“The general guideline I coach leaders to use is
that within 48 hours you should acknowledge the
positive behavior or effort you want to reinforce.”
leaders create cultures of joy and unleash the best in
their people is called appreciative inquiry (ai). for 15
years, i have been studying ai as a tool that helps leaders
create a paradigm shift to focus on the best in their
people, in their spa businesses and the world around
them. instead of focusing on what is not working or
being critical of situations, ai takes a different approach
by focusing on past successes and uncovering what
enabled that success so that it can be replicated to
overcome present challenges. ai believes that what we
focus on grows, so it challenges individuals to ask
questions to gauge successes, strengths and sustain-
ability.
The appreciative inquiry method revolves around four
stages:
dIScoverY: in this stage spa owners or managers aim
gifts cards for this language, but if you want to make
it even more meaningful, give them a gift card to their
favorite store.
l QUAlItY of tIme: folks with this appreciation
language feel valued when you give them your
undivided attention. it doesn’t have to be a set
amount of time, but make sure you are not looking at
your phone or being distracted when you are with
them. have a cup of coffee with them and share the
elements that you appreciate about them.
l PhYSIcAl toUch: With this language, we need to
clarify that it is appropriate touch. a pat of the back, a
high five or quick hug, depending on your working
relationship, will show that you care.
Appreciative Inquiry
another approach to appreciation that has helped rarE
to find, emphasize and illuminate any factors that have led
to the “best” in a given situation. When discovering the
best, you can start by looking at peak experiences,
especially in situations that surprised you. in an organiza-
tional setting, possible discovery questions could be:
l What gives life to our spa business and allows it to
function at its best?
l Where are things going well in our organization?
l What makes our customers keep coming back?
dreAm: once you have discovered the best, the next
phase is the Dream stage. This is where you begin to
dream of what could be or needs to be for your business
and for your employees. in this stage, you focus on the
possibility of what could be rather than limiting yourself
by what you currently see, do, feel or act. a few questions
in this stage might be:
l What progress can the organization make by one year
from now?
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