I had an interesting conversation with a client a couple of weeks ago that I thought I would share with you. They were asking for help, because they felt they did not have the “respect of their team”.
Sadly this is something that I hear often.
I learnt something along time ago. It is something that you think would be obvious but not always so.
Respect is not something you can demand it has to be earned and you earn it by your actions and words every moment of every day. You are always on show.
The other thing that I know is that you can spend years earning that respect and it can be destroyed in one minute by getting something wrong. Very tough for a manager but true.
Respect is also a two-way street and this can take some practice. It must also be consistent and most of all sincere. I don’t believe you can fake it. You have to genuinely manage all areas of your salon business well to gain respect. You can’t have one set of rules for your team and you follow a different set of rules and values. You can’t have one set of expectations one day and completely change them another day.
If you show respect to others it comes back more easily. This is also something to remember at all times.
Here are a couple of other tips to consider that I find work well.
- Take time to talk to team members one on one
- Have an open-door policy
- There is no such thing as a silly question
- Start each day by greeting each team member individually with a bright “hello”
- Acknowledge team member’s good work with verbal words, cards, email or texts and personal messages
- Praise team members often
- Listen more than you talk
- Assure them that failure won’t come back and haunt them
- Always be there to support in good times and in bad
If you think about a good manager you have had the privilege to have worked with and think about what they did that you remember in a positive way. Then make sure they are your example to follow.
BE the leader that you yourself would like to follow.
Your Coach – Faye Murray