Leadership Begins with You-By Deb Hunt

Leadership truly does begin with you, leadership starts with being the example and taking ownership of who you should be. It's so easy to do as I say not as I do which sends a contradictory message to your team because if your leader is not representing the values, vision and excellence of the business, how can you expect your team to follow your lead.

You can't hold people accountable to anything or nothing that you are not willing to do and be as a leader. Who you are as a leader is directly reflected in your actions, and how you conduct yourself within each moment determines what is acceptable or what is not. Who you are being shows in that example because everything you do reflects inside your leadership and that has such a huge impact on your team's attitude, productivity and the success of the business.

Being a leader is more than just calling yourself a leader, leadership is actually demonstrated. Effective leaders establish the culture and tone of the work environment. Leadership has maturity and substance, emphasis is focused on creating quality and innovation to be concerned about the development and growth of your staff. This commitment and integrity exemplifies leadership excellence, thereby, creating the potential for building excellent organizations.

Other important attributes which leaders possess includes being a horizon thinker, seeing beyond the everyday yet living each day with open communication, broadly dispersing support to your team by being part of the solution process without solving all the problems. Leaders know how to delegate responsibilities to their team without being a dictator. A leader does not have to do or know it all, just to concentrate on the major things rather than worry about the abyss of everything.

Leadership can perpetuate good management but the two are not synonymous. Leaders must choose powerfully exercising control and influence yet still empowering their staff to become strong leaders. Your team does not necessarily have to like you but it is essential that they respect you. To earn respect is to hold people accountable to the principles, vision, results and priorities established by the leaders of the business. Leadership is an evolution for each individual, being empowered to discover their own strengths and technical capabilities.

Leadership skills should not be driven but what you don't want to be, as associated from other previous less desirable experiences but rather take ownership in becoming a competent leader. Who I am as a leader is to be supportive, stop trying to be the perfect leader because to err is human, thus no leader is ever perfect just refined. Nobody is above growth in their personal and professional life, so be true to whom you are without creating stories and making justifications for not having all the answers.

Remember, good leadership should bring cohesiveness and unity not disruption because when the owner gets agitated, overwhelmed, frustrated or angry, that is filtered down to your team who then fosters that negativity and fear which breaks down communication, affects team spirit and their willingness to get involved to make a difference.

As a salon owner or manager, you chose to be a leader whether or not you intentionally wanted to be or simply realized your role as having that responsibility, nonetheless, embrace it because leadership really does begin with you.