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Is Absolute Clarity a Missing Link at Your Salon or Spa?

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Having absolute clarity on where you’re taking your salon/spa is what distinguishes the no-compromise leader from those with just the title of leader.

Having absolute clarity of objectives, direction and action plans brings the vision and mission of your salon/spa into the highest level of alignment.


  • Absolute clarity is like a business GPS. It sets the where and the how.


All good behavior starts with clear goals. If you don’t know where you’re going, what you’re doing doesn’t matter.

Salon/spa owners and leaders must have absolute clarity of where they’re taking their companies.

Absolute clarity ensures that the salon/spa doesn’t wander off course or make decisions that are not in alignment with its vision, such as expanding too fast or entering unknown markets. Decisions or course changes remain true to the vision and mission.

I need to drive this point home because salon/spa owners are notorious for justifying whatever it is they want to do. Compromise resides within that justifying behavior. Absolute clarity deters this behavior.

  • If it’s not taking the salon/spa toward its intended vision, it doesn’t happen.


The perfect example of having absolute clarity is Coach Ken Carter, depicted in the 2005 movie release Coach Carter. He was coach of Richmond High School’s basketball program from 1997-2002.

When Carter first met the team, their reputation was for losing games, not winning them. On that first meeting, he handed every player a contract that they had to sign in order to continue playing on the basketball team. The conditions were simple; practice starts at 3:00 pm — you’re late if not there by 2:55 pm, attend all of your classes, sit in the front row, maintain a“C” average and wear a tie on game day.

Carter taught the team how to win with no-compromise discipline and had them on the way to an unprecedented undefeated season. When Carter learned that players were compromising the terms of their contracts, he locked out his undefeated Varsity basketball team in order to push them to improve their grades. Carter not only closed the Richmond High School gym, but he banned all basketball-related activities. As a no-compromise leader, he was prepared to cancel the entire season — all because 15 of the 45 players were not living up to the classroom achievements they agreed to meet in contracts they signed earlier in the semester.

Of course winning was the vision, but the absolute clarity on how to win was defined in the contracts the students signed and Coach Carter’s no-compromise leadership discipline.

Key Point: Never proclaim high standards of behavior today and compromise them tomorrow. Fiercely live and lead at a level that aligns with your vision.

I’m not suggesting that you hand employees behavior contracts to sign. What I am suggesting is that you invest the time, energy and resources to define your expectations of what performance and productivity must look like in your company and relentlessly communicate it with absolute clarity.

Here are some No-Compromise Leadership questions to help you establish and communicate where your salon/spa is going and what needs to happen to get there:

  • Exactly what does your salon/spa need to do this year in total revenues?

  • What is the goal for service and retail sales for this month?

  • Is every team member updated daily on progress toward the monthly goal?

  • What pace will the team need to perform at?

  • Who is responsible for what? Define the accountabilities.

  • How are you measuring and communicating productivity?

  • What happens when the team hits a monthly goal or improves a critical number?

  • What happens if the team loses?

  • What behaviors/skills are required to support the productivity objectives?

  • What absolutely must change in order to reach salon/spa goals and objectives?

  • If an employee is struggling to perform to expectations, what’s the plan to coach and train this employee?

  • What support can the team expect from leadership?


Here’s my challenge to you: Leadership is NOT about telling people what to do. Leadership is about relentlessly pursuing a vision that can only be achieved through teamwork.

  • It’s about coaching and inspiring.

  • It’s about creating shared accountability.

  • It’s about the discipline of finely tuned systems.

  • It’s about sharing information and unfiltered transparency.

  • It’s about creating and protecting a high performance culture.


Achieving absolute clarity is a process. The better you get at delivering absolute clarity; the more extraordinary your salon/spa company will perform.

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