Walking through the steps.

I got my hair done this afternoon at a salon whose name I won't mention because it's largely irrelevant. At two different times during the styling process, Jane (stylist) had to check with her superior in order to approve the outcome we had decided on: once before, and once after. This process is likely an effort to uphold the high standards of the salon, which I think is not a bad idea. However, the input that Jane's superior provided turned this potentially positive idea into nothing more than micro-management. A simplified version was something to the effect of:

Stylist: "Okay. I'm ready to cut."
Manager: "Alright, go ahead."

My point is not that you should cut out the pieces of your standard operating procedure, but that as a manager you should check yourself, often, to be sure that those pieces are played out in order to reach the ultimate goal (i.e. - happy clients with new haircuts) and not merely as a way of walking through the steps.


bk