People who work hard crave being
around other people who work hard. It
is the spa managers’ responsibility to be
unapologetically selective about who
they allow to work on the team. They
must also be intolerant of any glimmer
of apathy.
The good news is that apathy is fairly
easy to spot. Anyone can see it. In fact,
if the guests can notice an apathetic
employee, then the managers can as
well. And if an apathetic employee is
allowed to quit and stay, then that says
more about the manager than it does the
employee.
Help People stay and Thrive
Three words: cultivate positive relation-
ships. Period. In other words, get close
to your people. Many managers are
taught, “Do not get too close to your
people,” and “You need to know where
to draw the line.” This approach dimin-
ishes your ability to motivate and retain
your top performers. Managers who are
close to their people can ask for more
effort and better results.
taKEaWay: The closer your
relationship is with someone, the
easier it is to influence that person
“In a spa, there is no room for
apathy. not towards one’s role, the
guests or the spa overall.”
respect when you decide not to do
your job as a manager.
But, if you are too close to that
employee, you might avoid giving disci-
pline. Here’s a question: if you have
spinach in your teeth, who is most likely
to tell you? Someone you are close with
or someone with whom you have a
distant relationship? Exactly.
taKEaWay: The closer you are to
information. Dopamine (the pleasure
hormone) wears off after only a couple
of hours, but cortisol (stress hormone)
can last up to 24 hours. That is also
why it takes multiple positive experi-
ences to make up for a negative one.
taKEaWay: Begin every meeting by
asking each person to briefly
mention a recent success or high
point they’ve had. Make this a habit.
No exceptions.
someone, and the more you care
about them, the more willing you
are to have difficult and unpleasant
conversations.
sustain the Momentum
Of all the responsibilities a manager
must focus on, building a positive
management culture is paramount.
Specifically, promote a culture of recog-
nition and appreciation. Our brain’s
natural wiring tends to give more weight
to negative information than to positive
In the end, I am convinced that no one
begins a job with the intent to quit and
stay. Team members yearn to be a part of
a successful group that is engaging and
delivers a world-class service experience.
However, it is also easy to unintentionally
demotivate and snatch the zeal from your
most engaged employees. Today, make a
leadership commitment to expect, model
and talk about excellence every day. Then
watch your team stay, thrive and soar to
new heights. n
to change his/her behavior.
But, what if people accuse you of having
favorites? Here is the reality: You have
favorites now. It is human nature. You
have better chemistry with some
employees than others. Furthermore,
your employees already know