Visit any salon or spa and you can spot who the best people are almost immediately. They are the busy ones, with client appointments stacked back-to-back all day long. They show up for work early, often stay late and are in a constant state of motion even in their down time. These people are the top dogs, the alphas, of their respective professions. They are high performing artists who set the standard of excellence for others to follow.

How To Be The Best

One question I’m often asked by students and graduates of Shear Ego International School is “What can I do to stand out in my profession?” The answer is simple: excellence in any profession has less to do with skill and more to do with attitude.

The rules of excellence apply to every professional whether you are a doctor, lawyer, hair stylist or esthetics artist. People in each career typically have similar levels of education and experience. They possess like knowledge and skills, yet only a few will rise to the top of their professions and enjoy the status and earnings that come with exceptional achievement.

So what makes the best professionals better than all the rest? If you watch them at work, the answer is obvious. They don’t dream about success. They work for it. They are disciplined, coachable and motivated to be better today than they were yesterday. They do more than is expected, are extremely well organized and they sweat the details because they know a series of little things done right add up to make a big difference.

Attitude Matters

High performing stylists and cosmetologists have a different mindset about their work. They know that skills alone can only take you so far and that a “can-do”, positive attitude is the fuel that propels their careers to the next level.

All top cosmetologists know that time is money and they put that understanding into practice. You’ll never see them wasting work time on social media, making unnecessary phone calls or engaging in silly salon gossip. They are fully engaged in their work from the time they arrive until they leave, exhibiting a high level of energy and optimism every moment of the day. .

Excellence Is A Process

No professional in any career earns elite status overnight. It takes time and involves a series of small efforts repeated correctly day-in, day-out that makes you distinctive. It’s not what they do that makes them stand out but rather, how they do it that turns them into high achievers.

The world of beauty arts is crowded with average professionals. What it needs more than ever before are exceptional artists who dare to be great. In future blogs, I’ll explain in more detail the process that turns ordinary cosmetologists into extraordinary ones.