Philippa's Blog, Recruitment

Becoming a complete and balanced therapist in 2016 – Become influential by staying away from drama and stay positive.

Posted on by Philippa Abbott

Spa_Sense_August-FB_Tip_PicDale Carnegie got it right when he said that to win more friends and influence more people you need to improve your interpersonal skills.  Twenty years of research on power and influence shows that people with superior social skills are substantially more influential than people with average social skills.

These findings make sense when you realize that influence is not something you have; it’s something other people give you.  In other words, you can’t be influential with people unless they allow you to be influential with them.  So influence is in large part a function of your relationship with other people, and the rule of thumb on influence is that you are likely to be more successful if the people you want to influence; know you, like you, respect you, and trust you.

Trust and respect are largely about character, credibility, and confidence.  You build character through courage, integrity, reliability, and similar character traits; you build credibility through your knowledge, access to information, role, and reputation (of which work ethic, results, and contributions are a significant factor); and you build confidence by behaving self-confidently, achieving consistently superior results, making good decisions, and exercising sound judgment.  If you are a member of a business or professional organization, people will also trust and respect you more if you are actively involved, engaged, and committed to the business for which you work.

It is important that we pay very close attention to teachings such as these when we are building a career for ourselves. If we ever want to be respected and trusted enough to be promoted into a higher position in the organisation we have chosen to be a part of; we have to make sure that we are illuminated by trust and always ensure that we are respected by our both our peers and our superiors for being the one who “doesn’t hang with the pack”. You have to stay away from the drama in the spa/salon and be the one who stands out in the crowd.

Be the one who is learning during the quiet times and helping your manager where ever you can. The only way you will progress is if you try to step outside of your comfort zone. Don’t sit in the staff room moaning about anything and everything you can. This only promoted negativity and will not assist you to get in further in your career.

Parts of this article are excerpted from Terry R. Bacon, Elements of Influence:  The Art of Getting Others to Follow Your Lead (NY:  AMACOM Books, 2011). and a blog by

Philippa Abbott

I qualified as a Somatologist in JHB in 2001. I began my career in the spa industry working on cruise ships for Steiner Transocean. I furthered my studies on my return to SA qualifying in advanced make up and special effects. I then moved to London where I worked in 2 of the most prestigious spas. I acquired knowledge in all aspects if the spa business and moved quickly from hands on therapy to part of the management team. When I finally came back to South Africa to settle for good I joined the management team of the Spas of Distinction where I grew my skill set even further and established a professional network throughout the South African Spa Industry. It is here where my roots are now deep seated and where I will remain for good. I started Spa Sense in 2010 and we have grown from strength to strength every year since then; forming key relationships with all the industry specialists. I head up the consultancy division of Spa Sense and run many of our training courses including Front Office, SOPs and Spa Sales and Retail. I also oversee our recruitment division making sure that all my clients and candidates expectations are always exceeded by the level service they receive from my team. I am incredibly passionate about what I do and hope I remain blessed enough to be in this exciting industry forever. This blog is a place I can share my views and experience so I hope you enjoy the articles and find them useful enough to use in your business.