Featuring, Mike Brandon In any successful business, coaching is a vital part of building employee loyalty and having consistent and objective accountability. In the Summit Salon Systems Career Path there are defined goals and numbers which outline a service providers ability to earn promotions based on their demand of time. Creating the space for monthly one-on-one’s with each service provider enhances salon culture by sharing the vision with each team member. They can clearly see what is possible if they choose to hone their skills and take your recommendations. This one-on-one time together also gives the privacy and space to provide feedback to service providers who may not be reaching their goals. The systems take the emotion out of giving this feedback because, while human beings are not black and white, numbers are. Keeping the conversation focused on numbers and therefore performance keep a safe space where the service provider feels they can trust you, your vision for them, and their ability to accomplish what is outlined for them. Summit Salon Consultant, Mike Brandon, has worked with numerous salon company’s across the country and is passionate about the power of one-on-one coaching. Here are his Top Tips for successful coaching that you can put into action right now! Top Tips for Successful One-on-One’s! * Get right before you start * Pray, meditate, whatever it takes to get yourself in a caring, nurturing place. * This is about them, not you. * When your priorities are wrong it will show up in the business of your employees. * Be Consistent * Once a month, or more if needed. Schedule 3 months in advance. * Be Timely * Not too short, not too long. 30 – 45 minutes * Be Positive * This is not a time to punish, threaten, guilt, etc. * Tell them what they are doing right. * Tell them when you are proud * But don’t over praise * Be honest, be nice, but don’t overdo it. * You may give them a false sense of importance you may regret later. * You may be rewarding them for something they haven’t accomplished yet. * Stay away from words like “great.” * Ask a LOT of questions! * Don’t decide what you want the meeting to be about. Find out through questioning what the meeting needs to be about. * In other words don’t give advice until you have done enough discovery. * Know the charts and the systems * Remember these systems weren’t created just to make you more successful. They were created for you to make your employees successful, and as a result of that grow your company. * Learn the level charts for your departments. There are more to these charts than meet the eye. We could do 90 minutes on just these beliefs. * It takes 3 days to properly explain this system the first time. Remind yourself humbly that you just have a fraction of what is to be known so far. Stay teachable. * Limit your advice * Pick one thing they would like to accomplish. If you offer too much advice on too many subjects the other person will become overwhelmed. They will have so much to work on they won’t accomplish anything. * Be Patient! This is not a one or two month process. * Ask for a commitment * How much, by when. * Make good notes * You’ll want to know what you talked about 4 weeks from now. If you make bad notes a lot of things can happen. Consider using the PDM form if it helps you stay structured. * You may forget what they agreed to. * They may tell you things the way they remember them instead of the way they were said. * DON’T GIVE FALSE LEVEL JUMPS!!!!