Business coaching for the hairdressing business
Then perhaps it's time to rediscover the vision and passion you had when you first started and fall in love with your business all over again.
Peter Lunn, the hair industry's business coach, explains how a coach will help give you motivation and direction, which is essential for a profitable salon.
What's the role of a coach?
My purpose is to coach salon owners to improve their business through guidance, support and encouragement, inspiring them to achieve optimum performance when they are demotivated and have lost focus, or are just confused by events.
As the world of business moves faster and becomes more competitive, having a business coach is no longer a luxury - it is a necessity.
Like management, coaching is an ongoing process to help individuals overcome barriers to improve results. If a person has a barrier or mental block, all their training will be wasted. Coaching is the key that unlocks the blockage, resulting in individuals thinking and performing differently.
When a struggling football team has a new coach who makes a positive impact, players always say 'he made us believe in ourselves'.
Perhaps you and your team need more confidence in key areas? What percentage of your communication and decision-making is driven by fear? The fear of conflict, fear of loss, fear of what others say?
Perhaps you need to learn more about coaching; remember, you can't grow people you can't reach.
A trusted working relationship with a thinking partnership
Many clients enjoy the refreshing sensation of being listened to and being part of a relationship with someone who fully understands their issues - I call it a 'thinking partnership'.
However, while coaches do listen a lot, their aim is to not only talk through processes to improve your business, we also have to see the results of our partnership. A key part of what we do is regularly monitoring and assessing clients' progress.
What are the benefits of being coached?
As many or as few as you like! Business today is far more complex and sophisticated.
However, hairdressing is still a people business, and no matter how many computer systems we install, or courses we attend, we still need to resort to good, solid people management skills.
Coping with the 'R' word
Recession. We can't avoid it, but we can plan for it.
With so much consumer choice, salons can no longer rely upon hairdressing skills alone, they must also offer a level of service that exceeds customer expectation, and deliver their skills with passion.
This is where I believe the battle will be fought: over a client's experience and managing teams beyond their fear of change.
What else can be achieved?
- Provide motivation and inspiration to help find ways to deal with immediate difficulties, as well as helping to plan a long-term business strategy
- Develop a coaching culture and encourage managers to use a coaching style of leadership to maximise efficiency and effectiveness
- Help to identify which hurdles are hard to overcome and find ways to get over them
- Offer unbiased, objective support that sees and identifies the best of your qualities and abilities and helps you develop them
- Implement your plans for change effectively and measure the impact of changes to calculate the business benefits generated.
Develop your own team of coaches
We all have hidden talents and something to share.
Remember, the coach is not in control, but is there to help managers make the changes needed for growth. Each coach should be able to:
- Communicate openly in a clear and concise manner
- Clearly define goals and expectations
- Set standards and ensure the team understands them
- Support personal growth of their team members
- Lead by the right example and act in a manner consistent with what you demand from your team
- Reinforce positive relationships with your team members.
Finally, being an owner can be a lonely job, but think how different your life would be if you had a sounding board, a business mentor and coach, a friend to talk to and provide expert coaching, helping you to solve your problems and turn them into opportunities.
More expert advice on the hairdressing business from Peter Lunn