My Spa Leadership Non-Negotiables

What are your spa leadership non-negotiables?

…If you’re already hesitating, know that you’re not alone–  on the contrary, the bulk of my coaching clients often haven’t had any formal leadership training and, as such, grapple with enforcing hard boundaries with staff and clients (and even themselves!)

 This is because we’re an industry of carers: we got into the spa industry thanks to being empathetic people who are focused on the personal care of others. The downside of this, however, is that many spa owners fall into the trap of feeling “bossy” or “awkward” when real leadership is required.

Like all things, this can be unlearned! Today we’re going to be taking a deep-dive into my spa leadership non-negotiables, and how they’ll help you reach your full leadership potential.

The Importance of Leadership as a Spa Owner

If any of these common scenarios sound like you:

• You haven’t had any (or much) “real” training on how to be a leader 
• You’ve modeled your leadership style on previous employers’
• You find yourself struggling with boundaries after you moved from being a service provider to being a leader in your biz

…Then you should know that even I faced those same struggles when I first started my spa leader journey!

A hard truth for me back when I began learning about spa systems, transforming my spa business for the better, and being true to my business’s vision was this: that when we compromise on our leadership, we by default compromise on our values, our guest experience, and our team culture.

And for me? I was compromising all these things without even realizing it!

Like dominoes, that one epiphany forced me to acknowledge that it was me who was throttling my business’s sales outcomes, team’s efficiency, and overall business performance by not being cognizant of this earlier. 

While I did pull my spa biz out of its nosedive and have gone on to be successful in the spa industry for the past 25+ years, none of it would have been possible if I hadn’t buckled down and ironed out my spa leadership non-negotiables.

Leadership Advice for Spa Owners

Although there is a multitude of leadership advice out there, it’s rare to come across some tailored to the uniqueness of the spa industry.

For me, here are the actionable leadership non-negotiables that prompted me into taking positive action for my business:

• Adhere to Your Values: remember what I was saying about compromise? Well, here it is again! By ensuring that you stick to your values– both personal and professional– you guarantee that you are attracting the clients you want, the staff you want, and, of course, the atmosphere you want. Protect your energy by outlining your core values and sticking to them.
• Communicate Clearly and Positively: the phrase, “To be clear is to be kind” is a great one for leaders. No one is ever going to be advocating for your business as much as you do, so remember to communicate your rules, expectations, and hopes to staff and clients alike early and consistently.
• Stay Accountable: as a spa leader, you have a lot on your plate– finances, organization, keeping team members aligned, smoothing things over with clients when things occasionally go askew… stay accountable, but remember to outsource the aspects of your business that you aren’t a pro at so that you can focus on what you thrive at.
• Keep On Top of Things: so simple to say, yet so hard to do! Trust me when I say that when you keep up-to-date on your sales metrics, billing, and poor staff or client behavior, your future self will never stop thanking you. It’s easier to bite tasks off in small chunks by being solution-focused rather than letting it all fall over you like an avalanche at the end of each year!

Start Reaping the Benefits of Spa Leadership Non-Negotiables Today

Feeling overwhelmed with the thought of overhauling your leadership style, or not sure which non-negotiables to pick in order to iron out the creases currently crumpling your spa biz?

Check out the Kirsten Foss Coaching Spa Manager VIP Day to receive a comprehensive Spa Manager Manual (complete with done-for-you systems, protocols, spreadsheets, and templates), spa industry benchmarks to course-correct your business’s existing shortcomings, 14 days of comprehensive text support, and so much more!