Something that you as a martial arts academy owner and coach should never forget is that YOU are the lucky one. It’s not the students who should feel lucky to be paying members of your academy. 

Unless you’re specifically training champions, they likely don’t care how many medals you’ve won. They’re making the choice to better their lives, and they’re doing it for them. You have the privilege of being a means to that end and sharing your love for martial arts along the way.

The same goes for your attitude when it comes to your role in leadership. 

Leadership is a tricky thing. You’re expected to run a tight ship and create sustainable systems and protocols, yet you also have to create room for people to move, mess up, learn and grow.

You can’t control TOO much, or else you squash the independent spirit of your team. People need to feel like they belong, like they have a place other than simply being a pawn in building someone else’s empire. 

People also tend to want to help when they know you care. You can approach the same request two completely different ways: in one, you simply give your employee a command regardless of the circumstance; in the other, you ask if they’re in a place where you can interrupt them – or just politely interrupt, if it’s urgent, explain what you’re doing, and ask if they can help.

Of course – they work for you, they’re going to do it. However, how well they do it, and how long they stay with you to continue adding their aid and expertise to your team, depends on how you approach the request, and how you acknowledge their effort. 

The first version may seem like all you need to do, for some of you – who has time for niceties, after all you’re running a martial arts academy. You teach people how to be tough, how to fight.

While all of that holds true, if you’re trying to grow and expand your academy, you’ve already noticed that to run a successful and scalable martial arts academy, you have to make it beginner-friendly. This means you value the concept of growth and stewardship over sheer beast strength, or hard toughness. 

You’re creating a space for people to feel comfortable to play, mess up, test things in the lab. Treating your staff any differently misses the point. In a business run on being human (fighting, struggle and health all qualify), this needs to come from the inside. 

[Leadership Hacks To Keep Your Team Crushing Its Goals]

Team-oriented

When you start to need a team to run your business, it’s no longer about just you. That “me” mentality quickly shifts to “we.”

One of the most effective leadership styles we’ve found across our Easton communities is the servant leadership style. It’s not about you; it’s about the way you can position all of the pieces in your hand to set everyone up for success.

You can still have your vision, communicate and execute it, but your approach rests in your ability to join the effort and guide it from the front lines – not shout orders from behind the desk.

Not only does it matter how you talk to your employees to achieve optimal results and success, but it also matters because they’re watching and listening. 

Culture (future link) within a company starts from the leadership and trickles down. What you do and say sets an example for others to follow. So if you don’t love what you’re seeing, look at yourself first.

In many ways, the example you set for your team becomes a code of habits – follow the leader, call-and-response. These behaviors and values (future link) will outline how you expect your people to behave, what you accept and what you will not tolerate. 

[How To Grow A Culture By Example]

Leaders eat last

Often, to become a truly effective and respected leader, you have to prove yourself first. 

“There’s no better way to lead than by example,” says Peter Straub, GM of Easton Centennial. “I try not to ask anybody to do anything I wouldn’t be willing to do, from mopping the mats to folding laundry.” 

Peter does whatever it takes to help people feel like he’s “not just sitting in his ivory tower yelling down,” that it really is a team effort, and that they’re on the same team.

Jordan Shipman, who ran Easton Longmont as its GM before stepping into the Kids Martial Arts Program Director role, makes sure his staff know he’s got them in any situation they need support, taking example from one of his favorite books, Leaders Eat Last.

Daniel Groom, Easton’s newest GM at Easton Lowry, approaches leadership from a perspective of visionary stewardship.

“I want to get the right people in the right places and help support them as best as possible to do their job to the best of their capabilities.”

If this is an approach you can see yourself taking, work to hone your ability to communicate with each person on a genuine level so you can really see where they shine. With your vision as your shared focal point, you’ll begin to distill their own passion and understand the best way to apply it.

As a martial arts academy owner and coach, it's crucial never to forget the essence of leadership: service over position. In the realm of martial arts, where discipline and respect are paramount, the concept of leadership extends beyond giving orders; it's about serving your team and community with humility and dedication. 

Just as you guide your students on their journey, so too must you guide your team with a servant's heart, empowering others to reach their full potential by fostering an environment where everyone can thrive.

By embodying the principles of service, you not only enhance your team's performance but inspire them to lead by example too, creating a culture of mutual respect and growth.