Know any Senior staff with bad attitudes?

Presenting a bad attitude may be good if you are Lady Gaga, in fact it can enhance your reputation andfollowing if you are talented and famous. However only thinking that the world revolves around you in a salon is not good for team spirit and for the Salon as a whole.


Who runs your staff room? There is sometimes an unofficial leader who is often a senior stylist who may be well established. They may say yes to your face but take every opportunity to undermine you when your back is turned. When you try and introduce new things they often try their hardest to undo the good work you have done.


These characters live on their past reputation and salon experience but often do not want to progress. They will negotiate the best deal for them and then sit on it, not contributing or offering anything back in return. They will only do their set hours and use attack as their best defence if you question anything.


They will talk a good game and appear as everyone's friend in public as life is a show, but do they actually get much done. Quite often they appear busy but when you look at their figures they are not that effective.


When you take everything into account such as paying them a high basic, low productivity, me me me attitude, undoing your good work and their unwillingness to progress you have to question if you should keep them in the job.


If you have tried so many times it's driving you mad, sometimes you have to stand tough and let them go for the good of everyone.


Introducing a Performance Management System is a good way to develop an open environment where team member loyalty, performance and great customer care are all rewarded in a fair way. It gives a true picture of what's going on and stops Stylists being able to hide behind their old reputation.


It lets people know where they stand, what the boundaries are and what they have to do to get on. You will find that good stylists will thrive and bad ones will move on.


For more information about how we help salons introduce a Performance Management System visit http://www.nexusrevolution.co.uk

The training balance - Outstanding business vs. outstanding services

In an industry known for cutting edge fashion, glamour and beauty there's no question of the importance of focusing on technical training and development to ensure the standards and skills of our beauty therapists, nail techs, stylists and colourists.

Investment in recognised NVQ qualifications and advanced apprenticeships are a must for hair and beauty career makers and landing a position in a salon or spa where attention to constant education and updating of skills, should be high on a budding professionals' agenda.

For salon owners, training is a considerable cost in both time and money, especially when combined with preparing members of the team to enter industry awards and competitions. Let's not forget also, the outlay in fitting out the salon in the first place to provide a creative space, both fun to work in and pleasurable to experience as a client.

Without doubt, the high profile of the industry can only be maintained by excellence in training. It's the reason our industry exists. People are attracted to salons and spas because the core trade skills practiced there provide clients with service results they can't otherwise receive, just as hair and beauty professionals are attracted to the industry because of the rewards achievable that interest them.

The reward for owning a salon business is that you can profit from it, - although I do come across a lot of owners running not for profit operations albeit unintentionally, as they personally subsidise haircuts and beauty treatments to their local community with their own sweat and tears!

Business owners need to be equally mindful, that supporting your team with education and great workplaces that engage in plenty of opportunities for industry recognition, is only addressing essentially what is the by-product of the business. Providing outstanding services, i.e. Great hair, fantastic nails, stunning tans, excellent treatments etc., is simply the result of having applied the training and skills. It's their trade; it's what professionals do in exchange for pay.

If we were in a different trade the by-product of our applied training and skills results in what that trade does. Mechanics - well running motors, Farriers - properly shod steads, Bakers - lovely buns.

How good they are at their trade is only half the story whether the by-product of their labours will result in an outstanding business and yet when it comes to placing an equal focus on training and skills to run the business itself, I see many salon owners neglect investment in this vital area. It's focus in this area that determines the business' profitable success.

Nexus Revolution salon management and consulting at http://www.nexusrevolution.co.uk exists as a resource to salon owners to fulfil this training and education requirement, by supporting salon teams with the foundational skills and tools necessary to run all parts of a salon operation in easy to implement, accountable steps.


By Wayne Kranz