When the Martial Arts Student Becomes the Master

Are you finding it difficult to draw the line between employer and employee at your dojo? At most martial art schools it is common for former students to become instructors. It is important to remember the chain of command. Here are tips for ensuring positive relationships with your employees while still showing who’s boss.  Stay Structured with Regular Team Meetings It is important to have a constant flow of communication throughout the dojo, especially between the owners, managers and instructors. This means regularly touching base with each other and ensuring everyone is on the same page. Staff meetings are a great way for martial arts owners to communicate with their employees as they allow for questions to be answered and brainstorming about the future and now.  TIMA co-founder Phil Britten says he and business partner Graham McDonnell have penciled various meetings into the work calendar, including a management meeting once a week, a team meeting once a month and a specific branch manager meeting once every three months. Employees respond to structure, especially in an industry like martial arts where discipline is at the cornerstone of all teachings. Knowing their role in the company and what is required of them is key to a healthy relationship between the owners and instructors.  Keep Staff Accountable If owners are proactive on the internal side of the business and motivate their employees, they are more likely to be respected and listened to. By keeping staff accountable and continually challenging them, they are able to grow and find greater fulfilment in their role. Phil stresses the importance of keeping employees accountable by using meetings to review performance. For example, discussing key performance indicators of where they are going well and where they can improve.  Listen to Martial Arts Business Success 2: Motivating Your Staff Episode 11 to hear more from Phil on this point.  As a business owner, you need to focus on the numbers and know exactly what you want from your employees. This means making sure their job performance is not just check-in and check-out and is instead a continuous learning experience. Josh Patrick from The New York Times’ You’re The Boss blog says:  “If you expect your employee to do a great job – and make that expression clear – they generally will do just that. The behaviour of your employees comes from the expectations you set and the way you communicate those expectations.”  By investing in your employees and showing your confidence in their abilities, they will be more focused and respectful of your leadership.  Boss First, Instructor Second, Friend Last  Boss first, instructor second, friend last: this is a general rule of thumb to follow when you are running a business. It can be tough, but your employees must remember inside work hours there is a chain of command (or as Forbes phrases it ‘leadership levels’). According to Phil:  “It’s important to treat them as an employee first, a student second and friend last. Otherwise the line gets blurred and you lose respect for each other and cannot provide the level of service you want to in your business.”  Jay Goltz of You’re the Boss blog agrees you can be friends with your employees, but not at the expense of being a boss:  "It has to be boss first, friend second. It is just like being a parent. Parent first, friend second.”  This is especially true in the martial arts industry, where instructors usually start off as students and a friendship has already been established. However, to build the foundations for a successful business it is crucial not to blur those lines and to take charge in the workplace so goals can be reached.  Authority vs. Influence  This tip comes back to healthy communication between a boss and their staff. Rather than exerting authority over your employees through fear tactics, you want to be a leader and inspire them to better themselves. As TIMA co-founder Graham McDonnell says:  “You can be a dictator and tell your employees what to do, or you can inspire them and explain.”  Being a boss is like walking on a tightrope. Striking the perfect balance between friendly yet firm can be tricky. You need to let your employee know you want to take them on the journey with you, but there are still processes to follow and respect needs to be given. Exercising power does not have to be in the form of shouting down your employees’ throats. Showing leadership and encouragement is a far more positive way to stick the landing.  Remember Who is Boss  To create a productive work environment and positive employee-employer relationships, it is important to involve the staff in the day-to-day running of the business and validate their contributions. However, you still need to keep in mind the needs of the business and ensure that workers know the final call comes from the top. Graham refers to this as a ‘democratic dictatorship' saying:  “We love for our people to offer advice, but at the end of the day we are going to make the final decision for the greater good of all. We need to make sure we steer the ship in the direction we want.”  To make sure this happens, employees must understand that when the boss makes a decision they need to support it and be on the same page. This way, there is a clear structure and business objectives can be achieved.  If you would like more information on drawing the line between employee and employer in your business, get in contact with us. 

What tips do you have from your own experiences?