In any big league team sport, training camp is the time of year where the first-timers and the veterans go through the drills, both mental and physical, in preparation for the season ahead. Throughout the season, the team practices day in and day out, continually improving their individual skills and team cohesiveness. It’s this combination of starting out right and continuous practice that makes for a winning season.
As a coach, the most crucial role you have in creating team cohesiveness and ultimately success, is determining first what systems to implement and then deciding who is responsible for:
1. Implementing a particular System
2. Monitoring and documenting that System
3. Adjusting that System.
That’s where most club managers stop. But deciding what systems to implement and which team members will execute which systems is really just the end of training camp. Now you need to do what every coach does. Make sure your team is practicing. And it’s not as hard as you might initially envision. Slow change for the better on a consistent basis will outperform the “flavor of the week” crowd every time. The positive, incremental changes you will be fostering within the walls of your facility will create a unique identity and spirit, and even your members will notice the improved atmosphere. I can always tell when I’ve entered a club that has just undergone a huge shift in the way in which it performs any aspect of its business. I get stressed watching the staff and I’m just a guest. Conversely, when I workout in a club where continuous improvement is part of the culture, it looks efficient and effortless.
In these articles I’ve been sharing some of my experiences, both good and bad. Some of the worst experiences occurred because when I started in business I feared…no, I loathed the word “system.” It conjured up images in my head of spreadsheets rivaling those of the scientists planning the first moon landing. Over time I learned that like most things, it’s really a lot easier than what I’d feared. To start, I listed my primary business goals. For example – in an order depending on how well-established your club is – for continuous improvement, the primary goals that you want to focus on within your club may be:
1. Educating, servicing and thereby retaining your members
2. Increasing your personal training revenue
3. Generating leads for the club
4. Increasing your club sales closing rate.
The second item on the coaches “to-do” list is to acquire and implement integrated systems over specific systems. Plainly put, get systems that cover as many of your primary goals as possible. It just makes sense that the fewer overall systems you have, the easier and more efficient it is for your entire team. It’s also easier for you to acquire and make sense of the data coming from only a few integrated systems. This will make planning your future course of continuous improvement that much more evident.
Third, be patient yet firm. Nobody likes change. Being taken out of our comfort zone is, well, uncomfortable. So expect moderate hesitancy from some on your team to any change, regardless of how incremental, if continuous improvement hasn’t yet become a part of your culture. Be patient with this group and you will instill in them this new culture. You may have close to downright rebellion by a very few. Be firm with these few. If you are, the end result will be a stronger, more cohesive and more successful team unit, with those individuals, or without them. This may seem harsh, but it’s actually the kindest thing you can do for both your team and your business.
Lastly, evaluate your systems periodically. The way you sold a membership five years ago ought not to be the way you sell one today. The methods utilized to service your members have become more diverse. Technology and the Web can assist – and make more efficient – your team’s daily interactions with your members.
As an owner or manager, it’s your business to lead. The only way you can be fit to lead your club is by staying abreast of new technologies and services available to the industry. When you read trade magazines and journals, make it a point to find out what the industry leaders are up to, both the club owners’ and the industries’ many great companies.
In summary, leading your team to implement and improve your systems begins with you, the club owner or manager. By starting this process, you’ll simultaneously improve your club culture, your team morale, and your bottom line. And, if you continually stay abreast of new industry services, continuous improvement will become the culture of your club sooner than you think.
Shawn Vint is the President of FitDV. He can be contacted at 1.888.355.1055, or by email at marketing@fitdv.com, or visit www.fitdv.com.
