From Hairstylist to Daymaker: A Meaningful Work Journey

It's one thing to feel moved by stories of people across time and space who have found meaning in the mundane—the NASA janitor who helped put a man on the moon; the hospital custodial staff who saw themselves as healers. But it's quite another to be on the receiving end of someone who finds their work deeply meaningful.

I started seeing my Aveda hairstylist Brianne six years ago. I’ve always gone to Aveda salons because I resonate with their mission to care for the world and give back to society. But I noticed that there was something different about Brianne right away. She remembered my kids’ names from one appointment to the next. We began talking about our favorite reads, and she’d lend me books she’d enjoyed. Upon learning that breakfast food is my favorite, Brianne even started bringing me eggs from her backyard chicken coop.

A few years ago, while in the thick of my MAPP program, we started talking about my research on meaningful work . She immediately brightened.

“You know, I don't actually think of myself as a hairstylist,” Brianne said. “I think of myself as a ‘daymaker.’”?

Several years earlier, Brianne had experienced a career-altering moment at an Aveda Congress conference. David Wagner, a stylist and salon owner, told a powerful story that would radically change the way Brianne saw her work.

David was working at his salon one day when a client came in to have her hair done. He gave her a scalp massage, shampooed, and styled her hair. They had joked and laughed during the appointment, and at the end, she smiled and hugged David goodbye.?

A few days later, he received a letter from this client with a shocking revelation: she had been planning to commit suicide that very day, and the reason she’d come to the salon was to have her hair styled for her funeral. But the connection she’d experienced during the appointment had given her hope, and she decided to check herself into the hospital to get professional help.

The Daymaker Movement was born as a result. The philosophy is simple, yet powerful: seeing your work as an opportunity to “make someone’s day.”

“That changed my whole mindset on how to treat people,” said Brianne. “I started making sure that people aren’t just leaving happy with their hair, but also that they're leaving happier in general.”

When Brianne got back to her salon, she took stock of the extra things she could do to make her guests’ days. Along with standard Aveda rituals like head massages during a shampoo, Brianne started giving her guests personalized aromatherapy and warm towels for the back of their necks. She started answering the phone differently, so even from the first time she speaks with a guest, they have a positive experience. She also makes sure to write down personal details about their lives so they know she cares about them beyond their hair.?

Changing her mindset to see herself as a daymaker instantly infused Brianne’s work with meaning. Whether or not she knew it at the time, this shift ushered in the three critical components of meaningful work. My business partner Wes Adams and I discovered in our research that these “Three C’s” must be present for an individual to experience meaning at work:?

1. Community - A sense of belonging to a community and opportunities to build friendships and social connections

2. Contribution - An understanding of how one’s work impacts the team, organization, customers, and/or something greater

3. Challenge - Opportunities to learn and grow, and reach one’s full potential

Creating Connections from Behind the Chair

One of Brianne’s guests is an older professor who teaches a very specific subject. He published a few books on this topic, and because she likes to read, he gave Brianne a few of his books—probably thinking that they would just sit on a shelf. But Brianne decided to read all of his books, even though she didn’t find the topic particularly interesting. The next time the gentleman came in for a haircut and she started discussing his books, he was so overjoyed that he cried.?

In one of the books he’d gifted her, he wrote: “To Brianne, my all-time favorite barber, food advisor, and barber chair confidant. Thanks for your friendship.”?

“I love that note because he specifically said the word ‘friendship,’” said Brianne. “I very much get my satisfaction behind the chair from the connections that I make with people and their stories. It's not about the result that I'm giving people, but the lifelong friendships I develop with them.”

Contributing to Lives: Present and Future

Brianne’s sense of contribution comes from being a daymaker—helping her guests not only feel confident and happy in their own skin, but going the extra mile to ensure that she can make part of their day a little better.

She recently told me the story of another guest of hers who struggles with an eating disorder and has experienced hair loss as a result. Brianne offered to do tape-in extensions for this guest to add some volume to her hair, even though it’s not something she typically does. The next day, the guest’s mom called Brianne in tears.?

“It's not just the fact that you made her hair look good,” the mom said. “You made her feel accepted and heard during her appointment.”?

Today, Brianne sees almost every member of that family because they were so happy with the emotional, “daymaking” component that Brianne provides in her services.

Healthy Challenge Through Change

Brianne finds challenge in mastering new techniques as trends change and keeping pace with the changes Aveda makes to their products. Since Aveda recently reformulated all products to be 100% vegan, Brianne adapted her coloring techniques to account for the shift.

“Aveda is ever-changing, which makes us ever-changing,” said Brianne. “That constant change can be challenging, but it's a good challenge.”

Since that serendipitous moment at the Aveda Congress, Brianne has infused “daymaking” into everything she does—and has noticed the difference it’s made at work and at home.

“My client retention has improved dramatically because my guests are getting elevated service and a point of human connection that's different from what they would get somewhere else,” Brianne said. “At the end of the day, you can be a ‘daymaker’ in whatever you're doing in your day-to-day life, whether it's with your family, your friends, or your clientele.”