What's the single hardest thing in leadership for you as a business owner?

*With Nikki Le, Bonnie Bonadeo and Brigette Sobus*

What's your biggest challenge in leadership at this current time? As a business owner, employer, manager, leader... I've tried to understand the complex nature of leadership and categorize the key points and solutions in my brain so that I can strive to be a better leader at all times.

Leadership skills are an interesting thing... Once you develop them, it's hard to unlearn them and you become a better leaders for it...but evolving your leadership skills requires that you are willing to become self-aware, self-reflect on the the bad with the good and self-edit your management approach and leadership styles to become a more enlightened and magnetic influence to those around you. Then the real magic starts to happen. In my experience and exposure to thousands of scenarios that required improved and innovative leadership decision-making, it became clear to me that one of the hardest thing for salon owners to develop in leadership is the ability to balance authority with empathy—being both the boss and the motivator without losing the respect of the team or driving people into internal retreat in order to avoid any dreaded interfacing with their leadership.

Here's why it's so hard:

Emotional Investment vs. Business Decisions
Salon owners often build close relationships with their employees. They care deeply about their stylists' personal and professional lives, but when it's time to enforce policies, correct behavior, or let someone go, that emotional connection makes tough calls even harder when there are not structures, policies and procedures set in place for all to follow.
Setting Boundaries Without Feeling Like a Villain
Many salon owners struggle to maintain professional boundaries, especially if they’ve worked alongside their team as a stylist before stepping into ownership. The shift from "friend and peer" to "leader and decision-maker" can be uncomfortable. Setting a clear boundary is elusive and can feel like a big, fat no...and knowing when to set a boundary may not be clear.
Holding People Accountable Without Micromanaging
Owners want a team that takes initiative, but when stylists don’t meet expectations (whether it's sales, client retention, or work ethic), the owner often swings between over-involvement (micromanaging) and under-involvement (avoiding confrontation).
Retaining Talent Without Overcompensating
Many salon owners try to keep stylists happy by offering excessive, yet unearned commissions, excessive flexibility, or constantly giving more without ensuring their business remains profitable. Finding the balance between valuing employees and running a financially sustainable business is tough, but necessary. Learning when we overcompensate as a leader because of need for validation or "feeling bad" about something or just plain, old wanting-to-be-liked may be detrimental to the growth of your company or team.
Being a Visionary Without Losing Touch
Leaders need to think ahead—marketing, pricing, customer experience—but many salon owners get bogged down in daily operations. Delegating and trusting their team to handle execution while they focus on growth can be a major challenge. Balancing how to stay in the field so you still understand your team's pain points while allowing autonomy, is a developed proficiency that many leaders find difficult.

Try these solutions:

Lead With Clarity - Set clear expectations on pay, performance, and salon culture. Do the work to build these systems out.
Develop Leadership Skills - Read, take courses, attend leadership conferences where you can put yourself into rooms with great leaders, or get coaching on people management.
Lead By Example - Full accountability means that it starts with you before you attempt to hold others accountable. Remember that true leadership lives to serve the teams that they're responsible for.
Practice Non-Emotional Enforcement of Polices & Procedures - First, be accountable to your own behaviors and choices. Be firm but fair. A great leader supports and challenges their team.
Create Systems for Accountability - Have structured performance reviews, Performance improvement plans, clear goals and consequences for certain outcomes.
Step Into the CEO Role – Shift from stylist-turned-owner to true business leader by working on the business, not just in it.

I would love to hear from you what you feel is your biggest leadership challenges may be. Let's start the conversation about how we can all elevate the beauty industry by first starting with elevating and evolving our leadership. If you're ready to explore...evolve...and elevate the employee experience through your enhanced leadership, then reach out for a quick call or join Bonnie, Brigette and me at The Beauty Leadership Lab for an immersive dive into the land of leadership designed just for salon owners.

With gratitude,