Unpopular Opinion: Great Leaders Don’t Always Lead from the Front

By Dwight Hodge

Let’s get one thing straight: just because you own the salon doesn’t mean you have to be the first one in, the last one out, and the glue holding it all together. In fact, if you’re still trying to be that person, it might be the very reason you feel tired, stuck, and like the dream of owning a salon has slowly turned into just another job.

I am not here to tell you it’s about doing more. It’s about doing less on purpose. It’s about embracing a leadership style that feels almost counterintuitive but delivers more freedom, more trust, and yes, more profit.

Let’s talk about stepping back to step up.

Salon owners are natural doers. You’ve built something from scratch. You’ve put in the hours, dealt with the dramas, and juggled clients, team, stock, payroll and a million other things. So, stepping back? That can feel risky.

But leading through support, not the spotlight, isn’t about disappearing. It’s about flipping what many consider the traditional leadership model on its head. Instead of being in the spotlight, the centre of everything, you become the foundation. Your role shifts from one of control to one of support. From directing every move to building a team that can move without you.

Here’s why that matters.

1. Empowering your team = More Freedom for you and them.

When your team feels trusted and capable, they stop leaning on you for every decision. That means fewer interruptions, less micromanagement, and more space for you to think, plan, or take a break (or just a breath). But this doesn’t happen by accident. You must actively develop your team’s confidence and skills. That might mean more training. It might mean letting them make (and learn from) small mistakes. And it definitely means resisting the urge to swoop in and fix everything yourself.

Think of it like this: every time you jump in to save the day, you’re teaching your team that they need saving.

2. A Self-Regulating Team Feels Like Magic (But isn’t)

Have you ever taken a day off and come back to a pile of problems waiting for you? That’s a sign your team isn’t yet self-regulating. A self-regulating team holds itself to account. They solve small issues amongst themselves. They know what “great” looks like without needing you to spell it out.

This doesn’t happen because you gave a great pep talk once. It happens because you’ve built clear expectations, strong communication skills, and a culture where feedback flows freely (both up, down and side to side).

I know a salon owner who used to feel anxious every time she left the floor. She’d text the team constantly, worried something would slip. Now? She works in the business a few days a week. She is currently off travelling for a few weeks.

Her team handles guest rebooking’s, retail targets, and even coaching their apprentice without her hovering or even being there.

It took six months of effort to build that rhythm. But now she’s got space to work on the business instead of drowning in it.

3. The Inner Shift Is the Hardest Part

Let’s be honest. For most of us, the real challenge isn’t the team. It’s ourselves. If you’ve spent years proving your value by being the busiest, most knowledgeable, most reliable person in the room, it can feel terrifying to step back. What if they stuff it up? What if they don’t care as much as you do? What if your identity is wrapped up in being the go-to?

Here’s the truth: if you’re doing everything, your team never has to grow. And neither will you.

Stepping back to step up asks you to rewire your mindset. It says, “I don’t need to be in control to be in charge.” It trusts that your team can rise if you give them the structure, tools and encouragement to do so.

4. The ROI of Leading through support, not spotlight

This isn’t just about feeling good or being nice. There’s real business value here. When your team owns their results, they take more initiative. That means better client experiences, higher rebooking rates, and stronger retail sales. And all of that leads to more predictable income. On top of that, when you’re not stuck in the weeds every day, you can finally think about growth. You can plan that blow wave night, update the price list, or finally sort out that messy back bar. Or maybe pick your kid up from school without feeling guilty or your phone buzzing nonstop.

It Starts with One Shift

You don’t have to overhaul your leadership style overnight. But what if you started by doing one thing differently?

• What if you let your senior lead the next team meeting?

• What if you asked your apprentice how they’d solve that colour mishap before stepping in?

• What if you blocked out one afternoon a week to be unavailable and trusted the salon would be fine?

The freedom you want as a salon owner isn’t found in working harder. It’s found on the other side of what you’re avoiding. It’s found in building something that runs beautifully without you always holding it together. And that starts with stepping back.

Dwight Hodge @dwighthodge_leadership_coach