Just like people, Martial Arts Schools have unique personalities. And, again just like people, these personalities often directly impact the level of results each School produces, and the number of their own goals that they reach. And if this is the case, you're faced with one critical decision regarding the future of your business...

Just like people, Martial Arts Schools have unique personalities. Personalities that can include a foundation of integrity (or lack thereof), a particular way of doing things, a unique method of responding to competition and/or a specific approach to relationships with friends, team members and students. They can appear bright and cheerful or down and dreary.

And again, just like people, these personalities often directly impact the level of results produced and the number of goals reached.

Another way of describing this is to say that every Martial Arts School has its own ‘School Culture’.

So if every School has its own personality or School Culture whether they want it or not, you’re left with one critical decision.

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Will the culture in your School evolve on its own, or will it be the result of a carefully crafted, well developed plan designed to drive your business to great success?

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It’s fair to say that if any one thing has the power to
        a) direct the way things are done in your business;
        b) substantially influence the interactions and relationships between yourself, your staff, your students and  their parents; or
        c) set the tone of any classes taught and determine the levels of passion and authority that your Instructors  teach with; then

it could very well be the defining factor between your School achieving success, failure or just plain old mediocrity!

It’s not something you can leave to chance, and expect to be successful.

You see, over time, all personalities or cultures become strongly established. And whether it was established intentionally or not, your culture will quickly become a core part of personal identity. It will dictate how you respond to challenges and opportunities, the kind of staff you hire and the morale of that team, who is promoted, who is fired and so much more.

As a young nation with a young history, we can look back to recent examples for defining moments in our country’s culture. When you consider the ANZAC legacy or the legendary Pharlap it’s clear to see that once an entity begins to develop it’s own cultural identity the power and momentum created is very powerful – possibly unstoppable, or at least, irreversable.

Let us say one more time:

The influence your School Culture has over your ultimate results is too powerful for you to just ‘let it happen’.

So what can you do about it?

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This week, take a moment and think long and hard about what kind of culture you want, what kind of culture will help drive your School towards the goals you want to achieve. Make sure you commit this vision of your ‘Ultimate Culture’ to paper, in a paragraph or so of notes.

Secondly, list everything you believe needs to happen in your School in order to create that culture. Finally, write a paragraph of inspiration – describe why this is the ultimate culture for your School. What it would be like to teach in this School, what it would be like as a student at this School. Think about the financial & lifestyle benefits and the personal satisfaction that would come from a School with a culture like the one you’ve described.

Once you’ve got that leverage on yourself, it’s time to take action.

You will have some core ideas that should never be changed, and there will be some other elements of the culture that may adapt over time in response to things like competition and changing student needs and requirements. That’s okay.

As with almost everything that goes into building a strong, profitable, sustainable Martial Arts School, building the kind of culture that will make this happen is not some strange, exotic art from a far away place – nor does it require some special genius.

It just needs some focused thought and effort, and the discipline to work hard reinforcing it each and every day! It won’t happen in a week, but with sustained effort and remembering to keep your ultimate culture vision close at hand, in a few months time you could be teaching in the School of your dreams, creating the results bigger and better than you’ve ever imagined.

Contact Zumu today for ideas and assistance on developing your vision and enhancing your School’s Culture.