Saturday, October 27, 2007

Dealing with Conflict

I don't like conflict. So I guess I really have no business owning a salon/spa with 17 employees because there's bound to be conflict! It's a struggle for me every time I have to have one of those hard conversations. If I walk through the salon and notice that no one has swept the floor, yet everyone is sitting in the break room, my first impulse is to sweep the floor myself, say nothing, and grumble to myself about why no one swept.

I've learned a lot from watching my salon manager in action. She's very good about pointing out those things without it ever becoming a big deal. Since she stays on top of small issues, they don't become big issues. Have a stylist that has been late two days in a row? She will talk to them immediately about punctuality, reminding them how important it is. Usually the problem is solved. Of course sometimes it's not and then you eventually get to do the really hard conversation - the "we think it would be better if you found a different job" conversation.

We all have our comfort zone and we all need to step out of it from time to time. For me, I have to constantly remind myself to face conflict head-on. Just take a deep breath and do it. I'm always glad I did.

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