Congratulations if you do not have “Pearla* Prima Donna” in your spa team. But she is found in most teams. She is the one who does not know what “teamwork” means.
It is easy to recognize her—no one wants to work with her. Talented, yes, but also demanding and difficult.
The bad news: prima donnas harm your spa’s guest experience. Guests are in your spa to relax and de-stress, and they can easily pick up on negative behavior. Tension in your spa keeps them away. Pearla Prima Donna is actually costing you business!
Here are the five prima donna attitudes, and how to handle them:
1. “That’s not my job!”
People are given a task because they are the best at it, so let them know about this when you assign the task. Get into the habit of letting your team members know when they have done a good job—a little praise goes a long way to building up team morale.
2. “It’s not my fault.”
Making mistakes is part of success, but the knee-jerk reaction when something fails is for everyone to distance themselves. Start implementing the “It’s not my fault, but it’s still my problem” philosophy, if you have not done it already. Regardless of who is to blame, it is still everyone’s responsibility to fix it.
3. “It’s not my problem.”
People stay away from problems because of fear—no one wants to absorb it. Nobody is taking action to solve it either. Show your team you are on their side, that you want them to win. With this show of support, problem-solving becomes a team effort, not an individual burden.
4. “It won’t work.”
You do not want a close-minded person in your team. Over time, you will see your whole team shutting down ideas, resisting change, and your spa missing out on opportunities. Probe for reasons behind any resistance. Welcome and discuss opinions. Get your team involved in making things work to get that buy-in.
5. “I am way overqualified for this job.”
You know they are super qualified, but they still agreed to take on the job. Give them more responsibilities—assign challenging tasks, use them as mentors, ask them for ideas and inputs, get them to implement things, and allow a little more autonomy so they can be more productive.
How do you handle negative team behavior? Share your thoughts and success stories in the comments below!
Want to learn more about how to build a high-performing team? Arm your spa team today with the tools to become more successful, and grow your spa business exponentially. Register for the Spa Management Essentials series today ?
* Our apologies if your name is Pearla. The name is just for illustration purposes. 😉
