10 Salon & Spa Leadership Resolutions for 2017
This begins my tenth year of writing the Monday Morning Wake-Up blog.
The very first MMWU was on January 18, 2008. This marks 466 continuous Monday Morning Wake-Ups.
The best way kick off the New Year is to give you my TOP TEN New Year's Resolutions for 2017:
Resolution #1 - Flush your mental toilet: Every salon/spa owner has fears, bad habits and fond memories of bad decisions and things that didn't go right. Every salon/spa owner has experienced broken trust, toxic employees and mind-blowing drama. Every salon/spa owner knows the stress of cash crisis. Every salon/spa owner is endowed with varying degrees of the procrastination bug and the tendency to avoid things they don't like doing. Guess what? Damn near 100% of the funky and ugly stuff that happens in business is self-inflicted. You're not a victim. No one else did this to you. Recognize it. Own it. And flush it.
- You can't lead in fear … but you can lead fearless. You're the only one responsible for your destiny.
Resolution #2 … Lead at a higher level: The business acumen of owners is terribly behind the times. Owners still struggle to embrace the "numbers" side of the business. Owners will embrace the latest products and technical skills in a heartbeat … but hold fast to the old commission, ‘build your following’ model with a death grip. Leading at a higher level demands a commitment to developing business, leadership and financial skills with the same passion as the artistic and creative side.
- Business and leadership skill building shouldn't be feared. Just like technical, it's a process. Embrace it.
Resolution #3 … Don’t become an autopilot leader: It doesn’t work. There is no such thing as “set it and forget it” in business. Employees need leadership. Employees need feedback, encouragement, coaching, compassion and, when necessary, discipline. Employees need performance reviews. Employees need to be heard. Employees want to be treated fairly. Employees desire to work in a financially secure business … not one that exists in a perpetual cash crisis.
- This IS the work of leadership. They don’t teach this stuff in cosmetology school. (For what it’s worth, they don’t teach this stuff in medical or law school ei)
Resolution #4 … Flip retail thinking: History has proven that when the daily focus is on filling service orders, retail recommendations are far beyond an afterthought. So, at your next staff meeting, announce that your salon/spa is going to begin taking appointments for retail recommendations. (Enjoy your staff's reaction.) Then ask, "Since clients are booking appointments for retail recommendations, how comfortable would you be consulting clients on the very best product solutions for home use?" The punch line is … "If this makes you more comfortable recommending and selling retail … do you think you could sell a service?"
- Until your salon/spa incorporates a retail recommendation system that becomes a standard conclusion to every service, your true retail opportunity will go untapped.
Resolution #5 … Embrace the drumbeat of change: The drumbeat of change is consistent and steady. Incremental changes lead to more significant changes. It's like exercise and working out. The intensity of the workout stresses your muscles and they adapt. Periodically, the intensity increases to further adapt. Stop working out and your strength gain regresses. In business, when extended periods of time pass without any incremental change, even the simplest change effort can encounter staff resistance. Why? Because the business, its culture and its people got comfortable and stuck. Everything about business is dynamic and constantly evolving.
- Salons and spas that embrace consistent incremental change move faster and fa They also handle the big changes without drama or hesitation.
Resolution #6 … Guess what? Employees will come and go: You'll have your long-term employees and you'll have the constant flow of newbies. Take care of your employees. Create growth opportunities and career paths. Create and protect a dynamic culture. Show appreciation. Coach, inspire and make your team stretch to achieve wins. Make it fun. Make it special to be part of your team. Weed out the misfits, attitude problems and non-performers. That's the work of leadership. It always has been. Employees will quit. Some employees will undermine, break trust and forget the meaning of integrity. Shit happens. Get over it and move on. That's what leaders do.
- Sooner or later, you’ll need to implement a BIG change that is vital to your business. You may lose a few employees and it may hurt financially … but it will only be a temporary setback that sets the stage for even better things.
Resolution #7 … Make a profound difference: One of the greatest things about owning a business is the opportunity to make a difference in the world. My passion has always been about coaching and teaching a better way to grow an extraordinary business. Every time a coaching client shares a breakthrough or success story, I get the same feeling of pride that sounds like, “This is what it’s all about.” Salons and spas make a difference in peoples’ lives every day … but there are those special moments when you know that difference is extra special. You feel it. You cherish the moment. It doesn’t matter if it’s an employee, a client or fellow business owner … making a difference in the lives of others is what defines the soul of a business.
- A business that’s all about making money and not making a difference in the lives of others has no soul.
Resolution #8 … Business is about building value: Turning an idea or vision into a functioning business is about building something of value. It’s no different than buying a home so that over time it appreciates in value. Your vision becomes a real and tangible asset. As an entrepreneur, your years of hard work are supposed to reward you with a return on investment on the sale of the business. Creating value to a business requires a mastery of the operational, leadership and financial aspects of the business. Sadly, I talk to too many owners that, after many years of hard work, their business is worth little to nothing.
- Learn what it takes to create business value. If your 2016 year-end financial reports couldn’t tell a potential buyer, “You’re going to pay a lot for my company” … you’ve got a lot of work to do. Creating value is a reward worth fighting for.
Resolution #9 … Create a “Daily Effort” scoreboard: This may sound a bit crazy (I have my moments) … but why not create a daily scoreboard so at your morning huddles, the team decides on what effort level they played at the day before. If your team says their effort level was 105% and your assessment is 65% … you and your team are not dialed in. This could be an indicator that performance reviews are past due and/or that your team needs some clarity on the real work that needs to be done.
- Team effort is never a straight line. It’s a wavy line that most often shows the level of engagement and effectiveness of the leader.
Resolution #10 … Maintain your perspective factor: This one is simple. Keeping your perspective on where you and your business are at … combined with realistic expectations … is the best strategy to maintaining your passion as a leader and business owner. Perspective allows you to see problems and solutions more clearly. Perspective makes you more strategic in your decision-making.
- Perspective keeps your passion properly fueled and glowing just right. It’s when your perspective becomes distorted, through denial and avoidance of real issues, that it wrecks your passion.
Here’s my challenge to you: Make 2017 the year of personal leadership growth. Pick the top two or three of these resolutions that truly resonated with you … and lock in on them.
Work at them. Push yourself hard.
It’s what great leaders do.
No Compromise.
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