Growing Pains
The leap from teacher to studio owner can happen quickly and we often find ourselves with a business that appears to be thriving - but behind the scenes is a stressful mess of communication issues, staff turnover and the constant juggling between managing your business, leading your team and planning for the future.
Across movement studios, the focus on practical teaching skills and customer experience has resulted in many happy clients (a great result!) but what is the next step? Focusing on YOU! Clarity in your business offering, strong leadership of your team and planning and development to future-proof your businesses. Ultimately, this focus reduces stress and creates the most vibrant and positive studio environment for your staff and clients to thrive.
Try some of these easy actionable tasks to help you develop strong studio leadership:
Communication
Clear communication helps teams know what’s expected and keeps operations running smoothly. Our hot tip: Begin each week with a short staff briefing. Highlight priorities and celebrate one team win.
Teamwork
A studio can feel like individual instructors on a roster unless connection is intentionally built and nurtured. Trust, collaboration, and understanding create togetherness and a shared purpose. Our hot tip: Pair team members to rotate responsibilities occasionally to see things from another perspective and help each other share the load.
Wellbeing
Burnout can sneak in when the pace is intense. Prioritise wellbeing to protect energy, creativity, and long-term performance. Our hot tip: Recognise performance! Write a thank-you card, leave a note of appreciation, or shout out one team member for something they did well this week.
Planning
Schedules often run the studio instead of the other way around. Proactive planning creates freedom and agility to respond to opportunities. Our hot tip: Reserve a weekly “leadership hour” to reflect and plan one strategic action for the week.
Growth
Teams plateau without opportunities to learn or innovate. Continuous growth keeps energy alive, motivates staff, and strengthens the studio culture. Our hot tip: Encourage your team to explore new skills and take time to develop themselves.
Would you like to know more about how to level up your leadership in five simple steps? Reach out to Empowerdance today — leaders@empowerdance.com.au.
