Leadership lessons from a beauty expert
My friend Jess is among many people who inspire me in my life. I met her over 20 years ago – she’s my wife’s best friend – and the one thing that you notice immediately about Jess is stillness. She has about her a calm presence that makes you immediately at ease and chilled out.
About 11 years ago Jess told us that, with her partner, she was thinking of buying the business she was working for. This was big. Up until now she had been an employee, so this was a totally new world, with new pressures and no knowing what the future would bring. Well, the future was very cool – Haylo won Salon of the Year for 2017/18 and I reckon there’s a heap to learn from the adventure. I sat down with Jess over lunch and asked her to share that stuff with me. Here’s just some of what I got that feels like it applies to any of us who lead people:
Humanness: Jess knows her people deeply and sweats over making sure they are cared for. One of Jess’s key drivers for Haylo is creating an environment where her people can be their best selves. When I asked her what she’d want them to say about working at Haylo, she used phrases like learning, challenge, growth and confidence. That she wants her people to fulfil their inner need to help others feel good about themselves. There’s power in that – starting with a focus on the state your people are in can’t help but have a flow on effect to your customers.
Clarity: For a person who radiates stillness, Jess has incredible backbone and assuredness about what she stands for, why she’s in this game, and what it means if you want to be part of the Haylo team. How much clarity? When Jess bought the business, she made the decision to get rid of the very popular, easy revenue sunbeds that came with it. They didn’t align with her vision of enabling people to feel good about themselves from the inside out; of promoting self-care and wellbeing. It meant potentially losing customers just as she was starting (which Jess thinks probably did happen), but it sent an incredibly strong message – we know what we stand for, and here’s what it means to be part of this team.
Learn every day: Jess asks questions. Like, relentlessly. New information she’s never heard before? Awesome - she just asks for more until she understands. It means that she’s always open to new perspectives and ideas. It also sets a great lead for her people to follow – you’re expected to be okay with not knowing all the answers, and to ask questions and seek help when you’re not sure. That means clients get a better overall experience as the team bring their collective knowledge to treatments.
We don’t do superficial or topical. It’s about helping people feel good inside – whether that’s time away for yourself or learning about what’s good for your inside. Then you can be better for other people.
Towards the end of lunch, I asked Jess what rules of thumb she’d learnt about bringing out the best in her people. She responded that she learns their language. I’ve heard people say that before but not really known what that meant, so I asked her how she does that. I’d sum up what she told me by saying she takes time to create belonging. To unpack quickly though:
Observation – how do they show up, what energises them, what drains them?
Experiences – expose people to a broad range. That helps to find where their strengths are and know the stuff they don’t love doing so much
Connection – Get to know people people on a deeper level than work. What core values drive them? What do they care about passionately? If they’re having an off day, what’s sitting below the surface – it will never be just because they chose to have an off day.
As we closed over tacos, Jess reflected that when she knows how people like to be worked with, communicated with, developed, supported (and she puts that all into practice) they almost always reveal their best selves. It’s all about getting to know them as individuals and loving what they bring, rather than just a one-approach-for-all.. I call that belonging.
Haylo Skin and Body is a boutique salon in Miramar, Wellington. Their mission is to share their knowledge and to inspire people to feel good about themselves from the inside and out, motivating self-care and wellbeing.