The time has arrived for Lil’ Chris’ appraisal and to say he looked nervous at the prospect would be an understatement.

“How are you?” asked Lee, as Chris entered the office. “How confident do you feel about cutting hair at the moment?”

“I had my confidence knocked yesterday and this morning not being able to cut hair.. but now I’m alright again,” admitted Chris.

“And how easy do you find your customer skills? How do you think you’re doing?”

“I don’t know.. I find it hard to keep talking; I get into deep concentration, it’s hard to multi-task..”

“It’s like playing the guitar and singing at the same time, isn’t it?” smiled Lee to Chris’s agreement. “How far do you still think you’ve got to go?” Lee asked.

“A long way. A lot of the haircuts I’ve been lucky they’ve come out looking okay…”

“And what do you think your strengths are in the Academy?”

“Just going for it! Giving it a go. Cutting women’s hair, I feel a lot more pressure, especially young girls’ hair.. I think I should be more independent with doing haircuts, not relying on you to tell me what to do ..”

Lee frowned. “It is only week one, Chris. I think you need to slow down a little. There’s no prizes for finishing the client first. Get more into your detail now, hair around the neck… I love your energy in the Academy, you’ve just got to be a bit more professional; don’t shout across the Academy.. When you take the gown off a client, don’t flick it off so the hair goes all over the client..”

“Sorry,” said Chris.

“I love your enthusiasm, when you’re quick you don’t seem careless, you’re great under pressure, very confident, you’ve done some lovely cuts.. I think you’ve got a good chance of showing everyone who’s older than you how to do it. Come to me for guidance, listen carefully, you still need to be guided heavily. Yeah?”