Teamwork Equals Less Quits and Happy Students

There are few things more important to the long term success of a martial arts school than having a cohesive, well-maintained team.  When your team is working well together, more gets done and the process is more enjoyable. Students and parents can benefit from a good team dynamic as it increases the overall quality of teaching and customer service. In short, everybody wins.

Below are 11 tactics that will help you keep your team  working together to improve your school experience.

1. Be Loyal To Those Not Present – No one likes to be talked about behind their back and we should not tolerate people talking bad to others in our presence.
2. Do More Than Your Fair Share – We all appreciate working with someone that doesn’t say, “That’s not my job.”  Develop a reputation for being someone that will do “Whatever it takes” to get the job done.
3. Be Dependable – Get in the habit of being where you are supposed to be, when you are supposed to be there, and ready to do the job.
4. Anticipate Your Partner’s Next Move – Good teammates rarely need to tell the person what to do next because their partner is already doing it.
5. Don’t Vent Out Or Down…Only Up. Then Don’t Vent…Explain – Nothing is worse for morale than whining or venting to people who aren’t in a position to solve the problem.  Go to the source and then explain your viewpoint in a logical, unemotional manner.
6. Be Flexible – Sometimes it is okay to do it someone else’s way.
7. When Giving An Assignment, “Ask, Don’t Tell” – No one likes to be told what to do, but most everyone is glad to help out when asked.
8. When Getting An Assignment, Have An “I’ll Be Glad To” Attitude – Be open to input.
9. Practice Non-Judgment – We are all different, with varied strengths and weaknesses.  Being judgmental undermines individuals.
10. Pick Your Battles – The Pope says, “See Everything, Overlook A Lot, Correct A Little” – If you always have to be right, people will tend to resent you and be resistant to your ideas.
11. When At Work, Put Your Game Face On – We all have personal challenges that we deal with on a regular basis, but when you get to work, leave them at the door.