Taking Care of Salon Staff: Accountability
Every salon owner knows that a strong team means a strong business, whether you have just one employee or many. However, it’s a difficult task to lead and manage staff in a way that keeps them happy and working hard.
The first aspect we will discuss is accountability.
Accountability means taking ownership and this is absolutely essential if your staff are going to strive to do the best job for each and every client, all day in the salon.
As a manager, you need to understand that accountability begins with you, and it is built on a foundation of what the expectations are in your salon. So your hairstylists must understand that they are taking responsibility for the results they produce, not just for the activities they do.
To take a very basic example that has to be done all day in the salon – sweeping the floor. Is the aim just to sweep, or is the aim to create a sparkling clean floor that satisfies clients they are in a tidy, hygienic salon?
See the difference? The second option, a sparkling clean floor, will create accountability among your staff if they strive to achieve it. They will look for ways above and beyond just moving the broom across the floor, to ensure that floor is as clean as it can be, and that the clients are delighted by the standards of cleanliness in the salon.
Accountability is not something you can order your staff to do, it has to come from them internally. The best way to teach it is to lead by example and to explain why you are doing what you do. This way your staff will learn the mindset that goes with accountability. You can also talk about the importance of outcomes, not just actions, so that each person becomes more engaged and involved with their role in the salon.
Ultimately there will always be a few people who do not have an accountability mindset, and you ideally do not want those people as part of your team. Analysing whether a staff member is a responsible and accountable person, or has that potential, is a very important step in the hiring process, as it can help you select the best team members who share your vision and passion for the business and the best results for clients.
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