It's been said that courage is facing your fears and taking action anyway.

One of the most uncomfortable, stressful, and difficult roles that a dance studio owner or business owner faces is having to 'fire' a dance teacher or staff person.

Usually, and sharing from my own experience, the warning signs are early that perhaps this person is not right. But as many of us do, we try everything to give them more training, offer more coaching, invite open communication, and the list goes on and on. And at some point you realize that if you don't take action you and your business will suffer.

One of the best ways to help muster up your courage is to see that usually a hire that is not working out for you is that they are not aligned with your vision and values.

Fire by definition is to dismiss from a job. To send away or discharge. Being 'fired' has a negative connotation and it often doesn't tell the whole story. It's our policy to never say fired, instead we use the more positive term. Let go.

Let go by definition is to cease or discontinue employment. Discontinue is a much more positive angle on an often less than ideal situation. It takes the emotion out of it and often creates an opportunity for something positive to occur.

For example, one studio owner shared recently that a teacher she had hired was not working out because her behavior outside of the classroom and with the other faculty was less than admirable. Her concern was rightly focused on 'what would the parents say' since this person was in fact a very talented dancer and teacher.

She was very worried about the fallout from parents who might leave her studio if she were to let this teacher go mid-year.

What we suggested is that a possible that a short term financial impact would be much easier to ride out than long term damage done to the coveted great reputation in her community.

Parents talk. No matter what dance teachers and studio owners do - a parent's number one concern is the safety, health and well being of their child.

In this case the studio owner made the right choice - although hard to do - to let this teacher go.

Also, if parents leave your studio because of your choice to let a faculty or staff member who wasn't aligned with your vision and values then ultimately that family was not the right fit for your studio in the long run.

This week's tip: You can gracefully articulate to parents and students in a courageous and powerful way that leaves no blaming, pointing fingers, or gossip to run wild when and if you are faced with having to let a teacher or staff person go.

Such as...

-- > This person was not aligned with our vision and values at our dance studio -- > Our dance studio was not the right fit for this person -- > We are restructuring our business to provide the best service for our students and families -- > Our team is committed to the highest standards of dance training for our students -- > I made the decision to let 'so-and-so' go because he/she was not upholding the values and standards of our dance studio

Then immediately follow up with some information on what your students and parents count on from you.

Such as: we're committed to open communication, a great year end performance, timely responses to questions or concerns, ongoing training and development for your faculty and staff, guest artists, special events, community involvement, etc.

Often trusting your intuition - or your gut feeling - is the right thing to do.

It takes courage and it takes practice. Stay focused on the positive angle whenever possible. Rise above any negativity by surrounding yourself with a team of people that believe in your vision and values as a dance teacher, dance studio owner and business owner.

Dance Teacher Magazine's January Issue " The Price Is Right"

"Is there a science to setting class fees? To help you decide the right balance for your studio, Dance Teacher Magazine approached several studio owners from around the country to discover there is a method to the madness: rates, payment schedules, methods of payment and more!"

Enjoy the full article by Jen Jones featuring Suzanne Blake Gerety, Co-Founder of DanceStudioOwner.com and Vice President of Kathy Blake Dance Studios.

http://dance-teacher.com/sections/teaching/669

How to Prevent Burnout: Part 1 of Studio Owners Who Do Too Much

Most studio owners take on too much, leaving no time for rest, relaxation or even family. It's understandable to want to be in full control of your business--after all, it's your livelihood and something you are endlessly passionate about. If you do everything at your studio, and find it difficult to hand over responsibility to anyone else, then read on. This is for you..

http://www.dancestudioowner.com/public/109.cfm