- What is the underlying drive for why you do this?

Most owners are running on activity only. Your confidence as an owner will be in direct proportion to your clearly understanding why you are running a martial arts school and can measure your progress in that regard. Managers can’t manage if they lack self-confidence.

There is a difference between wanting to change and being willing to. Commitment means they’ll do whatever it takes to make the changes.

Step Three: View Of The Future.

What is your three year plan? When I took the Strategic Coaching Program the first question they asked was, “If we were meeting three years from now and looking back everything went well for you, describe what would have had to happen for you to be pleased with your companies’ progress?”

Once you have the answer to this you have to describe it to your staff so that everyone is clear on your vision.

Step Four: Staff Development.

One consistent challenge for martial arts as managers is they are used to the student / teacher relationship. While the owner wants to continue to teach and nurture the student turned staff member, it’s important to realize the dynamic has changed. Providing for a students needs and goals is quite different than providing for an employee.

Create a culture that includes the following elements:

The employee’s need for significance in their role recognized.

The employee’s need to have their own personal sense of purpose and direction is satisfied.

A joint agreement that the goals of the school, and the job cannot be sacrificed for the individual. Instead, they enhance each other. Priority one is the profitability and health of the school.

Step Five: Short Term Wins.

Much like the stripe system works as short term victories for students, you want to create short term wins for your staff. Help them make short term goals and monitor their progress. Motivation and management can best be built into the job by first agreeing to overall end goals and measurable objectives. Having to report your progress and achievement every week is motivational. It keeps the you and your staff on the same path, building momentum and can prevent complacency.

Self-set goals and self-evaluations are a MUST. Do not plan to just evaluate the employee. Have the employee self-evaluate and self-adjust.

Step Six: Monitoring, Feedback, and Control.

Most owners assume a lot. A simple report or checklist every month can do a lot of good. Devise a simple system using the Process Builder to monitor and respond to actual events during the month.

A monitoring system has a dual benefit in that both parties are able to objectively assess progress, decide if tweaks are needed, and take appropriate satisfaction from the success along the way.

Use this step as a means to build in celebrations and additional training when warranted, not simply check and control. Think of this kind of like “show and tell”.