Kiley Mutschler, a regional manager with Active Wellness, shares three ways health club leaders can create career opportunities for employees.
By definition, a job is something someone assigns to you; a task you complete to earn money. A career is something you create and usually includes training, mentoring and on-going education. Ideally, careers should align with your passion and/or your purpose.
If your career aligns with your purpose, the next step is finding fulfillment in “work.” This requires finding a balance of passion, skills and opportunities. If you are hiring well, you already have people on your team with passion and skills. However, where we can influence our employees finding fulfillment in their careers is by providing them with the opportunities.
Here are three ways to create career opportunities for employees:
Mentor Program
As you reflect on your career, think about the mentors you’ve had along the way. Consider how they shaped you, developed you and challenged you to think unconventionally. What are you currently doing to create an environment where your team members have mentors in or outside of your organization? Know what your team needs, connect them with others who can support and guide them, and provide another perspective. We are an industry that wants to help people and that includes our own. If you don’t have the right mentor within your own business, connect with others in the industry and ask for their support.
Team Rotations
Rotating your teams through different departments can expose them to different aspects of the business they might not even be aware exists within the organization. Do you have a trainer who is interested in marketing or someone in marketing who is interested in pursuing a certification in working with a specific population? Maybe someone in finance would love to teach a dance class? Allowing in-person training, shadowing and/or rotations within your departments would be a great way to provide opportunities for your team to grow within the business.
Create New Positions
Career paths are not linear and limited. Think outside of the box when it comes to career development and growth for your team. Consider the manager who is good with operations. Could their role expand into supporting a larger “HR” role for your company? We all have those personal trainers (PT) who have natural leadership ability. Have you discussed an opportunity for them to grow within the PT department? Consider creating an in-house educational opportunity and/or course they could design and lead. Get creative!
At the end of the day, each person determines how they define success in their careers. It could be defined by money and title or by living a purposeful life, doing work you are passionate about and making a difference. Know your team, their goals and desires. Then help move them in a direction so they can experience opportunities that lead to long and fulfilling careers in our wonderful industry.
“Your work is going to fill a large part of your life, and the only way to be truly satisfied is to do what you believe is great work. And the only way to do great work is to love what you do.” – Steve Jobs
