Instructor Evaluations
You know evaluations matter…
so why aren't they happening?
We know why:
Most of us hate evaluations. Giving them. Getting them.
Because when evals only show up in emergencies, they’re not about growth. They’re about damage control.
But what if evaluations weren’t about what’s broken... but aboutwhat’s possible?
That’s the question we’ve been asking inside our ACC Zoom rooms.
So we pulled insights straight from a candid convo between Michael (our Talent Development Coach) and Jaimie (our Chief Experience Officer) - two leaders who’ve coached through every flavor of evaluation hesitation.
Here's what they had to say. 👇
3 FALSE MYTHS WE HEAR A LOT
(and what to do instead):
Myth 1: “If I evaluate them, they might leave.”
JAIMIE:
This is the fear I hear from owners all the time: "If I give feedback, they won’t take it well and leave."
MICHAEL:
Right. Because when you don’t have a tool, feedback becomes personal. It’s your opinion.
There’s nothing to point to and say, “Hey, we’re looking at this, this, and this.”
That’s the real risk:
When feedback lacks structure, it doesn’t feel fair. And when it doesn’t feel fair, it starts to feel unsafe.
That’s when instructors start to pull away… and eventually walk away.
Instead of: “I feel like…”
It should be: “Based on our rubric, here’s what landed and here’s where we can tighten.”
TRY THIS INSTEAD:
Use shared standards so feedback isn’t judgment or subjective…
It’s actionable and objective.
Myth 2: “My team already knows what to do.”
MICHAEL:
“They know how to teach, sure. But if you haven’t defined the experience or built a way to protect it, it’s all just up in the air. That’s how you lose consistency. That’s how you lose the brand.”
Even the best instructors can drift.
Without alignment, excellence turns into improvisation. And eventually, the standard gets lost.
When the class experience isn’t what people came for, clients start to disengage.
And once that trust breaks? It’s way harder to rebuild than it is to protect.
TRY THIS INSTEAD:
Define what “great” looks like in your studio.
Then build feedback systems around it.
⚡ ACC PRO TIP:
Track your Churn/Attrition (this is one of our CORE 7 KPIs)!
When class quality drifts, clients usually don’t complain, they just stop showing up. That’s why we track visit frequency every quarter.
Because by the time your retention report shows a dip?
The client experience has already been off for weeks.
Instructor evaluations help you catch the disconnect before your numbers do.
Myth 3: “Evaluations kill the vibe.”
JAIMIE:
This is the one I feel in my soul. Owners don’t want to lose their studio’s magic by layering in some corporate checklist.
MICHAEL:
And that’s why feedback has to be actionable, kind, and direct.
Otherwise? That magic erodes slowly. Instructors don’t know where they stand. And they never really grow.
When your team feels like they’re building something with you (not being judged by you) the feedback hits differently.
They take the lead on their growth.
It’s still an evaluation. It just doesn’t feel like one.
TRY THIS INSTEAD:
Shift your language and your delivery.
Evaluations don’t have to feel like a performance review.
Start with collaboration, and the evaluation takes care of itself.
Instead of saying: "Here’s my feedback…"
Ask, "Hey, are you ready to workshop this with me?"
It shifts the whole energy.
BUSTING MYTHS NEVER FELT SO GOOD
Your team doesn’t need criticism. They need clarity.
Your instructors don’t need control. They need consistency.
Your studio doesn’t need hype. It needs repeatable excellence.
That’s what evaluations done right deliver.
If you’re ready to put strategy behind your leadership and systems behind your care, set up your instructor evaluation system the right way with ACC Ops Coach, Michael Keeney, in our done-with-you Instructor Evaluation Plan.
