Infuse your culture – Your Salon Sanctuary

Last week we talked about your cultural checklist and now that you’ve checked those boxes off let’s talk about how to infuse your culture into the salon!

There are 6 things that will support the infusion of your culture.

Explain! Explain! And Explain Again!

You must explain why you want to improve the culture. You know your values and your mission and those are both great ways to explain your why. In a Tribe meeting explain how you’re going to infuse the culture; giving specific things your tribe can do to get where you want the culture to be. Explain the benefits of the culture, what will be beneficial for them, for you and for the salon once you have your culture in place.

Be Ready for Opposition!

People fear change, it’s one of the hardest things for people because emotions and pride come into play. Knowing each of your Tribes personalities and spending time with them individually will help ease them into the culture. In your one on ones let them know specifically what benefits there are for them as a stylist and personally. Help them see the culture vision and why it’s important for the salon. Ask them how this culture makes them feel and what growth they can see taking place; for them and the salon.

Step by Step

Outline every single step that needs to be taken for each Tribe member. If you don’t do this it can be overwhelming and everyone can easily give up. Giving a step-by-step will make it easier for them to implement the culture together. It is always easier to get where you’re going when you know how to get there and even easier when you have help.

Be the Leader

Do all these steps yourself, people learn by watching. Think of a child, a child will repeat your actions and habits before doing what you asked them to do! If you do all that you are asking of them it’s easier for them to follow. It is hard work and a lot of pressure but you need to be the change. Also know that it’s okay if you slip up or if they do. Infusing your culture probably won’t happen overnight. Failing is learning and it will help improve your culture in the end. Be transparent about it, tell them you failed, that it didn’t work this time or you were wrong, they need to know that you’re human and that it’s okay if we mess up! Stumble, learn, keep going!

Be United!

Discover success blockers. Things that aren’t working. Is there something that isn’t flowing? How can we make this work? Ask for your Tribes input and ideas, ask what will make it easier for them, what can you do to help them. What don’t they enjoy about the culture? Ask for an explanation and a solution! Your Tribe wants your culture to work! Realize fear can stop you and then we tend to complain, point fingers and it quickly becomes the opposite of what we’re trying to do! Have real conversations about it and work through it together. Infusing your culture will take work but when you are united and committed your salon will sore!

Appreciate Moments

Recognize when they are doing things within the culture. Praise and thank them when it’s going right. This will make everyone feel good about the culture and want grow the culture. Reward them for executing the steps you’ve asked them to do and show them how they’ve benefited from it. You’ve explained, you are ready for their opposition, you’ve outlined every step they need to take, you’ve led by example and now you can show them all their hard work is paying off. Be sure to Celebrate it!

In the age of booth rental & suite salons you have to work harder, you have to make your salon the best place to have a career.

You have to make your culture a way of life.

Angela

I know you have heard of Salon Culture before. When you think about your salon do you wonder if your culture is apparent or if it exists at all? If you are asking those questions, it most likely means your culture needs attention. That’s perfectly okay! Now that you’re aware of it you can start to improve your culture and become unstoppable!

Let’s talk for a moment about what a culture is, it seems a very vague term. Culture is unique to every salon. It’s alive, it has movement and a personality, therefore cannot be duplicated! It makes decisions easy, it attracts the right people and guests, it gives you an edge, and it leaves your competitors behind.

Building your culture may not be easy but it will make all the difference in your salon and everything, in turn, becomes easier. Are you asking yourself about your culture? First you need a few things in place to create your own culture. Here is your culture checklist!

□ Values

This should be easy to figure out and if you’re not sure check out how to find your values. Values are the most important thing when building your culture. I talked about your culture being the personality of your salon, so ask yourself what traits/values does your culture carry? What do they look like, feel like, sounds like? Values make your culture transparent and everyone who enters your salon will instantly feel it.

□ Mission

Remember, your mission is a passionate statement about why you do what you do. It should be recited at meetings and it is your salon slogan. Every Tribe member should know the mission and feel proud when reciting it, either as a group or to your guests. Remember your mission statement is truly for your Tribe, it will allow them to know why they are apart of your salon.

□ Structure/Etiquette/Procedures

A culture makes every decision easy. Your structure will help your Tribe know how to treat each other and your guests. It gives expectations, both in work and in behavior, but also freedom to be who they are at the same time. It makes the culture uniform and becomes a way of life.

□ Tribe Status

As I’ve said before your Tribe will up hold your salon and they will hold up your culture. The right Tribe members will bring your culture to life, they will maintain it and make salon life easier. Every decision you and your Tribe make become based on your culture and will help make hard times easier, hiring easier and growing easier.

□ Allow for Innovation

Allow your culture to be alive, know that it will change, grow and become more influential and that your Tribe will help accomplish this. Whether you are improving your culture or implementing a culture it is important to let your Tribe have a voice. Do the ‘Find your values’ exercise with them, talk about your mission and improvements to your structures. This will help your culture grow into the most powerful organism. Your culture will become more than you ever thought possible!

How many things have you checked off? After checking off each of these things you should have a clear vision of your culture. Now it’s time to execute it!

When your culture is a living breathing part of your salon, you will be unstoppable.

Angela

Tag: Infuse your culture

Infusing Your Culture

Becoming Unstoppable;A Culture Checklist