How To Have An Effective One-On-One Meeting!

Do you ever feel that your employees seem out of touch? Are they disconnected? Do they sometimes seem distant or abrasive?

While there may be a myriad of reasons why this may be happening, one of them may be that you are not spending enough time with them, one on one.

Let’s face it, the demands of being a service provider in the salon and spa industry are a challenge. Technicians work hard, putting in long hours, taking in the emotions and energy of their clients while having to juggle their tasks and duties required of them in their job. This is why leaders must be committed to give individual attention to each team member on a monthly basis. Sometimes everything will be fine, and other times there may be an issue to dig into but you can’t know it unless you take the time to ask.

Here’s an idea of what a one-on-one meeting can look like:

1. Put it in the schedule and never deviate from it.
2. Set aside at least 30 minutes to an hour for the meeting.
3. Have the meeting out of the salon. Go to a coffee shop or somewhere close by where there will be no interruptions. Silence your phones. Be 100% present for the conversation.
4. Like anything in your business, formalize it. Make it a system. Put questions together that will help the individual to share what they like about working in the business and ways that the business can improve. Ask them to share any issues they may have.
5. Acknowledge them for their work and commitment. Be specific about what you have seen over the last month.
6. Review their personal and professional goals with them and offer advice or feedback as necessary.
7. Keep notes and save them for reference and as a visual aide to share with someone who may need to be reminded about the progress they are making. (We all need that gentle nudge sometimes.)

Follow these steps, invest the time into your team, give them your ear and heart and you’ll build trust, loyalty and respect. You’ll also come to find that these meetings are the most important part of your month. Time is money, this will be time well spent!