We know that as managers, we can’t achieve all of our business goals by ourselves, so we need to build a team who share the same values, standards and goals that we do, to help in the care of our clients.

The most successful salon owners and managers will be those who can harness the skills and talents of their team members, inspire them to stretch far beyond their comfort zones to achieve amazing results, and who have the ability to knit together this group of often very different individuals to work harmoniously ‘as one’, like a well-oiled machine.

The keys to building a high performing team are open communication and creating a ‘learning environment’. The secret to gaining the commitment of your team members is encouraging their involvement. They need to feel like they are part of the decision-making process and that their opinions are valued.

We need to stay in constant contact with our key people and the perfect way to ensure this is happening in your business is by holding regular team meetings.

Your meetings are the ideal time to discuss the team’s performance and results, talk about any issues or problems which may have arisen or caused tension amongst the team, as well as keep your people up to date with any marketing activities or things you need them to focus on.

Don’t expect to tell them once and have them remember and perform everything flawlessly! You’re their coach and you need to be giving them continual feedback, guidance and encouragement.

To make sure your meetings are productive for you and positive, exciting and fun for your team, you need to consider the following points:

1. Planning: These meetings are a priority so put them into your appointment book and don’t change them. Discuss with your team the importance of this time together and ask for their cooperation and participation in the meetings. The most successful teams usually make this a weekly commitment, and once this becomes part of your team DNA, I doubt you’ll ever allow them to stop.
2. Preparation: Your meetings must be structured and organised, so you’ll need to invest time into planning beforehand. Have a standard agenda of things you cover every week, ad a training topic and allocate time for discussion of relevant points.
3. Make it interesting: Hairdressers are generally not accustomed to sitting around in meetings and may mentally ‘switch off’ or get bored, so you need to make sure your sessions are entertaining and interesting- another important reason for preparation! Make sure you don’t do all the talking and that the meeting isn’t solely about numbers and money. Tell stories, read them interesting articles from industry magazines or books and ask them to lead a section of the meeting occasionally. Ask them to rate each meeting out of 10 and give suggestions on how it could be improved.
4. What happens now? Clarify the main points of the meeting and explain exactly what needs to happen as a result of what you’ve discussed. This shows them that although your meetings can be fun, you take them seriously and that everyone will be accountable for their actions.
5. Follow through: Make a note in your diary of any points that you’ll need to check on throughout the week to monitor the team’s progress and ensure they’re all on track with your new agreements. Remember, it can take a little while and a little coaching to form or change a habit and they may not ‘get it’ the first time. Repetition, repetition, repetition!
6. Stay on time: If you’ve agreed that the meeting will take ½ an hour, then you must honour that agreement. If you have not completed all the points on your agenda, ask your team if they are happy to continue until the issues are resolved (respect if they have family commitments) or if necessary, reschedule the remaining points for your next meeting Appointing a ‘Time Keeper’ can also help you stay on time and keep discussions on track!

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Kym Krey is a  Speciality  Salon  Business Mentor with a  passion for dramatically increasing profits and performance through people.  If  it’s  time  to  get  serious  about  your  business  and  become  the  leader  you  know  you  can  be,  get  in  touch  at kym@kymkrey.com.au    

The Salon Mentor
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kym@kymkrey.com.au
0403 042312
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