Five Leadership Styles and How They Apply To the Salon And Spa Industry
Salon and spa business are all about people. And in the salon and spa industry, understanding the leadership style for your job is essential for running your business properly. For example, as a spa manager you need to be able to communicate well with guests, staff and suppliers.
A salon and spa need a leader who is a jack of all trades. Someone with the determination and energy to motivate staff, drive critical numbers, manage cash flow, all while maintaining standards and systems.
Understanding the different leadership styles in the salon and spa industry is crucial. A salon and spa leadership program will help you understand the leadership styles that should be added to your collection. Of the five leadership styles we will discuss, which one do you recognize in yourself the most?
Leadership Style 1: Authoritative Leadership
Authoritative leaders are concerned with the long-term direction of the business. If you have a “firm but fair” mentality, you may be an authoritative leader.
This leadership style imparts elements of persuasion, clear expectations and explanations, and clear consequences for failed tasks. All this happens while the leader still examines employee feedback and communication.
Of all the leadership styles, this one is perfect for restructuring a failing salon or spa.
Leadership Style 2: Structural Leadership
In this leadership style, all the employees understand what needs to be done, and to what standards. In structural leadership, you put all your faith in the employees which you have already chosen and assigned different tasks. The employees also understand the consequences of sub-standard work.
In salon and spa leadership, structural leadership allows you to make quick decisions without the input of others. This style is especially useful if the team you have is already motivated and are experts that need little attention.
If this sounds like the employees you have, then this might be the style for you.
Leadership Style 3: Participative Leadership
Participative leadership is the best for team morale. This leadership style thrives by collaboration between the management and staff of your salon or spa. Under this system, the whole team is involved in the decision-making process.
The participative leadership style is not the best for hard financial times in your salon and spa. However, it tends to make the team feel valued in their work. This leadership style is perfect for when the morale of the team is low. It can get you good results, but at the same time slow down the solution making process.
As a salon and spa leader, you need to identify the best time to use this leadership style.
Leadership Style 4: Laissez-Faire Leadership
If you’ve ever taken a French class, you might recall that the term “laissez-faire” translates to “let them do.”
Salon and spa leaders who embrace this style give almost all of the authority to their employees. It is one of the least intrusive leadership styles because there are no significant office policies surrounding work hours or deadlines.
Although this leadership style can empower employees to think on their own, it can limit their development. A laissez-faire leadership style may also overlook critical company growth opportunities for your spa and salon.
Leadership Style 5: Coach Style Leadership
This leadership style gives you a role similar to that of a sports coach. This leadership style involves identifying and nurturing the individual strengths of each member on your salon and spa team. Under this style, a leader also focuses on strategies that help the team to work better together.
Rather than forcing all employees to focus on similar skills and goals, you can build a team where each individual focuses on their strengths. In the end, this leadership is useful since it creates strong teams that can communicate well and embrace each other’s skills.
In most cases, this leadership style works well in the salon and spa industry, having in mind that you are hiring different people for their various skills.
Which leadership style is most effective?
Salon and spa leadership is a fluid practice. Salon managers are always changing and improving to help the company grow. So which leadership style do you chose?
Be visionary, mix up directive with a pinch of participative to motivate teams. When some employees seem to be struggling, you can coach them until they learn. The perfect leadership style does not exist but having a bit of each depending on the situation will help you in the long run.
A salon and spa leadership program will help you understand the different dynamics of the salon and spa industry. Contact us today on 1-844-94-STYLE for more information on our Salon and Spa Leadership program.
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