Strategic Opportunities in Social Recreational Dance Markets

Measures

Scale 1

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• Exemplary > performs at a level that results in significant accomplishments that may not have been otherwise achieved
• Solid Sustained > demonstrates good solid performance in managing work expectations; exhibits sustained support of organizational goals
• Achieves Performance Standards > meets performance standards
• Does Not Achieve Performance Standards > performance needs improvement and/or is inconsistent

Work & Skills Needed

A social recreational dance business has work that needs doing and skills needed for the doing of that work. The overall work and skills needed is similar to, but not the same as, some other businesses.

Upside - Downside \/ Benefit - Cost

The 'worse' or 'better' that some work is done impacts the business outcomes in different ways. For example:

• Conversation has both upside and downside impacts:  the better it is done, the better the business results; there are good benefits to doing conversation at a level above 'good enough'; and there are costs for doing conversations at a level less than 'good enough'
• Listening has mostly a downside impact: the worse it's done, the more it costs in terms of business results; but better than 'good enough' listening doesn't have much upside benefit; all that is needed is 'good enough'; but there are business impacts for doing it less well than that

Not all work is clear in terms of upside benefits for doing it very well, or in terms of downside costs for doing it poorly. In most cases it depends on the details of the situation.

Necessary & Sufficient

Some of the work is effectively necessary; some is fuzzy as to its necessity; and some is optional and not necessary.

There is no definable combination of work that can be considered sufficient. What might turn out for one social recreational dance business to 'have been' sufficient (for their success), will not be sufficient for any other social recreational dance business. Moreover, for the social recreational dance business for which it turns out to have been sufficient, it was not predictably so. You will not know what is/was sufficient for success until that success occurs.

Overlap, Exhaustivity, & Other Frameworks

In the listings of work & skills there is overlap.

The listing of work & skills is by no means exhaustive; there is lots more work and skills in play than is listed here.

Many other frameworks of work and skills are possible; in those frameworks some of the work/skills listed here would not appear. For example, some might prefer to simply put 'conversation', 'listening', and others in a 'Selling' frame.

Compensation & Substitution

All work is not needed to be done well. Some work can be substituted for. And one can compensate for some weaknesses by relying on strengths. But it all depends on the specific situation.

One studio owner for example might be a weak marketer and a good teacher. More teaching can in some cases substitute and compensate for weak marketing but that only works to a certain degree. Or another studio owner can be a strong marketer and a weak teacher. In some businesses marketing can substitute and compensate for weak services, but again that only works to a certain degree.

On the other hand, there are some substitutions/compensations that work wonderfully well.

Listening & Listening Skills

A social recreational dance business is dependent on listening skills - dancers and potential dancers need to be listened to by someone at some times.

In a social recreational dance business, listening skills impact the downside but not much on the upside. A business is simply expected to have good enough listening skills - if it doesn't, it gets hurt on the downside. The worse the listening, the worse the business results.

If it has excellent listening skills, there usually isn't an upside benefit. All that's needed is good enough, not great.

For in-person social recreational dance businesses there is perhaps nothing that can substitute or compensate for good enough listening.

A complexifying difficulty with listening is that you often don't know if you have listened, or are listening, well enough or not.

Conversation & Conversation Skills

A social recreational dance business* is dependent on conversation skills - dancers and potential dancers need to talk with someone at some times.

In a social recreational dance business, conversation skills are usually directly impactful on results and outcomes of the business. The worse the conversations the worse the business results; the better the conversations the better the business results.

For in-person social recreational dance businesses there isn't much that can substitute or compensate for good enough conversations.

[*This discussion does not, at this point, include online social recreational dance businesses - for which conversation is not a necessity.]

People Relations & People Relations Skills

People relations range from wonderful to horrible

• Where in your business are people relations quite good?
• Where are they not good?

Ability to communicate effectively with the public; the degree to which one is able to project a courteous and helpful image

1. Exceptionally tactful and courteous; has excellent communication skills; goes out of the way to be helpful
2. Consistently tactful and courteous; able to communicate effectively; strives to be helpful
3. Generally tactful and courteous; usually able to communicate satisfactorily; willing to be helpful
4. Needs to improve tact and diplomacy skills; aggressive approach occasionally results in communication problems; reluctantly helpful
5. Is tactless and discourteous; aggressive approach frequently results in communication problems; not helpful

Writing & Writing Skills

Social recreational dance businesses in today's world can benefit from writing skills.

While conversation and listening is necessary work, writing is optional. A social recreational dance business that does not have any writing will do less well than those that do; but even so, it isn't a necessity.

There is good upside to good writing.

There isn't a cost for not having writing. Not having writing is an opportunity cost, not a downside cost.

The downside cost in relation to writing is if it is provided but done badly. It is much better to not write at all than to write badly for any public communications in a social recreational dance business.

Writing can be more easily contracted than some other tasks that need doing in a social recreational dance business. Writing can be done in the background; it is not a real-time task such as conversation.

Planning & Planning Skills

Planning ranges from well planned to no plan at all

• Where in your business is planning very good?
• Where is it not good?

Ability to ensure that activities are coordinated by setting goals, specifying objectives, anticipating contingencies, and utilizing allocated resources for the attainment of business goals

1. Demonstrates exceptional planning skills
2. Demonstrates effective planning skills
3. Demonstrates average planning skills
4. Demonstrates limited planning skills
5. Poor planner

Budget & Budget Skills

No matter how tiny a business, some sense of 'budget' exists; it is not even at the level of necessity because it is simply unavoidable, like breathing; when a business is spending money there is at least an implicit budget, however loose it may be, in play.

• Where in your business is the budgetary sense quite good?
• Where is it not good?

Ability to prepare timely and accurate projections of financial requirements and manage allocated financial resources

1. Exceptional budget manager; maximizes use of available resources; exhibits a clear understanding of budget requirements and is sensitive to other needs
2. Exercises care in the preparation of the budget; projections and needs are well supported
3. Generally presents budgets in an acceptable time frame; projections are usually accurate and represent the needs of the business
4. Has difficulty managing budget; reports are seldom presented in an acceptable time frame; projections are seldom accurate
5. Poor budget manager

Computer Operations & Computer-Basics Skills

Computer-basics operations is not a necessity. Not dealing with computers is an opportunity cost, not a downside cost.

Social recreational dance businesses not using a computer can still survive; but they won't be able to take advantage of many of the opportunities available.

A social recreational dance business without basic computer savvy is like a dance student who 'just doesn't get it'; they can sort of dance but their abilities and potentials are quite limited.

Supervising & Supervising Skills

Working with contractors, vendors, employees and others on the delivery side of the business is a necessity; some of these relationships require supervision.

• Where in your business are supervisory skills quite good?
• Where are they not good?

Ability to provide direction and motivate people to perform at their highest level; to responsibly evaluate the work of their people and take appropriate action when necessary; to enforce business policies in a positive manner

1. Demonstrates exceptional supervisory skills; shows innovation in supervisory techniques
2. Demonstrates effective supervisory skills
3. Generally demonstrates acceptable supervisory skills
4. Has difficulty exercising supervisory skills
5. Does not demonstrate necessary supervisory skills