Gym Chain Owners Lead With Investing In Leaders

You’ve heard me say this in #JTInTheRaw show 74, if you give a s*#t about your staff then give a s*#t about them.  Last week, I saw owners care about their team beyond the numbers. They cared about them as people.

Life & Soul have 4 clubs in north Western Australia – about 1200km apart. Bolted on to 3 of their box clubs are their own F45s. The owners, Cindy and Pete, are assisted by Tom, the regional manager, and a team of club and department managers who love their jobs and their clubs.

Last week I had the amazing opportunity to work with them on developing their leadership skills. We covered:

• Habits to make them personally high achievers;
• Setting personal goals to achieve more and set examples for their teams;
• Managing their businesses by numbers and implications of every action on a business number;
• The importance of social media in the club’s positioning in the community and their role in that strategy; and
• How to develop a strong, successful challenge.

Perhaps the most intriguing aspect of the meeting for me was when we spontaneously went on a tangent and had some of the leaders give presentations that I gave feedback on.

It was right then that it dawned on me how powerful the art of public speaking is in the leadership equation.  When you can command a room or a group with how you speak, rather than what you speak, you become a leader at a deeper level.

Congrats to the team as they took on the feedback and I know they will be leading their staff meetings with more conviction and confidence!

Finally, Cindy and Pete exemplify ownership leadership. They are outstanding examples of empowering and delegating. They are allowing their leaders to flourish and fail, so they learn.  They are providing their team unique opportunities to help them get better.  They are tailoring their own conference to the business needs.

I love IHRSA.  I love Filex.  I love big industry conferences.  They rock!!

But I can see how running a 2 to 3 day internal conference truly benefits your culture, leadership development and trust amongst the team. The tailored messaging strengthens the brand and the individuals.  This is definitely worth including in your 2018 budget.

Thanks Cindy, Pete, Tom and all the Team from Life & Soul and F45 for allowing me to work with you.

JT

Justin is the Managing Director of Active Management, which he began January 2004. He offers coaching to businesses worldwide in everything from start up and design to marketing and sales systems. Justin also facilitates four Australian and New Zealand ‘fitness industry roundtables’ events, which allows him to see a huge cross section of business models.

www.activemgmt.com.au