Every judo club has its own culture, whether by accident or by design. Usually if the club culture is good, it's because it was cultivated. These things don't happen by chance or by their own. And usually if the culture is bad, it's because the coaches and dojo owners could not be bothered to deal with bad attitudes among its players.

Recently, a new member told us that the environment in the club is really great. Everyone is warm and welcoming and have such a positive attitude. I told him, this didn't come about by itself. We have taken great pains to cultivate the positive culture and vibes in our club.

Over the years, we've had a small handful of players with bad attitudes. Some were dangerous and injured many members, some were disrespectful towards others, some had poor training ethics. Fortunately, they are all gone now and what we have now is a really excellent bunch of people.

I read an interview by an American coach who was asked how he managed to keep a good culture in his club. He basically said that when you have a good culture already in place it will result in a virtuous cycle where good people will attract more good people to join.

What about the ones who don't fit in with the club's culture? Well, in time they will naturally disassociate themselves with the club precisely because they don't fit in. But what if they decide to stay? In a worst case scenario, if their attitude and behavior is at odds with what you want for the club, you have to ask them to leave.

A successful entrepreneur from Penang told me when she first started out she was always reluctant to confront workers with bad attitudes. Nobody likes confrontation. But she soon realized that workers with bad attitudes not only negatively influence others, they also harm the company. So, she decided once she detects someone is problematic she would nip it the in the bud. I think this is the correct policy.

When I think about our current membership, I am really thankful for the people we have in our Judo Family. We don't have a single bad apple among our members. They all make training a joy, for the instructors, and for others in the club.