STRAIGHT TALKING June 2009 Irish Beauty
Let’s Work Together
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With the current turbulence within the economy, salons and Spas need to look at how work is organised in a positive way to help pull through. Different times call for bold and brave thinking. Do you have the right team, working together to achieve your business goals?
The TEAM (Together Everyone Achieves More) concept is a very powerful one because when team members work together for the good of all, the good of the salon and its clients, everyone achieves more. Simply put, working together works!
Teams are complex machines and it’s not surprising that they malfunction occasionally or need re-alignment or teambuilding. For your salon team to work effectively, you need agreement on exactly what sort of team you are: what are you salon goals, what is each therapist’s role, who needs to work closely with whom?
Sometimes it’s as simple as learning more about the people you work with, and sometimes it’s more complicated. But the bottom line is, it’s almost impossible to have a financially successful salon without a happy team working together – in other words, it’s less ‘me’ and more ‘we’!
Here are some positive aspects of teamwork:
Goal orientated
The highest priority for team members is achieving the team’s goals. Does every member of your team know and
understand your salon’s financial and business goals? To function effectively, members of a team must be flexible, trust one another, and support every member of the group in its progress towards achieving a successful salon.
Collaboration
Collaboration is a big benefit when team members pull well together. They want the team to shine and be successful: they willingly invest themselves in the team effort.
Communication
When therapists, receptionists and managers have all learned to support and trust one another, they share what
they know freely and communication becomes another benefit. The way people communicate with one another – both in words and nonverbal clues – reflects how they feel about working with one another, but it also builds the team’s effectiveness. Excellent communication is conducive to staff working productively without misunderstandings.
Better decisions
Decisions and solutions are made with everyone generating more options. Group decisions are usually better than
what even the brightest person could come up with alone. The entire team learns to pitch in for the highest good
of the salon.
Quality
There is more concern for achieving quality and accuracy, because therapists feel they are an important and vital part of a team effort. They want the team and your salon to look as good as possible. In addition, because team members work collaboratively, they ensure that each member gets what she wants from the team to turn out the best possible treatments and service.
Do you want your clients leaving feeling happy and satisfied, looking forward to returning and happy to recommend your salon to their friends? Then make sure your team are working effectively. Today, more than ever, it is vital for the success and survival of your salon that all employees work well in a team
environment.
“Coming together is a beginning,
Keeping together is progress,
Working together is success”
- Henry Ford
Liz McKeon is a Business Coach and trainer, specialising in the Beauty Industry. For more information telephone 086 386 1243 or visit www.lizmckeon.com.
