Spa Management Mini Education: The Learning Curve

Spa management, like life, is a constant learning experience.  Every single day, each of us has new experiences that constantly shape our knowledge, skills and abilities.  Learning to recognize these experiences for what they are, and taking what you can from them, is critical to your success as a spa manager.

Much like life, managing a business is a constant learning process.  You are constantly confronted with new situations that call for innovation, creativity, and common sense to master them and prepare you for the next big challenge.  Not only should you not be surprised by the never-ending learning process, but you should embrace it as it gives you the tools to handle the same or similar situations when they arise again.

If you are lucky, you will instinctively know how to handle these situations and trends and will always make the right decision.  More likely, you will make mistakes and the key is to learn from them.  The more you learn, the wiser you become.

One key to this is to listen.  Always be willing and earnest when learning new trends, processes, tips, and advice from your peers.  It is amazing how some employees can show you, the manager, how to streamline your efforts, approach problems, or handle situations.  You should be willing to listen and learn from any source that is available.

Spa managers are faced daily with opportunities to learn.  They might pick up a new approach to customer service, or an accounting process that makes their old processes go much quicker.  They might learn how to schedule more efficiently, or what chemicals never to mix when cleaning.  They learn how to handle each employee and what makes that employee perform the way that they do. 

Learning experiences are literally everywhere, but each one not only helps the manager develop; it also helps the spa become and stay successful.  Someone who is closed to learning inevitably will miss out on growth opportunities and start to stagnate.  As they become more static, they hurt their own marketability as well as their effectiveness as a manager.

A spa professional (manager, owner or hands on technician) must be open and embrace continual learning or they will become obsolete or ineffective.  This is because when you are not learning, you are not paying attention to your surroundings.