How to Effectively Communicate with your Manager

It can be a daunting task, communicating with your Manager. We can feel nervous, scared and genuinely afraid of confrontation.

How can you master the art of talking with your Manager? With practice of course! Life is a journey and along that journey comes challenges and trials constantly. We can turn to strategies and techniques that can aid us to become the best version of ourselves. Just like any challenging issue that arises in your life, you may like to seek advice from various outlets – research the internet, read articles, speak with your mentors, attend a webinar or participate in a course.

Communicating effectively with your Manager is no different, it is a skill that is learnt, takes practice and then fine tuned. It is a never ending journey of learning, trialing and finding out the best technique that works well for you.

Here’s a valuable lesson learnt from one of our fabulous Educators misunderstanding communication styles at a previous place of work.

‘Once I had a manager who was incredibly difficult to work for. She was a very blunt person and often sounded really rude. I struggled in my role because I didn’t feel comfortable in the presence of my manager. It got to the point where I no longer loved where I worked and was looking for other employment.

As a last ditch effort, I had a really open conversation with her, with the owner present. This was so tough as I hated conflict and would rather just leave and avoid it! I explained how I felt and how her way of communicating was making the workplace feel very hostile. She was actually very surprised by this! This I did not expect.

Turns out, not everyone is aware of how they communicate and sound to other people. This is how her family communicated and how she in turn, learnt to communicate. By making her aware of the way her communication style was affecting me, it gave her the opportunity to work on it.

By no means was our relationship perfect but we continued to work on how we communicated with each other. It took a few good long conversations, anger and tears. We worked hard to create a positive working relationship and ended up actually becoming quite close.

I learnt that her intentions were always with a good heart but sometimes her communication style didn’t align with mine. Understanding this and using DISC profiling has been my key to being able to work cohesively with anyone”

‘DISC profiling was an amazing way of understanding different communication techniques in the workspace. It may truly be one of the most valuable things that I have learned’

So just what is DISC?

DISC is an acronym that stands for the four main personality profiles described in the DISC model: (D) Dominance, (I) Influence, (S) Steadiness and (C) Conscientiousness.

People with D personalities tend to be confident and place an emphasis on accomplishing bottom-line results.
Here’s how to communicate with a D personality

People with I personalities tend to be more open and place an emphasis on relationships and influencing or persuading others.
Here’s how to communicate with a I personality

People with S personalities tend to be dependable and place the emphasis on cooperation and sincerity.
Here’s how to communicate with a S personality

People with C personalities tend to place the emphasis on quality, accuracy, expertise, and competency.
Here’s how to communicate with a C personality

So what if you have a Manager that seems to want more and more from you?

Here’s some wise words of wisdom from our lovely Brisbane Academy Salon Coordinator, Heather:
“In terms of KPIS, it’s important to understand the reasoning behind why they exist in the first place. It is how your workplace makes enough money to be able to keep the lights on and pay your wage.

Working hard to achieve your KPIS shows commitment and respect to where you work. You should want the business to be successful so that in turn, you have products and treatments to play with, training opportunities and career progression.

On the flip side of this, sometimes an owner wants more and more. This can be difficult and quite stressful as a therapist. My advice to a young therapist is to always show that you are trying.

It doesn’t matter if a client purchases from you during each appointment. What matters is that you show your manager that you are consistently working hard and trying your best, that is all anyone can ever ask from you.”

In summary, the key takeaway is to TRY… this may mean – scheduling a meeting; being very brave and writing down some key bullet points of your questions, grievances and issues. Keep your voice monotone and speak from a place of professionalism and intent.

With the current climate in the beauty industry, your Manager would rather you articulate your needs and try to meet them. This is not a time to be demanding or unreasonable, this is a time to be united. Our industry is on the brink of a fantastic change for the good! An industry where both parties are invested together, where work/life balance CAN exist – IF you just take the time to COMMUNICATE.