I had a fantastic conversation with one my best friends, Sandy Chong, this morning and I was inspired by her to share some recent success I have had with my team.

In 2005 I started taking my é SALON team away on team retreats, usually done over the Melbourne Cup weekend, which would allow me to have 3 days with my team usually taking them to the Hunter Valley. The whole idea was about building team unity, setting goals and developing key words which became our total focus for the next twelve months.

Over the past two years my commitments have become such that this time of the year is usually spent travelling with work. So this year I decided I would close the salon the day after Hair Expo and spend the whole day with my team with 4 goals for the day;

1: To unite the é SALON team with one vision for the coming 12 months

2: To take the opportunity to share in the é SALON teams success of the past 18 months 

3: To develop 3 key words that each é SALON team member will carry with them in every action, intention and activity they perform whilst representing and upholding the values of é SALON and the Australian hairdressing industry – be it locally, nationally or internationally

4: To openly and honestly communicate my desire to again raise the bar of the quality, service and overall image of é SALON

Without going into too much detail my day is split into 4 sections. I start by introducing the day, the objectives and reminding my entire team that this day is a normal work day- but rather than cutting, colouring and styling hair we are working together on developing a better work place and environment that is committed to producing world class work, world class service and a place where DREAMS ALWAYS come true. Of course only to those who DARE to DREAM and BELIEVE in their DREAMS and WORK towards this DREAM every single moment of every single day! Second part is where the team share moments that over the past 12 months have stopped them in their tracks and made them go WOW! Thirdly we play games which encourage team work, cement the importance of listening and underpin the importance of VISION. Finally the best part – we work on our words.

The best part;

1: The first word is always my word – as the Creative Director I truly cherish setting the course of é SALON and my team. My word this year- to those who know me it’s no surprise – LOVE

2: Second word is set by the senior management and I – over a really focussed meeting and Mum’s pasta! – Our word is WOW

3: Third word is work shopped with the team. The third word and important aspects of our business in which we need total buy in from the team is always a team excercise- this word always comes out as long as the team is focussed on our core values, our goals and stays the course with a PMA- Positive Mental Attitude- sometimes this word will take 5 minutes to arrive, sometimes an hour, sometimes all day. Ours happened to come up as a word which an ex employee always used say at every team meeting and that is CARE.

This day is probably the greatest day every year for é SALON, the most productive and fruitful of any business day I may have and allows my team to see the seriousness, the passion, the LOVE and commitment I have for my business, which also happens to be the vehicle – now the é SALON LOVE BUS by the way ( a team suggestion) – in which will deliver to them every dream they may DARE to DREAM, as long as they are willing to DREAM and BELIEVE in it.

LOVE
everything you do from the fullness of your heart and allow the world to witness it, to feel it and to see it with their own eyes

WOW 
every customer, your team mates, the industry and every one of your friends and family with the uniqueness that is you – JUST AS YOU ARE

CARE 
for our clients, our team mates, the industry and every person we can care for like they have never been CARED for before.

LOVE WOW CARE

3 simple words that quite possibly may change my é SALON teams life !

I believe in taking REAL time with our team at least a couple of times a year so we can achieve the goals of why I originally decided to open a salon in the first place.

It is always up to us to set the VISION for where we are going – It is up to us to ensure that we and our team is living through the MISSION- though it is up to our team to get us there and this is where we are all challenged and were through this wonderful forum we can share our successes, our failures and hopefully together we can grow what essentially is the greatest industry in the world.

Live your dream xxx

 - Emiliano Vitale