A good team starts with a strong leader with vision

Team development must the top priority for any business, yet too many salon owners struggle with it because they lack understanding or see it as too much of a challenge, says renowned hairdressing business expert Antony Whitaker. Successful businesses need successful teams, completely united behind a common vision and common goals, urges Whitaker, who this month publishes the third in his highly acclaimed GROW series of guides to salon business development. A good team must start, says Whitaker, with a good leader who has a strong vision and the determination to motivate and inspire everyone so the whole team is committed to making that vision a reality. “Assuming you’re not running a workers’ co-operative, someone needs to be in charge and to take charge of defining a business’s core values, getting staff on board and aligning the goals of the business and individual team members, so everyone is united in driving things forward in the most effective way, “ he says. “Your business goals are intimately linked to those of individuals in your employ. Helping them achieve their goals will help you achieve your own.”