“How should I motivate my team?”
I’m probably asked that question more than any other.
If the way you currently try and do it involves screaming louder, pushing harder and relentlessly badgering people to produce better results, good luck with that because it won’t work, or if it does, it won’t last.
People can be pushed to get things done but when you stop pushing so do the results. If the habit you have taught, is to produce results in order to avoid getting yelled at, when the yelling stops so do the results.
And if your salon culture is built on screaming or badgering people to get results what is the likelihood that a place like that would genuinely attract good people, inspire them and build a positive happy and loyal culture? Slim to none I imagine.
You could try creating healthy competition instead…
In a hairdressing salon another and better way to motivate people is to create competition by sharing and comparing results. Sharing the individual team members results of rebooking, retail or service figures on the staff room notice board at the end of each week and you will soon see nobody wants to be at the bottom.
Many people will respond to that type of competition and in the short term at least this may work. The problem is that like all competitions you can only have one real winner which means most of the team are effectively losers?
Some people will use ‘losing' to motivate themselves to try harder next time, but others give up and don’t try at all which has a big negative impact on the rest of the team. The problem is that in a business you don’t want only one winner, you want the whole team and ‘The business’ to be the winner and nobody a loser.
The other downside of competitions is that you are trying to develop a team of people that help and support each other, it’s hard to create that team dynamic when at the same time you are competing against each other.
So, what is the key to long term results?
When your team learn to embrace their own achievement they get addicted to it. If you can coach and encourage them, if you can develop and nurture them to rejoice in their achievement you will create lasting results that yelling or pitting them against one another would never achieve.
Left to their own devices, most people are unable to manage and motivate themselves to perform to the levels that you would like them to. But those that can, or those that with guidance and encouragement can learn to, will produce amazing results.
A really successful business happens when you are able to get the people on your team to realise the benefits of mutual support and the understanding that they are part of something bigger and that they control their direction.
When you can do this, you give people and the business an amazing platform to grow from.
In a successful business, motivation is not about producing a short term result. The real goal is to create a business that is hooked on achievement, self reward, support and recognition for everyone.
So what are some practical next steps? I think it’s important to get your team involved so I suggest that you brainstorm with your team these 3 questions:
Thank you for watching…
I hope you have got something out of today… If you haven’t already got it I suggest that you read my books GROW 2 Management and GROW 3 Team
Have a great week!