So many success stories or failures come down to leadership. How can one business owner thrive in times of crisis and another in a similar situation vanish entirely? How can you best develop as a leader, how can you guide your team members and hold yourself accountable?
Good leadership is about asking good questions, so here are 3 simple questions to start asking yourself
Am I a manager and a leader?
In your salon business, you can be a manager, a hairdresser, a guy who deals with plumbing, and so on, but when it’s needed the most your role is the one of a leader. So what’s the difference? As a manager, whether it is you or (hopefully) someone else, it’s about ensuring things are working in your salon according to the plan, making sure everything that needs to be done is getting done.
As a leader, however, you are responsible to create those goals, plans, and vision for your salon and ensuring you can confidently say, this is the direction we are taking and this is how we are going to get there.
So if you are both a manager and a leader ask yourself how your vision can be delivered and how it can be followed through. Often being a great manager does not mean being a great leader, so know your strengths and weaknesses and surround yourself with strong team members. You will need this more than ever.
As a leader how can I ask the right questions?
One of the most important qualities is the ability to ask the right questions. Often leadership can be misunderstood as all about doing and crossing off your to do list, instead, ask yourself how did my team experience today? What is the energy and tone that I set when I led that conversation? Is the vibe among my team members how I imagine it to be? Or is it a little flat and dull?
We talk a lot about creating vibe and energy for your clients but it starts with your team members and ultimately starts with you as a leader to be able to create such an environment.
Trap of authenticity
Often we hear people say this is who I am and I have to be authentic with my team, while it is true, it’s worth remembering that you have to be authentic in a relevant way, the question to ask is how can I be authentic that also makes me effective in my salon business.
In serious times of business crises that were caused by the recent pandemic, it is more than ever that your leadership has to shine through, as it is your vision for your business that will help you not only survive but also thrive for the years to come.
Keep asking the quality questions
Yours
Tamara Forrest-Smith