| Friend,
Step #4 In Hiring The Right Person For Your Dojo...
So how do we avoid making a huge mistake in hiring the wrong person to work in our dojo? Good question.
Honestly, after two decades of running martial art schools and more than a decade of coaching school owners, I can't promise that you'll never hire a dud...
I mean, it happens, even when you take all the right steps and do your due diligence. However, you can greatly decrease the chances of hiring the wrong person by following a few simple steps.
For starters we want to make sure that the person we hire actually WANTS to work for us. I know that sounds like a no-brainer, but if you read yesterday's email then you know how easy it is to hire someone who really isn't into working for you.
And despite what I said yesterday, hiring from within really is one of the best ways to ensure you hire motivated, well-trained people to join your staff.
Here's how: - For starters, you should always be training your replacement. So how do you do that when you don't have people on staff to train? By developing leaders among your students. This is why it's so important to have leadership teams - because by taking the time to teach your more advanced students how to lead, you're building a strong bench. So the next time you need to pull someone from the bullpen to pitch a no-hitter for your school, you'll have plenty of people to choose from in order to make that happen.
- Second, you have to make the environment in your dojo a fun place to be. That doesn't mean that you have to water down your classes, or that you have to make every class nothing but fun and games, but it does mean that you have to take the stick out of your rear and be a pleasant person to be around. Remember, you set the tone of your school. So, learn to be an inspiring leader. Build people up instead of constantly pointing out their faults. Smile. Show an interest in your students, beyond what they are doing in class. Focus on how much you enjoy your job as a school owner, and keep an upbeat attitude, and people will naturally want to be a part of your organization.
- Have a clear path to becoming an assistant instructor. This path will vary depending on your style and curriculum, but you need to have a clear path to becoming an assistant, and it needs to be public. In fact, it should be part of your leadership training materials.
- Treat volunteers like volunteers, not like employees. If you're a hard-assed taskmaster when people are giving you their time for free, do you think they're going to want to come to work for you and let you REALLY boss them around? Not likely. So, be kind and generous to your volunteers, and remember that they are doing you a solid by giving up their personal time to help you out. So don't be a putz by taking advantage of their generosity and good will.
- And always, always, always publicly recognize the people who help you out. Always.
Hopefully, these suggestions help get you on the right track when it comes to developing future staff members from within your school. Tomorrow I'll be back to start filling you in on how to find good people to hire in your local community.
Until next time,
Mike Massie MartialArtsBusinessDaily.com
P.S. - If you want more info on how to develop leaders from within your school, I suggest that you read this book. |
