5 Tips That’ll Make You A Stronger Leader
From hiring your team to ensuring your space stays afloat, there’s a lot on your mind as the salon owner. But we bet you don’t consider how much your leadership skills can affect the success of your salon.
While MINDBODY University was in Chicago for their three-day event, we attended MINDBODY Director of Client Education Roxy Borger’s session on staff management. And, according to Roxy, there is a lot you can be doing to run a more successful salon—and it starts with leadership!
1. Use The 5 C’s
In order to be an effective leader, you have to establish a solid foundation. Roxy relies on the five C’s:
- Competence—knowing what to do and how to get it done
- Character—doing the right thing and holding yourself to be an ethical leader
- Compassion—truly caring about others and the people you surround yourself with
- Catalyst—acting as a facilitator who removes any obstacles
- Courage—speaking the truth without fear of judgement
2. Train Your Staff…Duh!
A well-trained staff is one way to ensure you see growth from your business, and so, leaders need to embrace it! Here’s how:
- Create a hiring document with everything you need and hire around those values.
- Once you start hiring, make sure you take the time to train every single new hire.
- Always be specific about what you expect from your team and reward for a job well done.
3. Delegate More Effectively
An effective leader knows when they need to hand some tasks off. Roxy’s advice? Delegate everything you can. Why? This will allow you to focus on the most important tasks without being bogged down with tasks that other team members can take on for you.
4. Become A Master At Prioritizing
Don’t get lost in your to-do list! Yes, there is a lot that goes into running a salon, but prioritizing will help you take things day by day. Roxy suggests:
- Collecting a list of all your tasks
- Identifying which are urgent vs. important
- Assessing the value of each task
- Ordering your tasks by estimated effort
- Being flexible and adaptable
- Knowing when to cut out or delegate
5. Don’t Be Afraid Of Conflict
Of course no one loves handling conflict head-on, but leaders who are uncomfortable with conflict often fail says Roxy. Here’s how to deal:
- Talk it out: If you and another stylist aren’t seeing eye to eye, don’t shy away from the issue. Communicate about it.
- Recognize when it’s time to say goodbye: Ridding your business of toxic people will improve morale while also creating an opportunity for you to grow as a strong leader.
