A lack of strong, consistent management was identified as one of the top reasons for an employee to leave at the second Professional Beauty Industry Roundtable, which focused on staff motivation.
Our eight industry supplier and salon owner experts – including Tina Copland from Jax Wax Australia, Kelly Dermody from Ivy Skin, Cameron Campbell from Marque of Brands, Stacey Manning from Malibu Spray, Roman Garai from Advanced Beauty Australia, Suzana Ruzinov from Swissotel Spa, Rory Houston from Linda Meredith Skincare and Gillian Adams from Gillian Adams Salon & Spa – discussed what tactics they had found effective in resulting ultimately in increased performance from their staff members.
Our thought leaders shared their insights into how a supplier could help mentor salon owners and work together to best lead their teams.
Tina said it was important to empower your employees, while Cameron spruiked the benefits of leading by example.
Rory stressed the important of adjust culture, while Stacey praised the benefits of regular catch-ups.
Roman revealed the importance of discipline within the work place, while Gillian encouraged personal responsibility with all of her staff members.
Kelly said she found offering training to her staff to helped them to grow and feel valued so they felt validated in the beauty industry.
Read their edited responses below or watch the video for the full discussion.
Tina:
“You have to empower your employees. If you want to have a strong culture and a strong team within your organisation, you have to let your employees make mistakes, and they have to be aware that if they do make mistakes, you are not going to treat them like an idiot, and that you are going to be respectful of why they made a mistake. We really encourage that everybody is valued. We have people who are packing wax in our factory, and we have people who are out selling or answering the phone. Everybody’s important. Everybody needs to know that their role is vital to the success of the company. Not just people who are in charge. I work with a business mentor. For years I resisted that, because I thought I knew everything. I found out I didn’t. I really would encourage any salon to work with a business mentor.”
Cameron:
“We keep it very simple – lead by example. There’s no hierarchy in our business, everyone gets in and does what they need to do. The core message within our business, and what we try and focus on, is not to be scared to fail. I do ten things a day that I fail at. Most of our team fail, and by failing you learn. Within our group, there’s no one that fails individually. It’s shared across what we’re doing. That’s because we’re all on path to one common goal, everyone’s input is valued in that, so we fail as a group. No one ever fails individually.”
Rory:
“I come from an aviation and military background, and a lot of the experience in that world is adjust culture. That means empowering everyone to make mistakes and fail, and not being punished for that. The important thing for a leader, or a manager, and this would particularly be the case in the spa environment, is transparency, which means the leader and the manager need to have the ability to come forward and admit their own mistakes. If they can’t do that and lead by example, there’s absolutely no way the team will do the same thing.”
Stacey:
“I’m big on communication. We always have regular meetings. I can have nothing on the agenda, but just getting everyone together to discuss thoughts and ideas is beneficial. My staff really feels listened to, and considered as well. “
Roman:
“Regular meetings are important – if you don’t have them how are you going to find out what’s going on? If you can’t have coffee with your staff member, even for just 10 or 15 minutes, then something is wrong. I find staff members who are motivated by money the easiest to manage. If a staff member fails, it’s the leadership. Something was wrong there. It’s good to have the good cop/bad cop role in the company. If there’s some tension, somebody needs to be the bad guy and implement discipline.”
Gillian:
“What really helps is for me to be present in the spa. As the leader, to be present is crucial. I have to let my staff know they’ve got boundaries and there are boundaries and certain things they can aspire to, and things that are not okay. I encourage personal responsibility. Each staff member needs to know what their role is – it’s there be professional, to be present in the moment, and to do their very best to make sure the client has a great experience. It’s also about working as a great team member.”
Kelly:
“A manager is there to lead, and to be that stepping stone to help their staff be the best they can be. I’m very passionate about management and leadership and transparent with what I teach. In the salon, I’m very aware that my staff are also looking to better their careers and further themselves. I look for suppliers that will offer training, and help my staff grow so they feel valued and validated in the beauty industry.”