Let’s be clear about one thing, your salon/spa’s performance is a direct result of its leadership. The formula is simple: good leadership = good results. Unfortunately, too many leaders fall one or more of the following.

Lack of Imagination
Without imagination, a leader will have a tough time creating effective plans and a rough time getting out of jams.

Selfishness
If you don’t give credit where credit is due, if you hog all the glory, your people will resent you. In the natural order of life, resentment leads to resistance. Resistance leads to polarization and polarization leads to an attitude called “us and them.” Besides, your people will work a heck of a lot harder if they’re recognized for their efforts.

Inability to Organize Details
You must organize and master the details. No spa leader is ever too important or too busy to do what is required of her. Of course, you can’t do it all yourself. You must learn to delegate (another system for organizing the details).

Unwillingness to Give Humble Service
There is no task so low in your salon/day spa that a good leader would be unwilling to do. Every job, every function, is important to the success of the entire business. One way to respect the people is to be willing to do what they do. Remember, the Bible says, “Whosoever would become great among you shall be your minister; and whosoever would be first among you, shall be servant of all.”
(Mark 10:43-44))

Fear of Competition from Followers
As crazy as it may seem, some people in positions of authority undermine their success by being threatened by people who report to them. A good leader trains her people and delegates (but not abdicates) accountability. Remember, the key to leadership is to get others to perform. Putting your energy into that will yield far greater results than you could ever achieve by yourself.

Emphasis on the “Authority” of Leadership
If you want to lead by force, you’re bound to have a surprise. A good leader leads by example, by showing sound judgment, being fair, setting high standards, and being competent in her job.

Disloyalty
A good leader is trusted. She is loyal to those who she reports to, those who report to her, and to her accountability or trust. A disloyal person gets what she deserves and the salon/spa’s performance reflects it.

Emphasis on the Title
So many people use their title as a shield. Somehow, they believe a title gives them entitlement. That’s sheer nonsense. In our world, open doors and lack of pretension work. Closed doors and people who are full of themselves don’t.

Expectation of Pay for What They Know
The world pays for performance or your ability to get others to perform. It’s great to have knowledge, but it’s more important to do something constructive with that knowledge.

By Andrew Finkelstein, The Beauty Resource www.thebeautyresource.com