Freedom AND Profits can WITHOUT stress and overwhelm.

If you want to join this community, please reach out, I’d love to chat. Let's find out if Salon Mastery is a good fit for you.

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.