By Lee Mainprize
Speak to anyone in any business and they will tell you staff are the biggest challenge, we need to utilise our staff to its potential after all they will be dealing with your customers. None of the following points are theory! They have all been found through mistakes I have made to give me powerful learning experiences, ones which I would like to empower you with.
1. MAKE IT CLEAR WHAT IS EXPECTED
Before you employ anybody take the time to write a Job Description, making it clear what the employees responsibilities are and what results they will be expected to achieve. People don’t like change, changing the goal posts after someone has started can create challenges.
2. REWARD EMPLOYEES IN ACCORDANCE WITH HOW THEY PERFORM
Instructors are a prime example of this; I fully believe they must be on performance related pay. It is only human nature if someone gets paid the same regardless of what they achieve they will gradually do less. Link in the results you expect them to achieve with their pay. If you do well the employee does well too! By using this concept you will not hold back people who will go the extra mile.
3. HAVE A CAREER PATH
If some of your Instructors are good enough to open their own school eventually they will, with or without you they will. Paint the picture for your employees as to what progressions there are within your organisation and what they need to do to get there.
4. TRAIN YOUR STAFF
You cant expect your employees to achieve the results you have laid out if they don’t get the necessary training and knowledge. Train your staff intensively at the beginning and then make it a part of your weekly activities. Be consistent.
5. MOTIVATE YOUR STAFF
Make work a fun place to be, if you are not treated well at work you do not enjoy it and therefore do the minimum. Organise staff events and competitions to reinforce team spirit and morale. Dont have your staff working long hours, its quality and not quantity 40 hours should be more than enough. Are there benefits and incentives you could include to make your organisation an attractive place to be.
6. FREEDOM OF VIEWS
Create an atmosphere where your staff can be honest, discuss new ideas and changes so you get your staff buy into any thing you’re trying to implement. Also your staff are a great source of ideas, you could be missing out by not utilising them, and you may even reward your staff for a really good idea.
7. COMMUNICATION
Create a dialogue with your employees, let them know how the organisation is doing; let them know how they are doing. Be a good finder, praise good work and also be quick to tell them about areas they could improve. Remember communication is a two way dialogue, and not just issuing instructions, listen to what your staff have got to say.
Lee Mainprize is a martial arts business and marketing expert visit http://www.MAinstructor.com for martial arts instructor resources.