The Constant
Starting at Impressions front desk in 2006 when he was 19 years old, General Manager Paul Petrowsky is a seasoned professional who owner Sarah Taylor says is responsible for much of her own success.
by Stacey Soble
What's Your Leadership Style?
It’s common for most of your clients to be similar to you in age, taste and lifestyle. But if your entire team is just like you—with the same abilities and leadership style—your business could be stymied. Jeanine O’Neill-Blackwell, founder of inyu training in Covington, Louisiana (an online training resource for salons and spas), has been coaching corporate and salon professionals for decades. Using the renowned 4MAT Learning Type Measure, which determines leadership styles, she has assessed thousands of industry professionals. She says more than 65 percent of salon pros are 4MAT Types 3 or 4, while 65 percent of spa pros are Types 1 and 2. In short, most salons need more data-driven personalities who will bring structure, work the numbers and use systems to boost productivity.
July 11, 2011
3 min to read
Understanding
your leadership style,
by building on strengths,
and addressing weaknesses,
is one of the easiest ways to
get everyone on board with
attainable goals.
It's common for most of your clients to be similar
to you in age, taste and lifestyle. But if your entire
team is just like you-with the same abilities
and leadership style-your business could be stymied.
Jeanine O'Neill-Blackwell, founder of inyu training
in Covington, Louisiana (an online training resource for
salons and spas), has been coaching corporate and salon
professionals for decades. Using the renowned 4MAT
Learning Type Measure, which determines leadership
styles, she has assessed thousands of industry professionals.
She says more than 65 percent of salon pros
are 4MAT Types 3 or 4, while 65 percent of spa pros
are Types 1 and 2. In short, most salons need more
data-driven personalities who will bring structure, work
the numbers and use systems to boost productivity.
"To move to the next level, salon owners should
build on their strengths and bring in the right people to
complement their weaknesses," says O'Neill-Blackwell.
"The key to growing a business is applying the right
leadership approach at the right time. If you are a visionary
leader, there is a point at which strong managerial
skills need to be added to the mix to grow to the
next level. Knowing when and how to do this is vital."
She adds that Type 1 strengths must be constantly
present to build a team, and the strengths of Types
3 and 4 are musts for growing the business. The
strengths of Type 2 are critical for building structures
and systems.
What type of leader are you?
Where are your strengths, and where do
you need help ("stretches" in 4MAT lingo)?
Check out the 4MAT Leadership Style
chart to determine which of
the four types best represents you.
Once you know your type, getting
results, addressing any challenge and
getting all learning types committed to a
goal involves moving through each of the
favorite questions of the four types, says
O'Neill-Blackwell: the "why," "what,"
"how" and "if" (what would that look
like if…). "We train leaders and trainers
in many Fortune 500 companies to
use this technique, and we've uniquely
adapted it to the beauty business," she
adds. "We've has done all the work of
applying 4MAT to everything from staff
meeting guides to productivity to planning
sessions."
How's it work? The best way to understand
how you can leverage your strengths,
boost your abilities and integrate other types
into your team is to follow the stories of
four different types of salon owners and
discover their incredible payoffs:
The People-Focused Leader
The Process-Focused Leader
The Productivity-Focused Leader
The Possibility-Focused Leader
Exclusive Online Offer
for Salon Today Readers
Are you ready to lead an interactive staff meeting with your team, using the
4MAT Learning Type Measure? Download your free guide so you can:
• Discover your team's strengths.
• Use the interactive exercises to build your team and enhance communication.
Visit inyutraining.com to download your free guide and purchase the Learning
Type Measure to assess your team.
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