SO , YOU ’ RE AN AMAZING esthetician or massage therapist — with repeat clients and employee-of-the-month awards to prove it ! Naturally , your well-meaning spa director sees your next step as a promotion to supervisor or spa manager . Yes !

The spa director is confident you ’ ll crush being a spa manager because you crushed being a service provider . After all , success in one role should automatically lead to inevitable success in the other , right ? Right ?!

Not so fast . As we both know , excelling in one position does not necessarily guarantee a perfect fit in a higher role . A phenomenal massage therapist won ’ t automatically make a phenomenal massage supervisor . Setting up a team member for success in leadership requires intentionality .

What does it take to succeed in team management ? How do you transition from co-worker to staff leader ? How do you get over the dreaded “ imposter syndrome ,” choose the right leadership style for every given situation , delegate tasks and ( gasp ) handle difficult team members ? ( Yes , even in spas , that ’ s a thing .)

The truth is , the mindset , skills and tools required to thrive in a leadership role are fundamentally different from those needed in a non-leadership position . Plain and simple .

That ’ s where the Manager Skills Course ( MSC ) comes in . Designed by Dr . Bryan K . Williams ( 2019 ISPA Dedicated Contributor Award recipient ), this acclaimed eight-module course has equipped more than a thousand attendees over the past five years . And now , MSC is coming to ISPA ’ s iLearn platform to empower spa leaders worldwide with the skills they need to build strong teams .

While the course is primarily designed for emerging leaders , nearly 70 percent of past attendees were mid- or senior-level leaders who admitted they never received the foundational training they needed to effectively manage and lead .

Strong spa leadership in 8 modules

1 . You as a Manager 2 . Leadership 3 . Delegation 4 . Handling Problems & Conflict 5 . Successful Meetings 6 . Effective Communication 7 . Motivation & Team Building 8 . Improving Employee Performance

MODULE 1 : You as a Manager l Explore the responsibilities managers have to : n Their staff ( direct reports ) n Their own leaders ( those they report to ) n Their peers ( other managers ) l Learn how to “ manage up ” and work effectively with your leaders . l Gain tips to successfully transition from co-worker to manager .

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