Operations: A Culture of Teamwork

Recently, a staff employee called out of work at the last minute due to a family emergency. This unfortunately left our front desk short-staffed for one of the busiest shifts of the day. The receptionists on shift were visibly struggling to manage checking people in, answering phones and the many other tasks they are asked to fulfill.

Just before the supervisor was going to call the next receptionist to come in early, an employee, who happened to be playing basketball in the club at the time, saw the commotion at the desk and jumped into action — no questions asked, and without even clocking in! What motivated this employee to help out so quickly? It all comes back to our company’s culture: in this case, highlighting an environment of teamwork.

At Gainesville Health and Fitness, culture is defined as the way we do things around here. It’s the fever everybody catches when they join our organization. There are many aspects to our company’s culture. All are equal in importance, with the situation previously stated focusing on an environment of teamwork.

In this state, individuals make sacrifices for the good of the team and understand that no employee is greater than the other. A perfect example of this can be seen every day when Joe Cirulli, the owner of Gainesville Health and Fitness, makes a conscious effort to pick up at least three pieces of trash on his way into the club each day.

It is also extremely important in any organization that all employees are working towards a common goal through a shared understanding of what that goal means. We stress our company’s goals every single day through daily coaching sessions, team meetings and other employee interactions, so that everyone in our clubs knows exactly what they are working towards.

We also provide employees with the support they need to contribute, reward teammates for helping each other out, and assign work to ensure interdependency.

Part of our company goal is to gain and retain members by creating an experience that helps people get the most out of life and to inspire them to become their best. It is through this goal we work cohesively as a team to ensure that anyone who enters our club has an experience that goes beyond their expectations.

Reflect on your company’s team and the ways in which they work together. Are they all focused on only their individual responsibilities, or for the betterment of the company as a whole? If it’s the latter, than I can assure you that as a company, you are on track for some tremendous success.

Adrian Antigua is the operations manager for Gainesville Health and Fitness in Tioga, Fla. Formerly a desk manager, Antigua is heavily involved in customer service and staff training. For questions on operations, e-mail Antigua at AdrianA@ghfc.com.