The below blog was written by a friend of ours within the industry, Michele Holloway. Michele owns Eden Michele Salon out of Gainesville, FL and has extensive experience within the Beauty Industry. She also coaches others on how to become the best version of themselves on a personal and leadership level.
Check out her debut book, “Crush the Box, Create the Space” which provides strategies to stop collecting unnecessary boxes and to start crushing them. Michele’s business, Crush the Box, Create the Space provides coaching, courses and resources to support those who are ready and willing to be Box Crushers.
A Bit About Michele
As a Salon Owner and Coach, I am passionate about supporting the growth and development of my team members. Throughout my years as a Salon Owner, I have struggled to create a space conducive for growth because of numerous reasons. Some of these reasons include using blueprints that contradicted my vision, being more concerned with being liked while having a lack of boundaries, and limiting the capacity of my salon space.
Experiences have taught me how to be vulnerable with my team, create non-negotiables, and communicate the vision of my salon. My leadership has created a space filled with amazing stylists, freedom to work less and spend time with my family, and a drama-free atmosphere. In this blog, I will share with you some key points to create a salon space designed for interpersonal growth.
Photo @iammicheleholloway
Know Yourself to Grow Yourself, and Your Team
In John Maxwell’s book, ‘The 15 Invaluable Laws of Growth’, he breaks down the law of awareness which states we must know ourselves to grow ourselves. One of my favorite tools to use in the salon is the Maxwell DISC Assessment. Every person that I hire completes an assessment and I share the results with my team. This tool allows me to learn each team member’s communication style, their ideal work environment, and what motivates them.
In John Maxwell’s book, ‘The 15 Invaluable Laws of Growth’, he breaks down the law of awareness which states we must know ourselves to grow ourselves. One of my favorite tools to use in the salon is the Maxwell DISC Assessment. Every person that I hire completes an assessment and I share the results with my team. This tool allows me to learn each team member’s communication style, their ideal work environment, and what motivates them.
Blind spots or areas that have the potential to become barriers to our environment and communication are revealed and my team learns key points to communicating with their co- workers and our salon guests. Communication is a priority to me in my salon because I have struggled with effective and concise communication for 12 years of my salon career. Communication may not be one of your salon’s core values but whatever your values or focuses are; you must know where you are currently to plan for where you are going.
- If you value freedom in your business; you may struggle with creating non- negotiables and sticking to them.
- If you value growth; you may currently struggle with being stagnant because of fear. If you value a team environment you may struggle with vulnerability and transparency.
In order to create a salon space that aligns with your values you must know who you are currently vs who you need to become and remember that it is difficult to be an influential leader if you refuse to grow yourself, first.
Talk Less and Listen More… Then Take Action
Just the other day, I had a stylist shadowing at our salon, Eden Michele Salon. She began chatting with some of the team members of the salon and she asked questions regarding our environment and leadership. A couple thoughts came up during the stylist’s visit to our salon.
First, she felt that her current salon leadership team lacked the concern and attention for the matters that were most important to her. When she communicated her concerns, leadership brushed her off. The truth is, we should encourage our team to be honest with us and we should create a space that inspires transparent communication.
As salon leaders, we don’t know everything and we should talk less, and listen more. After listening, understand what the request of the team is and create a solution that aligns with the values and vision of your company. It is also ok if your space isn’t the right fit for a stylist. Our comfortability or finances should never become a criteria for allowing anything to disrupt our space, including holding on to team members.
During their conversation, my stylists begin to think back to their former bosses and how their bosses would say that a change was coming or that things would be different, but absolutely no action was taken. As salon leaders, we must do more than just listen and make empty promises. A quote by Ralph Waldo Emerson, states:
“Your actions speak so loud, I can’t hear what you say.”
We must remember that our words mean nothing if our actions contradict what we speak. Don’t just listen to your team, but remember to take action. Lastly, remember that the action must align with the overall goal of your company.
A Final Thought
We have the power to set the intentions of our salon spaces and grow them according to the company’s mission, vision, and values. As we adopt the practices of knowing ourselves, listening more, and valuing everyone; we will develop a space designed for interpersonal growth.
