Everyone loves a story

Everyone loves a story. Stories are the basis for most of what we know and how we feel about things. We develop a connection with our family based on the threads of the shared experiences and stories we create together and tell to each other. We learn the history of our world and our country based on stories of defeats and triumphs. We tell stories for entertainment; from ghost stories around a campfire to sagas projected onto theatre screens. We relate better to people when we know their story.

Does your team know your story? Do they know how you got into the business? Do they know the history of where you were trained and the funny tales of the mistakes you made? Do they know why you decided to open your own salon? Do they know the feelings you had? The fear? The excitement? Telling these stories well and often will create that stronger bond within the salon at the same time that your team is living what will be the stories told to those yet to come.

I had a conversation recently with a very well regarded hairdresser that opened his first salon many years ago and today has dozens of staff members. Like many salon owners he wished that his team felt the same passion for his business that he has. After asking him about his salon’s early years, I could see his face light up as he told me just how humble the beginnings were and the many challenges he had overcome. Instantly, I felt a connection to his journey. I asked him if he had told these stories to the younger members of his team. He hadn’t. They have only known him as “the boss”… already successful, already very different to themselves.

The next time you get the chance, please tell your story to your team. Think back to that day when you first put key in the door of your salon. It was finally yours. What did you feel? What was your vision for the future?

Just like in a family, you may have to tell the same stories over and over again until they become everyone’s shared history. You will know you have succeeded in building this bond when you overhear one of your younger team members telling a client: “let me tell you about how the salon started”.  Everyone loves a story.

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