womanthismonth.com | OCTOBER 2026 BEAUTY 97 The Power of Five Whys Are you solving the real problem, or simply dealing with its consequences? In my years of experience in salon management, I have seen many business owners facing the same problems again and again. Staff leave, difficult employees create tension and clients complain or simply stop coming back. But what if these are not actually the problems? What if they are only the consequences of something deeper? The Five Whys is a simple problem-solving method developed by Sakichi Toyoda, a Japanese inventor and entrepreneur who founded the Toyota Group. By asking “why?” repeatedly, we can look beyond the immediate issue and begin to understand its root cause. Take the example of one of your best employees deciding to leave. You might initially assume the problem is salary, but asking why can reveal something very different. Why is she leaving? Because she is unhappy at work. Why is she unhappy? Because she feels unappreciated. Why does she feel that way? Because she takes on additional responsibilities without recognition or support. Why is she taking on so much? Because the salon depends heavily on her. Finally, why does the business rely so much on one employee? Because there are no clear roles, proper delegation or structured development across the team. The real issue may therefore go far beyond salary. The business needs clearer responsibilities, stronger delegation and a management structure that develops the whole team rather than depending on one outstanding employee. The same approach can be applied to a difficult member of staff. Perhaps she regularly argues with colleagues because she is frustrated. That frustration may come from feeling that her concerns are never heard. Those concerns may remain unresolved because her manager avoids difficult conversations, perhaps because she has never been trained to handle staff conflict. She may have been promoted because she was an excellent technician, without ever receiving the leadership training required for management. This does not mean the employee should not be held accountable for her behaviour. It means that dealing with her behaviour alone may not solve the wider issue. The manager may also need training and support. Now consider a client who cancels because her usual hair colour is unavailable. The immediate problem appears to be the missing product. Ask why, however, and a different picture emerges. The salon ran out because nobody noticed stock was low. Nobody noticed because stock was not being checked regularly, and this happened because there was no proper inventory system or person responsible for ordering. The missing colour was therefore only the visible consequence of a deeper operational problem. Look Beyond the Obvious Before blaming your staff, replacing an employee or reacting immediately to a client complaint, take some time to ask why. The Five Whys is not about finding someone to blame. It is about understanding what is really happening inside your business. Sometimes five questions will be enough and sometimes you will need more. What matters is checking your assumptions against the facts and identifying something you can genuinely improve. A good manager solves problems. A strong leader also looks at why those problems happened and what needs to change to stop them happening again. Finding the root cause is only the first step. The difference comes from taking action. When you address what is really causing a problem, you are not simply fixing what went wrong today. You are helping to prevent the same issue from returning tomorrow. Every month, we invite readers to pose their own questions for Badia to answer in her next column. Make sure to ask your own by emailing [email protected] A k Badia Your Monthly Guide to Salon and Spa Success ?
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