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by Stacey Soble
The Productivity-Focused Leader
AS A NON-STYLIST who was a Dillards’ manager before moving to the salon area, Julia Watt was all about data, systems and productivity. So, it was no surprise when, three years ago, her testing revealed her as a Type 3 with many Type 2 strengths. The experience and subsequent inyu training helped her analyze her team and recruit better by asking smarter questions, she says.
July 11, 2011
3 min to read
4MAT
Case Study
Type 3: The Productivity-Focused Leader
Good trainer; needs to delegate and communicate.
Julia Watt
Director of Salons, Dillards Department Stores
AS A NON-STYLIST who was a Dillards' manager
before moving to the salon area, Julia Watt was all
about data, systems and productivity. So, it was no
surprise when, three years ago, her testing revealed
her as a Type 3 with many Type 2 strengths. The
experience and subsequent inyu training helped
her analyze her team and recruit better by asking
smarter questions, she says.
Julia Watt discusses leadership styles with her salon team at Dillards.
"It's not all about ‘I'm a Type 3;' it's a journey,"
stresses Watt. "Initially, we tested the 4MAT system in
five salons and started with huddles comprising all four
Types. When you listen, learn and engage, it develops
strengths and helps the entire team be more effective. "
One result: hard numbers are not introduced in
meetings until their importance is discussed. After
number-sharing, strategies for achieving goals are
addressed. Here's how it worked with prebooking:
Targeting a benchmark of 60 percent for prebooking
(the 38 Dillard's salons' average was 33 percent), Watt began determining how to reach her goal.
"We used the 4MAT model of addressing learning styles to help
each manager see why prebooking was important. Then we developed
a system that let managers teach the service providers. First, we asked
our service providers why they got in the business in the first place. Most
said to be creative, give others confidence and make them feel good.
So, we evolved a mission statement around that and then asked, ‘What
do you need to be that type of provider?' We shared what numbers told
us, and ways to practice what they needed to do."
Stylists were given a rebooking script that acted as a starting point.
If the intent was to prebook to keep guests looking great and feeling
confident, then customizing the script was crucial. For instance, if a woman
with fine hair needed to retain a certain shape in her cut, prebooking within
a specific timeframe would meet her needs, and this was explained in a
way that involved her own appearance goals.
By customizing scripts, stylists have boosted the salons' prebooking
average by 48 percent. And, they were happy to do it, because it related
to their self-described reason for becoming salon professionals.
"Once you know what type of leader you are, you can either grow
personally or surround yourself with those who have different strengths,"
says Watt. "If you do the latter, don't just delegate-give them the backing,
tools and authority to do the job."
In the same series:
What's Your Leadership Style?
The People-Focused Leader
The Process-Focused Leader
The Productivity-Focused Leader
The Possibility-Focused Leader
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