Bridging The Gap!

By Kerrie Di Mattia

In the ever-evolving world of hair and beauty, one thing remains constant: the need for fresh ideas and a diverse range of perspectives. Enter the realm of intergenerational management, where experienced industry veterans and young, innovative minds join forces to create magic. In this article, let’s explore the delightful dynamics and incredible benefits of intergenerational management in the hair space.

Get ready to embrace the synergy between wisdom and youthful exuberance!

I recently attended our favourite Hairy event HAIR FESTIVAL in Sydney. And I made the most of every moment!!

I attended 3 fantastic AHC events prior and numerous education hubs during the Festival with my team, AND you guessed it, I learned all about ‘AI’ aka artificial intelligence and I was instantly hooked and just had to give it a whirl!!!

Hence the above introduction that sounds very cool… but sadly not a lot like me!

It was a week of growth, education, communication and connection with old friends and new, and not only did it fill my cup for yet another year, it absolutely brought home to me that my job as a salon owner and mentor is ever evolving and in order to survive, let alone thrive in business today I believe that I not only have to, but can be excited by, the opportunity to learn, pivot and grow through change, to not only learn the love language of today’s team members to maintain a healthy happy salon culture, but to embrace it and in the process become a better version of myself.

Now you’ve all heard a paragraph or two of this exact spiel from me before, numerous times in fact and I promise there is NO AI involved! But do yourself a favour and read on, it’s evolved, and this may just be the time you need to hear it the most, the time it really settles in and has the impact I hope it will!

I believe one of my primary jobs as a salon owner and one of the most successful ways I’ve found to maintaining a great salon/team Culture - is to treat my team as if they were MY clients….

When we sit with a client our intention is to HEAR them!

We start with a great consultation.

WE…

LISTEN to their needs.

CARE about what’s important to them.

WORK OUT what issues they are having.

HELP them move toward a solution.

PROVIDE a great experience.

PLAN their future with your salon.

And we do this automatically, it’s what we know, and we recognise it as one of the most important moments of connection and communication of a client’s experience in our salon.

But when it comes to our team, the ones that help us build our business and look after our clients every day, do we approach them the same way?

Is our intention to Hear Them??

I’m a salon owner just like you and I know only too well the challenges of small business, dealing with the day-to-day running of a salon that employs a bunch of very diverse humans from 16 to 60!

In my case, my team ranges in age from 1636 and I am 57 - A Gen X trying to navigate, mentor and grow Gens Z through to Alpha on the daily!!

As salon owners and mentors, if we are going to throw our hat in the ring, we need to be on board with the fact that the “ring” is constantly changing!

As an industry one of our biggest struggles is retaining apprentices and I believe a great deal of this is due to misunderstandings, misinterpretations, and ineffective communication, each generation have distinct communication styles, wants, and needs and as salon owners regardless of where we sit on the generation scale, we need to look at what it is that young people coming into our industry truly expect!

We need to be clear about what our industry can offer them and when and what they can expect from different stages of their journey.

Let me cut to the chase here - I REALLY want you to pick up what I’m putting down …

Our world of hair is truly remarkable. It’s an ever-evolving realm that embraces diversity, creativity, and innovation, and at the heart of this vibrant industry lies a unique dynamic that I believe is one of our true advantages - the collaboration between different generations.

Intergenerational Management breathes life into our industry, blending the wisdom of experience with the joy of youth and honestly at the risk of offending a few people - if you are a salon owner still using phrases like “back in my day” and “Young kids these day have no work ethic” then either get onboard with the new landscape, forge forward and enjoy success or excuse my French - get out of the fucking game!

So, here’s where you go back and revisit the care and attention you afford your clients, the care and attention that keeps your books full…. See above.

And ask yourself again - Are you willing to run the risk of losing valuable team members by NOT offering the same care and attention to those who stand behind the chair as you do a client sitting in it?

Kez x

To book a discovery session or chat further about today’s topic email kez@totalcoachingacademy.com