Leadership and The Hair Stylist

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The Hair Stylist

The other day I had a conversation with the gal who cuts my hair. She was talking about her hair salon and wondered how technology and social media might play a part in connecting with and building her client base. She felt a little overwhelmed with all the options of Twitter, Facebook, myspace, Linkedin etc. She’s not alone. Our conversation reminded me that it’s about leadership first, technology second.

Leadership First

There are thousands of books out there that define and describe leadership for us. Let’s just start with Wikipedia’s definition for now,

“leadership is the process of social influence in which one person can enlist the aid and support of others in the accomplishment of a common task.”

This definition takes the concept of leadership out of the clouds and into your shoes. That’s why I like it.

The truth is, leadership is not tied to any one occupation or position. It’s extensive and inclusive. So a hairstylist, for example, is not excluded from using leadership to accomplish stuff. Like anyone they have to identify their process of social influence and then get to work.

What’s your PSI (Process of Social Influence)?

This may vary by occupation, but at a fundamental level, your process of social influence has to have at least 2 things:

1.  Engagement (how do you get people involved?) or as Wikipedia states “enlisting their aid”

2.  Empowerment (how do you give people a chance to contribute?) or as Wikipedia states “enlisting support”

Engagement + Empowerment = ACTs (Accomplishment of a Common Task)

The “lowly” hairstylist that values the community enough to enlist their aid and support with the goal of making her practice (cutting hair) better, will always improve if feedback is taken to heart. The truth is, we (customer) want you (hairstylist) to lead. Lead through your website. Lead through your posts on Facebook and Twitter. Invite us into the conversation. Lead in person. Educate us on your world.The salon, after all, it is your domain. You know it. You are the expert and you are the key to a good or bad experience. Do this, and we’ll follow – assuming you are good at cutting hair too.  :)