4 Mistakes to Avoid to Lead Your Team in a Positive Way
There is a lot of responsibility that comes with being a salon owner. As an owner, you automatically take on the role of the team leader. Because of this, your team looks to you for guidance on a daily basis, especially with the chaotic moments that can happen in a salon. But no matter how stressful it gets as the leader, it’s important to keep your salon environment positive. In episode 137 of the Beyond The Technique podcast, we spoke with Heather Yurko, owner of the NeatBeat Salon in Louisville, Kentucky. Heather shares with us the four mistakes every salon owner needs to avoid to ensure their team is moving in a positive direction.
Mistake #1: Creating a Team of Followers and Not Leaders
Heather believes one mistake she has made since starting NeatBeat salon in 2013 has been forming a team of people who are solely dependent on her. Avoiding hiring leaders to your team can be detrimental to your team’s success because it forces the salon leader to always monitor what is happening on a daily basis. It can also cause you to want to fix everything yourself or, as Heather describes it, take the monkeys off the backs for your team members when you have your own monkeys to deal with. To combat this behavior, find team members who will step up and help you form a team that will take the work off of you. Also, communicating with your team is a great way to find ways they can fix problems without you there. This will cause a shift in your salon and create the leaders you need. While it can be difficult for a salon leader to feel less needed by their team, Heather believes creating leaders doesn’t mean you’re not wanted anymore, it just gives you space to take time for what you want, and to work with your team members individually. As a salon leader, it’s not about creating great hair stylists, it’s about creating great humans. Heather believes your team will become much better if you push them to a level of greatness that no one else has done before.
Mistake #2: Unnecessary Spending
Anothermistake newer salons tend to make is spending their earnings on unnecessary items for the salon. Heather shared that in order to save money for her salon, she would complete tasks on her own that many salon owners would typically hire out, such as building shelves for products. By alleviating unnecessary costs, Heather believes you will find less stress in your salon because the money problems won’t be as prevalent. Being thoughtful about how you spend the money that your salon earns will help you become a debt-free salon, like NeatBeat!
Mistake #3: Putting Your Guests Before Your Team
This is a customer service mistake many salon owners are known for making. Even though your customers are a large part of your salon’s success, Heather believes we should put the needs of your team first instead of primarily focusing on your customers. She believes that if our teams are fed and loved first, by using customer service techniques, they will then use those tools with their customers more authentically. This cycle of service will create a more positive and happy experience for everyone involved in the salon process. As a leader, Heather believes it’s also important to not use the “customer is always right” attitude with your team. You should support your team first, and if needed, find coaching opportunities when they do something different from what you wanted.
Mistake #4: Having No Brand for Your Company
In any business, effective marketing is extremely vital to your salon’s success. Heather shares that many salons fall short in marketing ventures, which can make it difficult for consumers to know what their brand is about. Here are some questions every salon owner must consider when thinking about their brand.
· What’s the personality of your business?
· What story does it tell?
· How does it make people feel?
· Is it attractive to your ideal guest?
Your marketing should speak to the customers you want to serve. It should create an experience that will make them keep coming back to you. Heather believes poor marketing is a missed opportunity in the industry and can be a way to create direct revenue for your salon. Some examples of bad marketing tools can be the font of your logo, the colors you use, and making sure your graphics are consistent with the audience you want to reach.
Avoiding these four major mistakes will create a more positive and exciting environment for you as a salon leader, your team, and your guests. Heather believes no matter who you are, where you are located, what your company has looked like in the past, or what it looks like now – anything is possible. So many of us don’t chase after our dreams out of fear, but even if you haven’t done something before, it doesn’t mean you can’t achieve it. Whatever you want, you can have.
To listen to the full episode that inspired this blog, click here. Make sure to subscribe to the podcast if you don’t already!