Ask any beauty worker and they’ll tell you that their manager can make or break their experience at work. We’ve moved into an era where leading with an iron fist is no longer considered the most effective of methods. Rather, beauty workers suggest that the best managers are good listeners, have self awareness and empathy by the bucketload.
Here are the top qualities that we believe make a good leader.
Listening
Great salon managers listen to their team members and respond to their queries. They also listen to all customer feedback, and act on it when necessary. They also pay attention to what iOS happening in the industry, with relation to developments, trends, developments, and staffing changes at other salons.
“When you listen to staff and guests, you get a totally different perspective of the situation,” says Todd Hewit of the Shangri La. “If you don’t listen, you don’t learn, and if you don’t learn, you don’t grow. If you don’t grow, you can’t manage.”
Lead by example
We’ve all had those managers that direct from a distance, refusing to roll up their sleeves and get stuck in when the going gets tough. Being willing to get into the trenches with your staff shows them that you see yourself as part of the team, and that they can rely on you to have their backs. It also shows your team the way you expect them to work; the way you expect them to deal with clients – even the difficult ones – and the manner in which you expect them to conduct themselves.
Empower your team
Being a manager doesn’t mean you need to make every decision about the running of the business. In fact, asking for feedback and opinions from staff encourages them to feel like important parts of the success of the salon, and by extension, gives them the confidence to grow within their role.
“The most difficult part of being a leader is learning to let go,” says HR expert Andrew Gleeson. “As a manager, you need to give every member of your team their list of goals to achieve. But then you need to be able to step back and give them a chance to achieve them.”
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