6 minute read
Old Fashioned Industry Mindset VS Todays Generation New Ways & Opportunity to Grow By Brodie Lee Tsiknaris
Ever heard the saying if you don’t change the way you’ve always done something nothing will change? Well, aint that the truth.
Our industry is changing; the generations are changing and if you’re not happy with how things are working out with the younger gen in your work place you may need to adapt & change too.
This generation gets a bad rep, but I hate to break it to you so did the baby boomers, (they are not all innocent either). Today’s Youth they absolutely know what they want, they just wanted it yesterday! And chances are if you don’t have a future for them, or share their values, they will go out and create one of their own with someone who does interest them.
There’s so much winging about young people and staff in our industry but guess what, every industry you speak to has the same issue! Every salon owner has the same struggle so we can choose to be negative, or we can choose a positive mindset and take inspired action to adapt our ways and train them quicker, faster and inspire them to get on the floor! Show them how to be a great team player create a culture so amazing that they genuinely love coming to work every day and for you too. If I didn’t have a team that I didn’t like there is no way I’d go to work and spend that time away from my family. I think so often we get caught up in focusing on all the little things that sometimes we miss the big picture! Dose it really matters if they ask for a busy day off. If they called in sick that day you would make do without them so if they are asking for it in advance and giving you notice thanks them for it acknowledge it and see how you can work, it out to be a win win for both of you. Instead of focusing on all the little things praise what they do well this will build up their confidence!
Inspire them- Be an inspiration, be a good leader, know your numbers, do right in business, Get Crystal clear on what your business stands for and the core values of your team. Work on it constantly adapt and evolve to move forward, Revisit them as a team! Communication This is a big one they aren’t big fans of face to face confrontation and sometimes a performance appraisal or a phone call from their Boss or manager can really start to hit their panic switch. I used to do regular performance appraisals now I see them as a catch up a casual coffee a chance where we talk and I make sure that they are supported and feel they have all they need in the workplace, of course it’s the best opportunity to address anything I’m not feeling is in line with the salon expectations but it’s a far more chilled convo usually over a coffee. Then there’s the staff notices and meeting minutes someone may miss! Do you get frustrated at times with them not communicating like we did as apprentices? Try email and text! They live on their phones, and you have nothing to lose and everything to gain with a paper trial. Communication is crucial in any business, and it helps ensure that you have a harmonious and collaborative work environment. Like mentioned, today’s generation is very different to the ones before. Technology runs our lives so as a business we need to adapt and incorporate new technologies into different aspects of our businesses. Through social media we can connect and communicate with employees more than ever, Inspire and praise each other.
Invest in their education- How about inspiring them with other industry artists getting an artist that can benefit the whole salon! Loose the mentality of “I don’t want to invest in case they leave” P.O.V make it so good they want to stay. Investing in employee education benefits a business in more ways than just skill training, you see I see it as inspiration, Team building but most of all an encouraging environment where Employees feel supported to learn not only boosting their skill set but their personal/creative satisfaction. I truly believe one of the biggest issues we have with apprentices leaving the industry is that they don’t understand how cool it is! How many opportunities there are and where it will lead them. Pay- No one gets a pay raise for just being at work … THAT’S our job, but if you can find it in your business too be able to reward them with more incentives, recognition of hard work and teach them how to run their column like a boss and Most Importantly MAKE MONEY for Themselves by achieving reachable commissions and bonuses that give an amazing life outside of work and they don’t just earn money for the business! If you’re not in a position to do a monetary act, it can be as simple as thoughtful gestures to express your gratitude. Employees who feel appreciated enjoy what they do and in return will want to work harder. This is a win-win situation for everyone involved. Keep it fun and exciting.
You can choose to think of what was or you can choose to look at this as an exciting new opportunity for trying something different we all have a choice on how we tackle certain things…. One thing for sure, Scrubbing the floors no longer exists in salons, social media has created a beautiful REAL platform for hairstylists to not only be inspired but connect and support each other, Education is highly sought after digitally and There are wonderful salon owners that are not focusing on what was and how it’s probably never going to be again but focusing on the future of our industry.
I kept this super lighthearted but there’s one thing I think that’s important to touch on and that’s the Mentality of not employing apprentices and getting frustrated that it’s hard to find a senior… I challenge you to maybe try and train up your own I believe it the way forward, look after your people first and the success of the business will flow and speak for itself.
