Summary: Stress on the job is at an all-time high. There is also good news: stress management programs highlight ways to keep employees and clients happy. Here’s how.
Did you know that the beauty industry, including salon professionals, has a high level of job satisfaction?
That’s great.
It cannot be said for too many businesses these days.
However, research also indicates a high level of anxiety in this field. Often, when stress hits the hot button at work, it shows up as the unpleasant feeling of a panic attack (trouble breathing, dizziness, and rapid heartbeats).
Mostly, this anxiety is due to the ugly three: overwhelm, self-doubt, and that damn imposter syndrome.
Fortunately, there are simple ways to stay in the safe stress zone and make your time at work effective and healthy.
Here is my promise. As you wash the anxiety and stress from your body and mind, your technical skills will continue to increase, and your emotional life will be more manageable.
Love your job as you tackle extreme stress to the curb.
I don’t want to waste your time.
So here is the answer to what separates the best from the rest.
Include soft skills with the skills you learned to master your craft.
It is vital to include methods to “practice safe stress.”
However, please stop thinking you are also meant to be a quasi-therapist or coach.
That is NOT your secondary role.
You are intended to be…ta-dah… an advocate.
Whew, relief.
Let’s look at what it means to support your clients: all your clients, the easy ones, the nasty ones, and the unhappy ones.
Learn to be more self-aware and then become other-aware
Above all, you already know the downside of your job: think about the long hours, standing most of the time, and financial considerations.
Yet, there is one magic area that virtually guarantees success. It will keep the sparkle in your eyes along with the rest of the staff.
It is a deep appreciation for creativity.
Salons are filled with creatives, and that is where the magic exists.
Stress management programs help employees stay in a safe stress zone.
When creatives are given the best methods to handle stress, there is more cooperation and effective communication in the salon.
Above all, everyone wins, the salon owner, the beauty experts, the support team, and the clients.
Let’s chunk this down and focus on the personal and vital way to less stress and more fulfillment.
Connect someone’s inner beauty with their outer beauty.
Think about the days you go home feeling that old warm, fuzzy feeling of success. What exactly did you do? What response did you get from others?
For example, from a client’s words, here is what made my friend Veronica rave about her “time in the chair.”
Her hair, she told me, has been her most challenging physical attribute. “
“Curly,” she said, ” curly is an understatement. It s a tangle of curls that, no matter the
length, I always look like a sheep who needs a shearing immediately.
All I can say is my happy time is when a creative tells me to relax, they have it handled.
For example, my favorite gal had me under her spell in less than five minutes.”
Stress goes down when individuals know others care.
Veronica continued:
“Why? Because she did her homework. And for that, she got an A plus.
She had me at, “I know how frustrating your curly hair is to you, and here are
four ways I have come up with to style and cut your hair to make you super happy.
Then this frizzy hair client gave a clue for her delight.
“OMG, she heard me. My favorite negative word was frizzy. It makes me feel old,
asexual, and even fat! ,
She then showed me her curated photos, and we discussed each.
Why did this matter so much?
Because she cared enough to think about me beforehand and was ready with suggestions.
She then showed me her curated photos, and we discussed each.
Why did this matter so much?
I felt cared for, and I mattered!!!
It was not simply, “What do you want?”
It was more toasty than that. I was told, “We are in this together and will find the best solution possible.”
Yay for the flat iron.
She even had me consider a small stripe of the color purple.
I left with a new layered, bouncy look. I left feeling like a million bucks.”
Stress management programs always consider how we communicate with each other to keep upset down and ideas up.
The “we” rather than just a “me” made all the difference.
When we were close to finishing, others came around to OOOH and AAAH at the transformation.
I left feeling younger, sexier, and, yes, even thinner!
I can’t ask for more than that!”
Veronica left the salon feeling fab. And her stylist was thrilled.
Okay, let’s peel this back for a minute.
How to run a successful salon with less extreme stress.
In the past two decades working with salon owners and staff around the United States has been both fun and eye-opening for me.
Here are takeaways about the power of the beauty and salon industry to make the world happier.
- Cutting, coloring, and caring are the trifecta of a positive experience. That goes equally for the one behind the chair and the one in the chair.
- Prepare before the client enters the salon has beneficial results.
- Know how to ask questions that engage is a vital skill. They need to be more than just yes or no.
- Focus on what is possible (no false promises) will lead to a great outcome.
- Observe body language is a gauge of how you are working together. Please pay attention to subtle cues such as someone moving around too much, checking their phone constantly, or requiring several bio breaks.
- Empathize with how the client sees things from their unique perspective. Look, we all have trials and tribulations in our lives. Simply listen.
- Understand how external events and personal situations may be affecting them. You are not expected to resolve issues; however, listen and care.
- Connect with your client, bring out the best in them, and guess what? You will bring out the best in you.
- Cheerlead by celebrating with clients and also share some of your achievements so they can be happy for you too.
We are all in this world together, and no one wins unless we all do.
Please hear this: You do not need to be a therapist or coach when someone is having a bad day. It simply matters that you care and show kindness.
Think of it this way. There is no such thing as a relationship “accident.” Everyone you meet is there for a purpose. Sometimes it can be obvious; other times, it’s foggy. No matter.
So much happens when someone sits looking in the mirror with you standing behind them.
For a short period, you are like a mini-caregiver.
See your work as both creative and caring. Be appreciated for your kindness as well as your talent.
Here’s to your success,
Sylvia Lafair
PS. I want to honor Paris Parker and Juut Salons for considering “the whole human” with ways to make the work environment less stressful and more joyful.
PSS. Find out how to handle stress more effectively by reading “Invisible Stress (It’s NOT What YOU Think).
