The Invisible Mentor

Interview With Asha McLeod, Jazma Hair Salon

This interview first appeared in Ambeck Edge May 2005, but I still think that it is relevant today. There is always the question about whether or not you should train yourself or wait for you employer to train you. In  an economy that is tightening, one of the first budgets to be slashed is the training one, is this a sound decision? Please share your thoughts about this interview.

Challenge: Looking back over the years at the various problems and obstacles that come with owning a fast paced, successful hair salon, I have to say the most challenging of them all was dealing with my staff. What I found most challenging was that I was constantly doing all I could do to train them to be the best stylists they could be. This involved countless hours of professional training, personal and emotional support. The end result would always be that I would have trained and developed successful, confident stylists. So successful and confident that they would always believe they were capable of more than working for me, and would leave our salon, usually taking our clientele that they had built up as a result of working with us. It was very hard to deal with this, and it would happen over and over. It left me feeling hurt, and as a result I found I was bitter towards new staff as I viewed them inevitably doing the same thing as so many others had done in the past.

Resolution: Eventually I realized that I was creating the problem and I was making it worse by telling myself things that would add to the bitterness and resentment through my negative thinking. I finally realized that staff will leave no matter what I do. I changed my perspective and motivating factors for why I teach them. Instead of teaching them to be successful because it would be better for my business, I now train them believing I am helping them to become better people. I also train them not expecting gratitude in return, and knowing they will move on eventually.

Lessons Learned:

• Staff will always leave but that doesn’t mean that I shouldn’t train them to do their jobs better
• I now do things without expecting something in return
• Resentment and negative thinking harms you and prevents you from being the best you can be

Formula For Success

Keep in mind that success is never a final destination, but a journey, and as long as you are committed to lifelong learning, and passionate about your work, success is inevitable. I measure my success not against others, but by my own progress in overcoming day-to-day challenges, continuously learning and growing from those experiences. I believe my passion, persistence and need to please my clients have largely been the foundation for the success I have enjoyed in my profession.

Do you believe that employers should invest in training employees? Why? Why not? How would you have handled the above challenge? Is this challenge a universal challenge? How can the resolutions be applied elsewhere?

Excerpt May 2005 Ambeck Edge

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