29 March 2024

Leader vs. Boss: Find your Inner Salon Owner Qualities for Exponential Success!

For success in any kind of project, it is essential to be able to count on a good team. This not only depends on the abilities and capacity of the individuals that form it, but more so on the qualities of the person leading the group itself.

Many times in this business, one sees how the “boss” works while the rest of the team observes. This is something that has always impacted me as a business promoter and consultant. Why is it that the owner/director works while his employees are standing and observing? This limits productivity!

After analyzing the functionality of various salons in diverse countries, and speaking to many salon businessmen, I have arrived to the following conclusions:

1. This situation normally occurs in salons that are not organized from a business standpoint.
2. The owners of the salons do not feel like businessmen.
3. There is no clear method of labor nor a plan to take every employee to the next level.
4. The owner is convinced that only he can preform certain services to certain clients.

Many times, I have heard the terrible phrase, “It’s easier if I just do it myself, rather than have to explain it.”

What truly happens in these cases is that productivity is diminished, the entrepreneur works too much or more than when he was a salon employee, except now he must take care of management of it. The worst part? Many regret the fact that they are earning much less than when they were employees.

When I do my consultations, one of the most common things I hear is how much the salon owner is working. I hear that there are no longer formed personnel and it is difficult to find motivated employees, which has in turn, affected the motivation of the owners themselves.

The hardest part is when I have deliver the bad news: it is all their own fault. Not consciously of course, but it is up to them to change the situation.
No one teaches the salon professional that wants to open a salon that they have to learn to become an entrepreneur. The majority claim themselves as leaders because they own a salon but not many have stopped to think about the implications of that choice. A boss tells people what they have to do, but what if the owner is not exactly sure about what he himself has to do?

I would like owners to sit on this question for a while: Do you want to be boss or a leader? Let me help with the answer.

A boss orders, a LEADER directs.
A boss forces, a LEADER motivates.
A boss rebukes, a LEADER questions.
A boss makes of his word a law, a LEADER consults.
A boss is scared of not knowing, a LEADER seeks the abilities from the best.
A boss mandates what must be done, a LEADER sets an example.

You have to be able to see the abilities of your own team, offer direction and the possibility of growing professionally. Do not be afraid of forming your employees.

“There is something worse than having skilled employees and have them leave… Not training them and having them stay.”

Train your employees, motivate them, involve them in different projects, treat them well so they are inclined to stay and you will no longer have employees, but rather and effective and rentable team.

It is true that to become a leader, one has to train to do so. So if you were not born a leader, then there is no better time to learn and expand your leadership skills. Start by working your motivation, develop your financial intelligence, adopt healthy habits, and analyze your business and the members of your group (abilities, attitudes, hopes and objectives.) Allow them the chance to grow and feel good about working at your salon. There will be time to manage your business which in turn will be more profitable while it rests on a team that is more efficient and happy. Best of all, you will have time off!

If there are clients who specifically want to work with you, then figure out why, and use the input to find a solution. Everyone is important, but no one is essential.

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