As professionals, our technical skills serve as the foundation of our services, and clients compensate us expecting professional quality. Without these skills, it’s possible that our clients could do better doing their own services, even as unlicensed amateurs. Years before I became a licensed manicurist, I did better work than the professionals I paid as a client, and that‘s not saying much. In the 30+ years since my licensure, I realize that we could do more to emphasize and reinforce the value of the basics, particularly early in our careers.
Our mastery of basic skills distinguish us from our clients (amateurs) and our competitors (professionals).
What’s the secret to developing your skills and achieving mastery? Most students, instructors and beauty pros would give the same answer: practice. Lots and lots of practice. As an educator, I’m not surprised by that answer, but let me explain why I emphatically disagree.
Practice develops habits, but not necessarily good ones.
We take for granted that given access to the tools and products of our trade, especially those only available to professionals, that we will instinctively know how to use them to obtain the desired results. That’s not a given. What’s the point of practicing when you don’t know what and how to practice? Spending hours doing something incorrectly or inefficiently does not lead to mastery. Instead, it’s more likely to lead to frustration and disappointment.
“We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit.” – Will Durant
To perfect your skills, explore different techniques and train with those considered experts in those particular procedures. Within every license specialty and scope of practice, basic skills exist that when mastered produce better results. But oftentimes, we neglect the fact that how we work also impacts our physical health, both in the short- and long-term. For example, we could use more guidance from ergonomic experts on the proper positioning of our bodies and our client’s body, the grip to hold tools, the motion of our hands and arms, and more. Don’t sacrifice your own safety or your clients’ safety for a new technique. Implement recommendations and procedures that enable you to achieve great results efficiently and safely.
Regardless of the service, our primary concerns should be safety, quality and consistency.
At a minimum, it’s our professional responsibility, legal and financial, to protect the health and safety of our clients. Consumer protection is the primary reason why state governments require licensing, beauty school training, written and/or practical examination(s), compliance with regulations, and in some states, continuing education. Without expounding on the efficacy of these requirements, let’s agree that while the intent is admirable, in practice they do little to ensure consistent quality. The same can be said for the restaurant industry; a restaurant can have an immaculate kitchen and meet the highest standards for food safety, and the food can still taste awful, or be inconsistent from meal to meal. We earn trust when we perform well every time.
An earlier version was published by Beauty Cast Network.