Development Doesn’t Stop When You Become a Barber

At LTZ, we believe joining the business should be the beginning of someone’s development, not the end of it.

Learning and development can sometimes be associated only with apprentices, trainees or people who are new to an industry. But as a business grows, the development needs of its people grow too.

That’s why we’re working towards a culture where development runs throughout the business.

Starting With Strong Foundations

For someone entering barbering through LTZ Training Academy or an apprenticeship, the early stages are naturally focused on building technical ability, knowledge and confidence.

It’s about developing the foundations needed to work successfully behind the chair.

As that person becomes more capable and independent, however, what they need from training begins to change.

And that’s where continued development becomes important.

Developing Behind the Chair

Becoming a working barber doesn’t mean there’s nothing left to learn.

There are always opportunities to improve.

That could mean developing more advanced techniques, becoming more consistent, improving consultations, understanding different clients or strengthening customer experience.

It can also mean looking beyond technical ability.

Time management, communication, commercial awareness, personal standards and accountability all become increasingly important as someone progresses within a business.

From Barber to Supporting Others

As experience grows, people can also begin using what they’ve learned to support those around them.

A more experienced barber might help a newer member of the team, demonstrate a technique or share knowledge with an apprentice.

This is another form of development.

The skills needed to perform something yourself are different from the skills needed to explain it, demonstrate it and help somebody else improve.

Developing these abilities can create the foundations for future mentors, educators and leaders within the business.

Developing Future Leaders

For those who want to progress beyond the chair, development can continue into management and leadership.

Moving into greater responsibility requires a different skill set.

People need to learn how to communicate expectations, give feedback, manage performance, make decisions and support the development of others.

Technical ability may have helped someone become a successful barber, but leadership requires them to begin thinking about the performance of the wider team and business.

That’s why leadership development is an important part of the pathway we’re building.

Creating Opportunities From Within

Where possible, we want people to be able to look around LTZ and see examples of where their career could go.

That journey could look like:

Academy → Barber → Continued Development → Greater Responsibility → Management → Leadership

It won’t be identical for everyone.

Some people may want to become exceptional barbers and remain focused on their clients. Others may discover an interest in education, mentoring, management or leadership.

Both are forms of progression.

Our responsibility is to create the environment, training and opportunities that allow people to explore those pathways.

Building People Builds the Business

Ultimately, developing the business and developing its people aren’t two separate things.

They support each other.

When individuals improve their skills, confidence and performance, the standard of the team improves.

When experienced people begin developing others, knowledge spreads throughout the business.

And when future leaders are developed internally, the business becomes better prepared for growth.

That’s why our approach to Learning & Development goes beyond the Academy.

We’re not only developing people to enter LTZ. We’re developing people throughout LTZ.