Employ new staff based on the right attitude
Published
15th May 2014
by bathamm
Staff are your greatest asset, says Antony Whitaker, so make sure you pick the right people for your business.
"When I first opened my salons my main criteria for employing people were their level of technical and creative skill and their appearance.
"Now, these attributes are obviously important; we are in the hair and beauty business, after all, so it’s important our own appearance measures up, that we ‘look good’ and that we have the technical and creative skills to do our job. Some even recruit on the strength of the clientele the stylist can bring with her.
"But, as a salon owner there are some lessons you learn the hard way, and employing the wrong people is just about the hardest way possible for you, your salon and the rest of the team.
"They say the top three most important factors when buying property are ‘location, location, location’. When employing staff the top three factors you must look for are not appearance, skills or clientele, but rather, they must be ‘attitude, attitude, attitude’.
"Skill is important, appearance is important, a clientele is nice, but attitude is absolutely paramount. You can teach people to have better skills, but only if they have the right attitude. You can coach and help people with their appearance, but only if they have the right attitude.
"Think about it; if you were to list the characteristics of the worst team member they would probably look something like this: poor timekeeping, lazy, argumentative, dishonest, unmotivated, poor hygiene standards, too many days off ‘ill’, unprofessional, not a team-player, grumpy, and so on.
"On the other hand, if you were to list the characteristics of the best team member they would probably look something like this: fun, professional, polite, helpful, creative, courteous, supportive, punctual, receptive, self-motivated, team-player, ambitious, proactive, and so on.
"The people on your team need to have a positive attitude, rich with a desire to grow. They must be receptive to feedback and constructive criticism, and have a willingness to change. They must recognise they are not, and never will be, right all the time. They need to be hungry for knowledge and determined to become more than they already are."
So how do you identify attitude?
- Ask open questions that require more than a yes/no response
- Enquire about how the person feels and thinks not just what they do
- Suggest scenarios and ask how they would cope or respond
- Watch how they interact with the rest of the team during their tests
- Listen beyond the replies and listen to your instinct.
