| Friend,
Last week I explained how building trust relies on both internal and external factors, and gave you tips on how to boost those factors. But without a doubt, if you want your students to stick around for the long haul you must be the type of instructor who inspires confidence as well.
Obviously, confidence and trust are related, but if you think they're one and the same, you'd be wrong. Think about it - you can trust someone implicitly, but that doesn't necessarily mean they inspire confidence. I mean, we've all know people who were trustworthy who we also thought of as being weak.
Folks, no one wants to follow a leader who is uninspiring! Last week I briefly mentioned pack dynamics in the context of leading groups of people, and I'm here to tell you that confidence plays a huge role in that equation.
Remember how I said that just as no dog will follow and unstable or unreliable pack leader, no person will do the same for long? That's because stability and reliability inspire confidence, and people want to feel confident that their leaders are in control.
But why is that?
Well, it's simple; people tend to seek stability, and they avoid unpredictability in their lives. But even more than that, people inherently are drawn to strong leaders, because they like to follow leaders who can be counted on in a crisis.
Granted, you are probably not the person your students are going to turn to in a crisis. However, since you're the "pack leader" of your group, psychology and instincts will dictate that your students will be less likely to stick with you if you're seen as weak and unreliable.
So, how can you boost your image to inspire more confidence and trust? Let's look at a couple of ways you can do this...
#1 - Stop Being Wishy-Washy
I know that few of you who are reading this will consider yourselves wishy-washy. It's not a character trait many of us would be willing to claim, that's for sure. However, we can come across as wishy-washy and unreliable when we have a habit of changing or ignoring our policies on the fly.
Ask yourself, do you have a habit of doing any of the following?- Cutting one-time "deals" with potential students to entice them to enroll... deals that change from person to person based on the circumstances and student -
- Changing the dates and times of events like belt rank exams and seminars at the last minute -
- Cancelling classes on a whim, or when attendance is low, or closing your school early with no notice -
I could list dozens more examples, but I think you get the point. When you have a habit of doing things like I mention above, it gives people the impression that you (and your school) are unreliable and unstable, because they can't predict what's going to happen there from day to day.
This makes you look flaky and unprofessional - two traits that do NOT inspire confidence! So, if you want your students to have confidence in you and your school, set policies and schedules and stick to them.
#2 - Be Inspiring!
People who inspire others generally display several traits that other people tend to find admirable and praiseworthy: - Honesty: They tell the truth, even when it's difficult -
- Respect: They treat others with dignity -
- Attitude: They have a positive attitude at all times, and in all circumstances -
- Integrity: They stand on principle, and do not change their principles based on changing circumstances -
- Selflessness: They put the needs of others before themselves -
Do you see where I'm going here? Sounds like a list of your mat chat topics, doesn't it? You see, the point I'm trying to make is that in order to inspire confidence, you have to LIVE your mat chats!
This is something that I just didn't get early on in my teaching career. Back then, I was young and irresponsible - I just wanted to teach martial arts and have fun, and I didn't think that my personal life or actions reflected on me as an instructor.
I was so WRONG! Of course my personal life reflected on me as an instructor. I mean, what parent is going to take their kid to a martial arts instructor to learn discipline, respect, and so on, when that instructor doesn't display those very traits?
And, what adult is going to continue to train with an instructor who gives lip service to those values, when their personal life is a mess? (This goes straight back to those pack dynamics I spoke of earlier - remember, no one will follow a pack leader who isn't reliable.)
So, walk the talk - if you don't, your students will lose respect for you, and no one is inspired by a person they don't respect.
#3 - Put The Focus On Others
I can't say this enough... if you want to inspire confidence, then you have to take the focus off you and put it on your students. This may seem contradictory, but trust me, it is essential to being a leader who inspires confidence.
The reason for this is simple; if you inspire others to be confident, they'll have confidence in you. But how do you inspire self-confidence in others?
By building them up, of course! Now, I'm going to talk more about how to do this in tomorrow's email, but for now just be aware of the fact that you should be 100% focused on building your students up if you want them to have confidence in you as a leader.
And remember, by inspiring confidence what you're really doing is turning your students into raving fans. Raving fans stick around, they refer their friends, and they help you build a buzz for your business in your local community.
Is it easy? No, but it's worth it. And believe me, once you start working on this stuff, you WILL see your school grow by leaps and bounds. It won't happen overnight, but it will happen.
Until next time,
Mike Massie MartialArtsBusinessDaily.com
P.S. - Of course, I'll be sending out a special offer or two this Friday as part of my annual Black Friday sale. I don't want to let the cat out of the bag yet, but I promise to tell you more about it as the week progresses.
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