Delegation Through The Eyes of a Manager

If you’re anything like me, asking someone else in the salon to do any tasks was not in my nature. If I had to show you, give you instructions or demonstrate how to do that specific task, I might as well do it myself, it’ll just be quicker…..or so I thought.

That was not very managerial like and I was setting myself up for burn out. I think at some point I had this notion that if I wasn’t doing it all, I wasn’t a good manager. I quickly realised it was just the opposite. Delegating is exactly what a manager should do.

So where do you start? Find those team members that have the strengths that are required for certain roles, some may have a passion for social media, some may have outstanding organisation skills and really enjoy the stock management aspect but you won’t know unless you ask.

For example: A few years ago the salon was on the hunt for a new product line. Since I was not doing hair services within the salon I was looking for the team to give me feedback on what they liked and why. After some time the general consensus was to go for a line I knew nothing about.

I delegated to a stylist who knew the brand very well to be the one in charge of setting up the order sheet. It was her job to take stock of what we had and what we needed to order. I would take that information and place the order myself. Saving lots of time for me in the process.

Delegating certain jobs to your team is a great way to empower others in the salon to want to help. It brings the team together and helps to ensure they feel valued and appreciated. They take pride when they feel they can contribute to the business and not just by dealing with clients.

Once delegated, give them your clear expectation on the task at hand and have them report back to you when it’s completed. If you need to tweak a few things, do it with them so they understand your expectation and the process is clear. Having someone you can count on that will work with you side by side allows you that free time as a manager to get other projects completed. Win,Win…

Head over to our YouTube channel ‘Inside Chat’ here and watch Valerie and Amy discuss delegation in more detail.